Diego Rosa had announced, at the end of 2022, that he would return to MTB and would have abandoned the pro road world to return to his 1st love, which was off-road. But who would have expected that he would immediately take home the tricolor jersey in front of the Wilier Pirelli duo Fabian Rabensteiner and Samuele Porro!
Source: press release
To win in the Mountain Bike Marathon you need technique, endurance and tactics, but in a race like Valsugana Wild Ride, whose second edition awarded the Italian MTB Marathon Championships for the Elite and Master categories on Saturday 29 July, there is thing that matters more than anything else: knowing how to look fatigue in the eye, challenge it, face it.
This was confirmed by the new king and queen of the Marathon Tricolore, Diego Rosa and Sandra Mairhofer. He, 34 years old, has rediscovered the desire to work hard, to push hard, returning to his first love with pedals, that Mountain Bike which had brought him closer to top cycling at a very young age, where he later established himself on the road with jerseys, among others, Team Sky and Astana. Fifteen days ago, in Telve, he returned to being part of the MTB national team a few kilometers from where, last year, he took off in the ranks of the Giro d'Italia: now he is preparing his bags for the World Championships in Glasgow next week with an extra tricolor shirt in the suitcase.
Her curriculum speaks for Mairhofer, which sees her as reigning Cross Triathlon and Winter Triathlon World Champion: 31 years old, the South Tyrolean emerges when lactic acid begins to make itself felt. The 70,3 km with almost 3.400 meters of difference in altitude of the Marathon Tricolore in Valsugana called her loudly among the announced protagonists, and she did not hold back.
Not even the GS Lagorai Bike of the patron Enrico d'Aquilio is afraid of fatigue, who strongly wanted this Italian Marathon Championship in Valsugana to celebrate its first 15 years of activity, and 11 years after the unforgettable Tricolor Week on the road.
The insane weather of the last few weeks has put the organizational team to the test in order to ensure a high-level race in technically impeccable conditions. A heavy commitment, but finally rewarded by the splendid sunny day and the smiles of the almost 700 protagonists of the second edition of Valsugana Wild Ride, divided between the Marathon and Classic distances (37,9 km), through the municipalities of Telve, Telve di Above, Carzano, Torcegno and Borgo Valsugana.
DIEGO ROSA SURPRISES RABENSTEINER AND PORRO
Those who had seen him pedaling during the recent training camp of the Italian national team in Telve had said it: watch out for Diego Rosa, this could be his path.
The Piedmontese chose the most beautiful day to find his first success since his return to Mountain Bike, his first love, after 10 years of professionalism on the road at the highest levels, earning the privilege of wearing the Tricolor for the next twelve months.
The bearer of the Taddei Factory Team did not start with the favors of the forecast, which rightfully belonged to the last two owners of the tricolor, Fabian Rabensteiner (2021 and 2022) and Samuele Porro (2020), both of the Wilier-Pirelli Team. And yet, from the first climb towards Musiera and Coston di Ciste, the forcing carried out by Riccardo Chiarini, Rosa's teammate, immediately made clear the serious intentions of the Piedmontese.
Chiarini's attack forced Rabensteiner and Porro to respond, reducing the numbers of the chasing group with their pace, which went from 17 to 12 and then to 10 units: it was Nicolas Samparisi, among others, who paid the price (KTM-Alchemist), soon distanced from the podium positions.
However, the decisive move came on the subsequent ascent towards Forcella Mendana, "Cima Coppi" with its 2.059 meters of 70,3 km route and almost 3.400 meters in altitude. On the steep slopes in the shadow of the Lagorai, Diego Rosa made use of all his engine and the basic skills of a career in road cycling, setting an unsustainable pace even for the most accredited opponents. Behind him, Rabensteiner and Porro exchanged accelerations even risking over-revving, and only Lorenzo Samparisi (KTM-Alchemist) remained with them, with Juri Ragnoli (FM Factory) a short distance away.
At the GPM, Rosa was over a minute ahead of the first pursuers, who were caught up and overtaken by Ragnoli in the downhill attempt to revive the action. While Rosa administered and further extended his margin in the lead, the Wilier standard-bearers teamed up to catch up and distance Ragnoli again: the Telve podium thus saw Diego Rosa triumph in 3 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds (20,479 km/h average), ahead of Rabensteiner and Porro in order (+2.51).
Fourth place for Ragnoli (+3.47), fifth for Lorenzo Samparisi (+4.22). Also noteworthy is the good eighth place in the home race for Trentino's Andrea Righettini (Olympia Factory Team, +11.27).
“It was a course designed for me,” admitted the newly Italian Diego Rosa, “with a lot of uphill and a lot of paved surface. We set off with a clear tactic in mind, that of imposing the pace and trying to make the difference on the most demanding climb to pull Rabensteiner and Porro away and then manage. We did it perfectly, and today, at 34 and in my first season back in the Marathon, wearing this Tricolor is something special.”
THE HAPPINESS OF DIEGO ROSA
Rabensteiner and Porro vanished on the Italian goal, but the focus immediately shifts to Glasgow and next week's Marathon World Championships, "on a route that should be more suited to my characteristics," explains the South Tyrolean. “It wasn't easy to keep up with Diego's pace on these climbs today, but the sensations and condition are good. Next Sunday we will race the World Championship in Glasgow, and it will also be my 33rd birthday. When I learned about this calendar, I thought it should be my day: I will leave determined to give myself the best gift".
“To answer Rosa, Fabian and I risked killing each other,” confesses Samuele Porro, “on such a demanding course, an over-rev could also cost us the podium. He is sorry to have given up the shirt after having had it in the team for three years, but today the strongest won. Next week in Glasgow we will find a different route, with fewer long climbs and more technical sections, and certainly another, cooler climate: we will leave for Scotland confident that we can get results.”
MAIRHOFER FLYING UP TOWARDS THE ITALIAN TITLE
At the start in Telve on Saturday morning, Sandra Mairhofer (Granbike Velo Club Torino) smiled heartily. The South Tyrolean athlete had participated in the training camp in Telve with the Italian national team, and therefore she knew the 70,3 km that would have awarded the tricolor title inside out. The same smile, more tired but perhaps even more vivid, appeared at the finish line four hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds later, to celebrate his first Italian title in the Mountain Bike Marathon.
Reigning Cross Triathlon and Winter Triathlon World Champion, Sandra Mairhofer interpreted the Valsugana Wild Ride from the start. It was she and the outgoing Italian champion Claudia Peretti (Olympia Factory Team) who stood out on the climb, increasing minutes between herself and the first pursuers, the thirty Debora Piana (Team Cingolani) and Chiara Burato (Mentecorpo Cicli Drigani Pro Team).
The duel between the two leading athletes was resolved downhill after the GPM of Forcella Mendana: an error in fact cost Peretti the breaking of the circle, thwarting any ambition to confirm herself in the tricolor jersey, in a season for her so far stingy full of satisfactions and, conversely, full of inconveniences.
From that point it was a solo for Mairhofer towards the finish line in Telve, while behind him it was the last descent that decreed the overtaking of Debora Piana against Chiara Burato, with the two completing the podium in order, respectively 9.14 and 10.01 from the winner.
“I'm very happy,” began Mairhofer, “I liked this route so much already on paper, with all this climbing, and we found it in excellent condition. In the first half of the race it was a good duel with Claudia, I was sad to see her out of action due to a mechanical problem. I'm happy to arrive in this condition at the gates of the World Cup in Glasgow: I feel motivated and ready for the challenge."
The local athlete Debora Piana (lives in Pergine) commented with satisfaction on her second place: "I knew the route very well, unfortunately on the first descent I had a slip, but I got back into contact with Chiara Burato and in the final I gave the maximum to snatch this second place which is worth, with such a high level.”
"Unfortunately, I lost second place in the stretch I feared the most, downhill, where I know I still have room for improvement - explained Chiara Burato, - but today I had set myself a top-5 goal, so third place makes you more than satisfied. I would like to congratulate the organization for the work they have done on the course, which was in truly optimal conditions despite everything that has happened in recent days in terms of weather."
THE NEW ITALIAN MTB MASTER CHAMPIONS
The Italian MTB Championship in Valsugana also awarded the Tricolor Jerseys for the Master categories. The new Italian Champions are Peter Menghetti (Elite Sport), Marco Galeotti (M1), Efrem Bonelli (M2), Andrea Zamboni (M3), Mirco Balducci (M4), Fabrizio Pezzi (M5), Marzio Deho (M6), Leonardo Arici (M7), Agostino Oss (M8), Erika Pinna (Elite Women Sport), Greta Recchia (W1), Simona Ce' (W2) and Chiara Mandelli (W3).
CLASSIC: SUCCESS FOR PINI AND SASSANO
Before the arrival of the new Italian Elite Champions, Telve greeted the winners of the Valsugana Wild Ride over the Classic distance of 37,9 km. Marco Pini (ASD Bike and Fun Team) prevailed in the men's field, able to outdistance Giulio Peruzzo (Loris Bike) by 4.20 and Daniele Rossi (Cicli Todesco) by 7.22. Domination in the women's field for Alessandra Sassano (Team Sella Bike) who imparted over 9 minutes to Orietta Tosadori (ASD Chero Group Team Sfrenati) and more than 22 to Luisa De Lorenzo Poz (Team EsteBike Zordan).
ITALIAN MALE MARATHON RANKING
| 1 | PINK Diego | TADDEI FACTORY TEAM | 03:25:57.96 |
| 2 | RABENSTEINER Fabian | WILIER PIRELLI TEAM | + 2: 51 |
| 3 | PORRO Samuel | WILIER PIRELLI TEAM | + 2: 51 |
| 4 | RAGNOLI Juri | FM BIKE FACTORY TEAM | + 3: 47 |
| 5 | SAMPARISI Lorenzo | KTM BRENTA BRAKES | + 4: 22 |
| 6 | CHECKS Dario | KTM BRENTA BRAKES | + 9: 09 |
| 7 | BILLI Jacopo | SCOTT RACING TEAM | + 9: 09 |
| 8 | RIGHETTINI Andrew | OLYMPIA FACTORY TEAM | + 11: 27 |
| 9 | SAMPARISI Nicolas | KTM BRENTA BRAKES | + 13: 53 |
| 10 | DORIGONI Jakob | TORPADO FACTORY TEAM | + 13: 55 |
ITALIAN MARATHON WOMEN RANKING
| 1 | MAIRHOFER Sandra | VELO CLUB TURIN GRANBIKE | 04:23:10.78 |
| 2 | PLAIN Deborah | TRACK TEAM | 04:32:24.42 |
| 3 | BURATO Clear | MINDBODY CYCLES DRIGANI PRO TEAM | 04:34:11.50 |
| 4 | SCIPIONS Silvia | TADDEI FACTORY TEAM | 04:49:03.42 |
| 5 | ZARANTONELLO Mary | MAINETTI METALLURGICAL VENETIAN – GT TREVISAN | 04:51:50.02 |
| 6 | LECHNER Eve | LOVED TEAMS | 04:56:55.10 |
| 7 | PIETROVITO Victory | OMAP ANDREIS CYCLES | 04:58:25.19 |
| 8 | MANDELLI Clare | TEAM SPACE BIKES | 05:03:32.81 |
| 9 | There's Simona | MTB PERTICA LOW ASD | 05:04:01.43 |
| 10 | RECCHIA Greta | HAPPY BIKES | 05:06:44.03 |
COMPLETE results
