HERO South Tyrol Dolomites: Paez triumphs – Mairhofer climbs to the podium

It was already announced at the press conference that the BMW HERO Südtirol Dolomites would be a top-class race. The starting field for the thirteenth edition with the world's best MTB marathoners promised a top-class competition for today. And these expectations were met. The Colombian Leon Hector took first place on the best list of the BMW HERO Südtirol Dolomites 1 for the eighth time Leonardo Paez . He won with a time of 04:29.05,9 hours over the 86 kilometer route with an altitude difference of 4.500 meters.

“I am very happy about this success. The race means a lot to me because it has always been with me,” said Paez Moments after crossing the finish line, “and every year the mountains, the people and the organization motivate me to take part in the HERO again.” He confidently took first place in this race, leaving behind competitors of the absolute highest caliber Samuel Porro from the Wilier Pirelli Factory Team, who crossed the finish line with a time of 4:36.29.9 hours. The Colombian came in third place Diego Arias Cuervo from Team Futura ASD with 7:34 minutes seconds behind the winner.

This year there were again numerous top athletes at the start. © Photo credit BMW HERO South Tyrol Dolomites 2023_@wisthaler

Porro's teammate, the Austrian, took fourth place Daniel Geismayr , while the Czech Martin Stosek from the Canyon Northwave MTB Team finished fifth. The five competitors, after an initial skirmish on the Danterciepes climb and towards Pratolongià, maintained an even pace until Paez accelerated at the foot of the infamous Ornella climb, leaving the other breakaways behind to open up a lead of almost 4 minutes over his pursuers to come to the forest.

Paez then rode solo to his eighth HERO victory. At the finish his lead was 7:24 minutes over Porro and Arias Cuervo. For Paez, this is a great success, because the HERO is the toughest mountain bike marathon in the world in terms of the ratio of distance covered and height difference to be overcome - this year the race around the Sella and Sassolungo group was classified in the UCI Hors Class recorded.

Mairhofer in third place The race was no less spectacular on the 60-kilometer-long women's route with an altitude difference of 3.200, on which the Top athletes had to prove. First to go Adelheid Morath from Team Mount7 with a time of 3:58.59,5 hours in Wolkenstein, where the winners of the HERO have always been celebrated on the piazza. “When I started I didn’t know what to expect, "I was exhausted, but I felt good," said Morath, whose eyes beamed with joy at her second win in a row, "so I took it cautiously from the start in order to have my race under control."

Regardless of her cautious strategy, the German drove the race alone from the first climb of the Gardena Joch. “My performance surprised me even after I didn’t feel completely rested after the race in Finale Ligure last week,” the German concluded.

The women's podium (from left): Sosna, Morath and Sandra Mairhofer. © Photo credit BMW HERO South Tyrol Dolomites 2023_@wisthaler

The Lithuanian with an Italian passport secured second place among women Katazine Sosna from the Torpado Factory Team, which is on the winner's podium at the HERO for the fourth time with its time of 4:02.07,4 hours. came third Sandra Mairhofer from the ASD Granbike Velo Club, who competed here in front of their home audience. They followed in fourth and fifth place Stefanie Dorn from the Canyon Northwave MTB team and Lejla Njemcevic from Team Allebike, the current number 1 in the world rankings, who announced they would fight the day before the race.

The “shark” conquers the Dolomites Also in the starting field for this exciting edition was Vincenzo Nibali , who, after ending his incredible career as a professional road racer, took on the HERO challenge to test himself on the same climbs he had done on asphalt until last year. With a time of 5:22.32,1 hours on the 86 kilometer route, he was greeted with an ovation at the finish: “It was really a tough test, but I'm happy to have been there. “I was not only able to find my rhythm, but also enjoy the wonderful panorama of the Dolomites,” said the shark from Messina, commenting on his race, which was broadcast live on television and streamed to a whopping 85 countries on five continents.

In the overall ranking he is in 40th place - a positive result given the numerous appointments in recent months that have prevented him from specifically preparing for a marathon like the HERO. In addition to Nibali, the Olympic champion from London 2012 also started, Marcus Aurelius Fontana , who held his own well on the route that he himself had described as “crazy” the day before. The cyclist from Castel Arquato took 53rd place and, above all, mastered the challenge of passing a test as tough as the HERO.

A thousand stories of the hero Today the Dolomites and Selva di Val Gardena were the venue where 40 countries celebrated their enthusiasm for the sport. This once again underlines the international character of this event, which has become a must for every cyclist at least once in their life. Among the numerous starters there were also many special stories, such as that of Carlo Resta , who returned to Italy after a long career abroad and ran his race with the aim of raising funds for the Community of Sant'Egidio. Also the one born in 1985 Chiara Ciuffini , brand ambassador for the American bicycle company that sponsors the HERO, took part in the race, competing as a road cyclist in a discipline as technical as mountain biking.

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HERO South Tyrol Dolomites: Paez triumphs – Mairhofer climbs to the podium

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