Andreas Reiterer is pleased after his strong performance. © Matthias Alber

Reiterer storms to second place, Geiser shines in world-class style

Andreas Reiterer made an impressive statement at the Ultra Trail Chianti Castles by UTMB in Tuscany.

March 22, 2026

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The Haflinger secured second place over 120 kilometers and 5.200 meters of elevation gain, thus earning the coveted "Golden Ticket" for the legendary Western States 100 in the USA. Tobias Geiser rounded off the South Tyrolean success with a strong fourth place.

Reiterer wasn't originally supposed to be at the starting line in Tuscany at all. His main focus was on a UTMB World Series race in Fuerteventura. But when that was canceled at short notice due to extreme weather, a "Plan B" was quickly needed. He chose the Ultra Trail Chianti Castles – a return to a place of triumph that would prove to be absolutely the right decision.

Ticket for California secured

It's no secret in the equestrian world that Andreas Reiterer is particularly fast on the trails through the Chianti region. The Haflinger had already won the prestigious race back in 2024. After a painful retirement the previous year, he was eager to prove his class once again on Italian soil.

Andreas Reiterer (left) celebrates his podium finish. © Matthias Alber

Reiterer finished in second place with a time of 10:06:16. This success is far more than just a podium finish in the international series: it secured him one of the extremely rare "Golden Tickets." These starting places are the only way to qualify directly for the prestigious Western States 100 in California – the oldest and arguably most historic 100-mile race in the world.

The race began at a blistering pace from the very first second. A small elite group quickly emerged, dominated by the two South Tyrolean riders, Reiterer, and Tobias Geiser. Geiser's performance was particularly impressive. The rider from Mölten, who has firmly established himself among the international elite after an outstanding preseason and now rides for the renowned Dynafit team, confirmed his excellent form. The fact that Reiterer and Geiser are not only fellow countrymen but also close friends, and completed large parts of their training together, lent a special significance to the South Tyrolean one-two finish.

Preliminary decision and fall drama

After about 35 kilometers, reigning European champion Thomas Cardin (France) upped the pace. Only Reiterer and fellow Frenchman Vincent Bouillard could keep up. For hours, this leading trio sized each other up at the front. The decisive moment finally came at kilometer 60 when Cardin attacked again. Neither Reiterer nor Bouillard could counter this move, allowing the Frenchman to ride off into a solitary victory.

© Matthias Alber

For Andreas Reiterer, things took a dramatic turn at kilometer 70. The South Tyrolean crashed heavily on a technically demanding section and briefly lost his rhythm. But the Haflinger rider demonstrated his fighting spirit: he quickly recovered, caught up with Bouillard, and made a decisive break at kilometer 85. On the final climb, he summoned all his remaining reserves, kept the charging Bouillard at bay, and secured second place with a lead of just 36 seconds. Thomas Cardin took the victory in 9:58:38 hours.

Geiser holds his own in the world class

Tobias Geiser completed what was a perfect race day for South Tyrol. After the leading group broke apart, the Möltner native ran a solitary race against the clock for much of the distance. With great mental fortitude, he maintained a consistently high pace and crossed the finish line in an excellent fourth place. This result underlined that Geiser's rise to the professional ranks was no fluke.

Tobias Geiser and Andreas Reiterer at the finish line. © Matthias Alber

“This is incredible for me – it’s one of the best races of my career,” Andreas Reiterer said at the finish line. “After winning two years ago and being disappointed last year, I was able to show again that I’m a force to be reckoned with. I’m especially pleased with Tobias’s performance. It’s fantastic to see how, after all that hard work, he’s now fully established himself among the world’s elite.”

Tobias Geiser was also highly satisfied: “I was able to fully translate my training performance into results. Fourth place here feels almost like a victory. This gives me a huge amount of confidence for the rest of the season.”