The Transalp begins at the weekend - 22 South Tyroleans at the start

With a total of 13 wins in eleven years, the South Tyroleans have always performed excellently. Four successes go to the men's pairings, three to the women, four to the Masters (together at least 80 years old) and two to the Grand Masters (100+). The most successful so far has been Werner Weiss from Eppan, who has climbed to the top podium six times with different partners. Weiss finally said goodbye to the Tour-Transalp last year, but continues to take part in long-distance races at home and abroad and is considered an expert in the cycling scene.

Top placements for South Tyroleans within reach The 43-year-old from Eppan believes that Eduard Rizzi from Sarner can achieve a top spot in the men's category at this year's Transalp. “I know that Rizzi prepared meticulously for the tour,” says Weiss. “He has what it takes to be in the top five.” The 42-year-old top athlete is crossing the Alps, as he did two years ago, together with Carlo Muraro from Vicenza. “Andreas Tappeiner from Vinschger is also highly rated,” says Weiss. The 27-year-old long-distance specialist from Kastelbell has the German Adrian Fingerle as his partner. “Both of them have the potential for a top ten place.”

Luca Bonfante and Giordano Casagrande from Bolzano are prepared for a place in the top ranks in the master category. Former top athletes Oswald Kerschbaumer (alpine skiing) and Frowin Stecher (snowboarding) are competing in the Grand Masters. This is the third Transalp for Kerschbaumer and the first for the much younger Stecher. There is no South Tyrolean women's team at the start. From Trentino, however, the extreme athletes Marcellina Dossi (Volano) and Cinzia Bertoldi (Besenello) are eligible for a top spot.

Weiss sees Nösig/Randl and Kastinger/Steinkeller as favorites Weiss' partner from last year, the German ex-professional Jörg Ludewig, is racing together with Lisa Pleyer in the mixed category this year and has title ambitions in the category classification. The favorites among the men include Weiss, who knows the Transalp scene very well, the Austrian pairings Emanuel Nösig/Jörg Randl and Michael Kastinger/Klaus Steinkeller. They all have Transalp experience and have always been at the front. The Belgians Bart Bury and Bart Vrolijkx could pose a threat to both teams. Two years ago, Bury came second overall in the Ötztal Marathon.

In the 12-year Tour Transalp history, 27 South Tyrolean stage locations were on the program. Brixen will be visited by cyclists for the fifth time this year and St.Vigil for the sixth time. The competition starts in five categories: men, women, mixed, masters (men, together over 80 years old) and grandmasters (men, together over 100 years old). The ranking is based on stage and overall victory.

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The Transalp begins at the weekend - 22 South Tyroleans at the start

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