A world champion conquers the Vinschgau

“Oh Gloria Inmarcesible! O gloria inmarcescible!” are the title and refrain of the Colombian national anthem, which was played today on the podium of the 6th Ortler Bike Marathon. The parterre of Graun im Vinschgau wore the colors of the rainbow when the two-time marathon world champion Hector Leonardo Paez Leon from Soudal Lee Cougan, who was able to win by a narrow margin against Samuele Porro thanks to an irresistible finish sprint.

With ideal cycling temperatures, the elite athletes set off on the 8 kilometer and 111 meter long route through the Vinschgau at exactly 3.905 a.m. After an hour and 40 minutes of racing, there was one man alone at the top in Burgeis, namely the Belgian Wout Alleman, followed by the German Sascha Weber, the Austrian national champion Daniel Geismayr and the brothers Nicolas and Lorenzo Samparisi. On the second climb came the winning attack from the Colombian Paez, who together with Porro managed to break away from the group. Over the remaining kilometers, the two outliers regularly took turns in the lead and at kilometer 90 their lead over their immediate pursuer Fabian Rabensteiner increased. Hot duel for victory The fight for victory was now reduced to two riders and the spectators witnessed a phenomenal sprint in which Leonardo Paez was able to prevail. For the first time in his career he won the Ortler Bike Marathon in 4:49:08 hours. The Colombian thanked the organizer and said in the winner's interview: “It's very tiring, and at the beginning I had to manage my energy. The pace was very high and I knew that I had to wait until Glurns and then attack the longest climb. I ended up getting away with Samuele (Porro) and they worked well together.”

The men's podium from left: Samuele Porro, Leonardo Paez and Fabian Rabensteiner. © Newspower.it

Samuele Porro from Como, who was narrowly beaten, struggled with cramps in his thigh during the finish sprint. The reigning Italian marathon champion Fabian Rabensteiner was third on the podium, an extremely successful team result: “I felt good at the beginning, but halfway through the race I noticed that I was lacking freshness. I've been training a lot at altitude lately and didn't know how to assess my form. I gave it my all on the last climbs and was able to defend my third place.” Daniel Geismayr rounded off an extremely successful team result for the Wilier-Pirelli-Factory team in fourth place, which took positions two to four. Sandra Mairhofer fights for a long time for victory There was also a duel among women between Claudia Peretti and Taistner Sandra Mairhofer. The two were able to break away halfway through the race and claimed the victory between themselves. Claudia Peretti (Olympic Team) had the better finish and crossed the finish line as a soloist. “It was really very close, I drove with Mairhofer for more than half of the race and only in the last part of the race was I able to pull away decisively,” said the winner.

On the shorter distance of 69 kilometers, the Olanger routine Klaus Fontana won, while the German Sarah Marquardt triumphed in the women's race. The German triathlete Hannes Spahn and the Swiss Letizia Strimer won on the 46 kilometer long Classic route. Tobias Zaros and Anna Schmidt won the 29 kilometer short distance.

Class second place for Sandra Mairhofer from Taisten.

Gerald Burger, President of the Organizing Committee, drew a positive conclusion: “We are very satisfied, the athletes confirmed to us that there was something for everyone on the four routes and that they enjoyed the restart in Reschen. There were no accidents, the weather was perfect and the winner of the marathon course was a world champion. You couldn't ask for more! I would like to thank all the sponsors and volunteers.”

800 participants took part in the 6th Ortler Bike Marathon. More than 500 volunteers made the major event possible.

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A world champion conquers the Vinschgau

The Ortler Bike Marathon is dedicated to the Colombian Leonardo Paez, who “finally” wins in Vinschgau. Fabian Rabensteiner comes in a strong third. In the women's category, Claudia Peretti wins ahead of Sandra Mairhofer. Success for Klaus Fontana over the shorter distance too.

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