Nalles in MTB fever: 800 starters in the Sunshine Race

The Marlene South Tyrol Sunshine Race is celebrating its 18th edition this year, but there are athletes who are taking part in Nals for the first time. Among these was Mathias Flückiger (Thomus-RN Racing), who was surprised by the track in the middle of the apple trees. “We no longer see routes like this in the World Cup, with long climbs and long descents, but I'm happy that they still exist. This is also mountain biking, and it's nice to have variety and compete on these routes, it's mainly a natural route, without artificial obstacles, like we usually find in cross-country races today. I like the course and with my form, I think I can have a say.”

Next to him at the start of the Elite Open race are, among others, Maxime Marotte, European champion Florian Vogel and Stephane Tempier, who is already an old foe in Nals: “I think I have already started here at least 10 times,” said the Frenchman with a smile , “but it doesn't bother me because it's one of my favorite routes. It’s not without reason that I won here two years ago and last year I came second behind Marco Aurelio Fontana.”

Also in the front row is local hero Gerhard Kerschbaumer, who represents the Italian national team together with last year's winner Fontana, Nadir Colledani, Andrea Tiberi and Gioele Bertolini.

The women's start list also includes the greats of MTB sport, with the two world champions in the elite and U23, Jolanda Neff and Sina Frei, the six-time Nals winner Gunn-Rita Dahle, the World Cup winner Yana Belomoina, Linda Indergand, Maja Wloszczowska and many other. Not to forget the South Tyroleans Anna Oberparleiter, Lisa Rabensteiner and Greta Seiwald.

Also not to be overlooked is the fight among the world's best juniors, who will be at the start of the second UCI Junior Series in Nals, including the world champion in the category, the strong Austrian Laura Stigger.

The distance The route in Nalles is known as one of the most demanding and technical in mountain biking. The lap measures 4,3 km, plus a star lap in the first lap. Right at the beginning of the course you come across the characteristic and most feared part of the Sunshine Race: the climb over the Nachtigallweg, the demanding part of 1 km (600 m in the forest) with 10 bends, which traditionally lead to a preliminary decision. After the technical and spectacular parts of Keschtnigl, the Gugguhütte and the Step Downhill, with climbs, technical descents and jumps, the descent from Ganterer takes the athletes to the Schwertburg Castle and then towards the finish. The height difference per lap is 190 meters: to win in Nals you need technical skills, strength and endurance. The schedule The Sunshine Race opened on Saturday. The program included the youth drivers' technical competition, which marked the start of the weekend.

On Sunday, the race day opens at 8.15:9.00 a.m. with the student women and youth women, followed by the student men (10.00 a.m.), youth (11.15 a.m.) and the UCI Junior Series (13.00:15.00 a.m.) and finally the elite women's races (XNUMX p.m.) and Men (XNUMX p.m.). The awards take place at the end of each race.

A big novelty is the live streaming that the “Internazionali d'Italia Series” racing series offers on all official channels. From 14.50:XNUMX p.m. it will be possible to watch the entire men's race live.

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Nalles in MTB fever: 800 starters in the Sunshine Race

One day before the Marlene Sunshine Race and the start of the new season of the Internazionali d'Italia Series, Nals showed its sunny side. Everything is prepared for one of the biggest bike events in South Tyrol.

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