Rizzi and Dietl cheer at the Fedaia premiere

The hundreds of cyclists went up the Fedaia Pass for the first time on the timed section (9,6 km/570 meters in altitude). At the foot of the Marmolata Glacier, local hero Eduard Rizzi (Sarntal) and Monika Dietl (Bavaria) took the day's victory. The journey was via Val Gardena and Sella Pass, the return journey was via Fassa and Fiemme Valley, and then via Auer back to Bolzano.

Rizzi and Mejia deliver a thrilling duel The third day of competition at this year's Dolomites cycling tour was dominated by the duel between Eduard Rizzi and Sebastian Mejia from Colombia. Before the mountain time trial from Alba di Canazei to the 2057 meter high Fedaia Pass, the two cyclists were just 8 seconds apart in the overall ranking. Mejia was one of the first to cross the starting line and reached the pass in the lead position - a few seconds ahead of Rizzi. But the soon-to-be 48-year-old from Sarner celebrated the stage victory because he started a good half a minute behind Mejia. Rizzi's winning time was 23.34 minutes. Between the overall leaders and the Colombians in the stage classification was Manuel Giacomelli from Trentino, who lost 21 seconds to Rizzi but was 4 seconds faster than Mejia.

“In terms of panorama, this stage can certainly be repeated. But it demanded a lot from all of us with a total of almost 180 kilometers and 3000 meters of altitude. That's why the rest day tomorrow, Wednesday, is certainly just right. On Thursday and Friday I'll give it my all again. Hoping that maybe this year we will finally achieve overall victory. “It won’t get any easier when I’m almost 48,” said Rizzi.

His worst opponent Mejia, however, was full of praise for the Giro delle Dolomiti: “It was a pretty tough climb. But the view throughout the entire stage was worth all the effort. This is my first time traveling in this area and it is truly indescribable. In Colombia there is a climb almost every kilometer. I live at 2600 meters above sea level – when I drive down here, I find it easier to breathe than in my home country.” Head-to-head race for women In the women's race, Monika Dietl from Bavaria took her second stage win in a row. Dietl won in 29.43 minutes. Behind her, Esther Frei from Switzerland came in second, only losing two seconds in the overall ranking. “I accelerated, this is exactly my route. That was really cool. Now I’m looking forward to the rest day to gather energy for the second half of the Giro delle Dolomiti,” said Frei. Annette Pronk from the Netherlands once again took third place in the daily ranking (31.08). Ruth Zemmer (Klausen) came in fifth as the best South Tyrolean and is now also the best local cyclist in the rankings and is ranked sixth.

Speaking of the overall ranking: In the men's category, Rizzi leads Mejia by 30 seconds at the halfway point of the Giro delle Dolomiti. Rizzi's teammate from the sports team Simone Piccina takes third place. In the classification of female cyclists, Frei's lead over Dietl is 43 seconds. Pronk is already more than three minutes behind the Swiss. Rest day on Wednesday On Wednesday, the participants in the Giro delle Dolomiti have a day of rest, which some cycling enthusiasts want to use for a trip to the Stelvio Pass. The week-long tour continues with the fourth stage on Thursday. This time the starting point is Bruneck before heading through the Val Badia to the Valparola Pass. The section is 126,3 kilometers long and has an elevation gain of 2161 meters. Results 3th stage: Men: 1. Eduard Rizzi 23.34 2. Manuel Giacomelli 23.55 3. Sebastian Mejia 24.00 4. Simone Piccina April 24.04th 5. Luca Mazzurana 24.31

Women: 1. Monika Dietl 29.43 2. Esther Frei 29.45 3. Annette Pronk 31.08 4. Tanja Cais 31.17 5. Ruth Zemmer 31.55 Overall rating: Men: 1. Eduard Rizzi 1:15.38 2. Sebastian Mejia 1:16.08 3. Simone Piccina 1:16.52 4. Ralf Schildknecht 1:17.37 5. Jonas Leefmann 1:17.55

Women: 1. Esther Frei 1:32.29 2. Monika Dietl 1:33.12 3. Annette Pronk 1:35.49 4. Tanja Cais 1:38.19 5. Susanne Lummer 1:41.32 6. Ruth Zemmer 1:41.49

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Rizzi and Dietl cheer at the Fedaia premiere

On Tuesday, the 43rd Dolomites cycling tour continued with the third - and longest at 176,3 kilometers and almost 3000 meters altitude - section. It was an absolute premiere in the 43-year history of the South Tyrolean classic.

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