The Colombian racer of the Hubbers-Polimedical team managed the High Mountain Queen Stage’s 105 kilometers and overtook Felix Fritzsch on the final climb. Francisco Filipe consolidated third place. Naima Diesner is increasingly the queen among the women

In keeping with tradition at the Appenninica MTB Stage Race, today’s stage was the most eagerly awaited one and it did not disappoint. The High Mountain Queen Stage took place on Tuesday, September 6, and named its winners: Diego Arias and Naima Diesner. The two general classification leaders confirmed their supremacy along the 105-kilometer route from Castelnovo ne’ Monti to Fanano with a punishing 3650 meters of climbing.

Unlike in the first two stages, Diego Arias decided to control the long kilometers by waiting until the race’s end to launch the winning attack. In fact, it was only on the final climb to Pian Cavallaro where the Colombian racer of the Hubbers-Polimedical team was able to free himself of Francisco Filipe (DMT Racing Team) and Felix Fritzsch (R2 MTN CREW) to arrive at the finish in Fanano with a time of 5:22:46, just 59 seconds ahead of his German rival and 5:14 ahead of the Portuguese racer.

The three riders led the entire race by setting a blistering pace from the day’s first climb toward the Passo della Cisa. It was only near the end when the trio splintered on the final ascent, where Diego Arias ramped up his pace and shook off Francisco Filipe halfway up the climb. Felix Fritzsch continued to nip at his wheels until Fritzsch surrendered just before the descent. The Colombian racer took control of the situation on the technical descent and rode cautiously to avoid unnecessary risks.

The Hubbers-Polimedical rider further consolidated his lead by stretching his time gap with Francisco Filipe to 13:35, while the German winner of last year’s edition is only 57″ from second place.

“We all maintained a consistent pace because it was a long stage; it seemed endless. On the last climb I went at my own pace and made a move, then controlled the final descent, which was very technical. I am really enjoying the Appenninica MTB Stage Race, I think it’s a very good training race in view of the MTB marathon world championships,” said Arias.

NAIMA DIESNER IS QUEEN IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

Naima Diesner’s smile continued to light up the women’s race. The German racer is now on her way to an encore performance after her success in 2021 by claiming victory in today’s High Mountain Queen Stage. She stopped the clock at 7:34:45 at the finish in Fanano. From the start the Buff-Megamo team athlete created a vacuum behind her and won by 17:25 ahead of Camilla Marinelli.

After a disappointing second stage, Debora Lana (Bike and Fun Team) returned to the podium today by finishing just over half an hour behind the winner. The Italian racer had to cede second place in the general classification to her compatriot, Camilla Marinelli, who piled on more than an hour in time different from the winner, while fourth-place Elena Novikova lost more ground in the fight for the podium.

“It was a wonderful stage and, unlike last year, it wasn’t rainy, we were able to admire some beautiful landscapes. I really enjoyed it,” Naima Diesner commented at the finish in Fanano.

PURE FUN WITH PIPPO YEAH 2.0 IN FANANO

After the efforts in the High Mountain Queen Stage, it’s time for some fun in Fanano with the stage designed by Pierpaolo “Pippo” Marani. The stage is 55 kilometers with 2200 meters of elevation gain with start and finish in Piazza Corsini.

The “Pippo Yeah 2.0” starts immediately with a 14-kilometer climb to the Passo del Colombino before a singletrack descent to Ospitale. From there the route climbs toward the Passo della Croce Arcana to tackle a stretch on the most famous ridge in the Apennines before the final 18-kilometer run with 15 single track sections to finish in Fanano.

The Colombian strengthened his lead, but Francisco Filipe and Felix Fritzsch wouldn’t give up. Miguel Munoz Moreno lost ground due to a crash. Among the women it was a solo by Diesner, with Camilla Marinelli and Debora Lana as the German racer’s only rivals

The Bismantova Rock confirmed the verdict handed down in the first stage: Diego Arias and Naima Diesner seem to be the strongest opponents in the 2022 Appenninica MTB Stage Race. The two general classification leaders tried to stuff more time into the GC by imposing leads in the second stage with start and finish in Castelnovo ne’ Monti on Monday, September 5.

The second stage sorted and ranked the men’s field. Once again Diego Arias dominated the stage, called “The Rock,” which stretched 62 kilometers with 2350 meters of elevation gain, with a time of 3:21:25. Arias finished 4:20 ahead of the duo composed of Francisco Filipe (DMT Racing Team) and Felix Fritzsch (R2 MTN CREW), who appeared more energetic than in the opening stage.

The three lead racers along with Miguel Munoz Moreno (DMT Racing Team) set the pace from the start. Same as on Sunday, the Colombian racer from the Hubbers-Polimedical team began to build up his lead around the race’s halfway point. By the time he reached the Ventasso pass, Arias was already more than a minute ahead. Behind him only Fritzsch and Filipe remained in pursuit as they tried to control the damage, while Munoz Moreno lost ground after a crash.

Not even a skid on a slippery section interfered with Arias’s determination; he was able to easily consolidate his lead in the general classification. The Hubbers-Polimedical rider now leads with an advantage of 8:21 over Francisco Filipe and 13:33 over last year’s winner, Felix Fritzsch. The toughest part of 2022 Appenninica MTB Stage Race is yet to come, however, and so much can still happen.

“Today I started with the idea to defend myself rather than attack, but at a certain point, I felt that I had good legs and continued with my rhythm,” Diego Arias explained at the finish line. “I tried not to risk more than I had to, and it went well. I’m happy with how I feel and how I’m handling the race. I slipped in a wet section on a small wooden bridge, but fortunately everything was ok. Today’s course was beautiful, with beautiful scenery.”

NAIMA DIESNER CONTINUES TO LEAVE HER MARK

The gap forged by Naima Diesner (Buff-Megamo Team) in the women’s race is even more impressive. Right from the first kilometers, no rival was able to match pace with the German rider, who finished her race in Castelnovo ne’ Monti with a time of 4:44:18. Behind her, Camilla Marinelli (ASD Bike and Fun Team) tried to keep up but she paid another 26 minutes to Diesner in the general.

After an excellent performance in Stage 1, Debora Lana increased the gap between her and the race leader and was forced to surrender her place on today’s podium and in the general classification to Elena Novikova. The Ukrainian finished 30:01 down from the stage winner and is now third overall at almost an hour behind Naima Diesner. Camilla Marinelli was second at 45 minutes 54 seconds behind the leader.

“It was quite a fast stage that I rode at the front – with a lot of climbs, especially in the first part,” Naima Diesner explained. “There was a lot of beautiful scenery, and I really enjoyed the final kilometers. I’m happy to have won again but now it’s important to recover well because tomorrow is the High Mountain Queen Stage, and we know how hard that is.”

THE STAGE OF TRUTH ARRIVES: IT’S TIME FOR THE HIGH MOUNTAIN QUEEN STAGE

If the first two stages served to warm up the legs, the third stage from Castelnovo ne’ Monti to Fanano will leave nowhere to hide. 105 kilometers with 3650 meters of elevation gain are in order for the High Mountain Queen Stage, the toughest and most feared stage in the Appenninica MTB Stage Race.

Much of the route runs 1500 meters above sea level on the trails of the Alta Via dei Parchi. After a fairly easy start, the day’s first climb toward the Passo della Cisa will begin to sort the racers, while the subsequent climbs over Monte Giovarello and the Passo Radici will bring the athletes up to elevation. From there they will continue at elevation to the Pian Cavallaro and then swoop down toward the finish line in Piazza Corsini in Fanano.

The Colombian racer from Hubbers-Polimedical and the German racer of the Buff-Megamo Team established their presence in the 52-kilometer opening stage with 1800 meters of elevation gain, with start and finish in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, by distancing the duo from the DMT Racing Team in the men’s race, and Debora Lana in the women’s.

They started out as race favorites, and they didn’t disappoint. Diego Arias and Naima Diesner are the winners in the opening stage of Appenninica MTB Stage Race 2022 that took place on Sunday, September 4, with start and finish from Piazza Gramsci in Castelnovo ne’ Monti (Reggio Emilia, Italy). The Colombian racer from the Hubbers-Polimedical team and the German racer of the Buff-Megamo Team took the race reins from the very first kilometers by forging a pace that their rivals were compelled to follow.

The 52 kilometers and 1800 meters of elevation gain of “La Matildica” immediately allowed the athletes to sample the challenges of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race. After sizing up the race in the opening kilometers, Diego Arias took over the race at kilometer 10 and, meter after meter, increased his lead. Behind him, the DMT Racing team duo of Miguel Munoz Moreno and Francisco Filipe tried to mount a chase.

At the race’s midpoint at Castello di Carpineti, the lead that the Colombian racer from Hubbers-Polimedical had opened up stood at four minutes. Arias drove up the pace to progressively widen the gap to more than seven and a half minutes at kilometer 39. By the finish in Piazza Gramsci, the Colombian had completed the stage in 2:26:16, with a lead of 4:01 over Francisco Filipe and Miguel Munoz Moreno. The DMT duo took advantage of a mistake by Arias in the last ten kilometers to reduce the gap at the finish.

Fourth place went to 2021 defending champion, Felix Fritzsch, who paid a 9:13 time debt to the stage king, while Gosse van der Meer (Euro Cycling) finished fifth at 11:29.

“It was a beautiful but tough day,” Diego Arias said at the finish. “The course was treacherous because of the continuous ups and downs, and it was not easy to find a race rhythm. Hard climbs and beautiful descents were made slippery by yesterday’s rain. I felt good and tried to make a move from the first kilometers by driving the pace. Despite a mistake in the final kilometers, I managed to win the stage with a good lead. I will have to watch out for the duo from the DMT Racing Team, but I will do my best to win this wonderful race.”

NAIMA DIESNER PICKS UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF

The year has changed but not the result for Naima Diesner, who after her success in Piazza Peretti last year has repeated her win in Piazza Gramsci. The German racer from the Buff-Megamo Team laid down the law from the very first kilometers to win with a time of 3:29:12.

By the race’s midpoint, Naima Diesner’s lead over Debora Lana was already more than five minutes, and around eight minutes ahead of Camilla Marinelli. This allowed the German to take command of the second part of the stage, and finish 4:21 ahead of Debora Lana (Bici Scoot). Completing the podium was the other Italian, Camilla Marinelli (ASD Bike and Fun Team), who paid a time debt of 19:53 to the leader at the finish line in Piazza Gramsci. A little further back was Ukraine’s Elena Novikova at 22:00, while Rozanne Slik (Wv Nordholand) arrived as expected in fifth, more than a half an hour down from Diesner.

“I am delighted to be here again,” commented a beaming Naima Diesner after the race. “It’s only the first stage, but it was already a very tricky stage because of the very steep climbs and the mud after yesterday’s rain. It immediately reminded me how beautiful the Apennines are. I already have a good advantage and I hope to manage it during the next stages, which will certainly be more difficult.”

IT’S CASTELNOVO NE’ MONTI’S TURN AGAIN

After the opening stage, it will still be a loop around Castelnovo ne’ Monti that will test the athletes in the second stage. With its 62 kilometers and 2,350 meters of elevation gain, “The Rock” offers a very fast first part on uphill paths and forest roads until kilometer 25. After passing by Lago Calamone, a climb will take the athletes to the crest of Monte Pastorale, which will lead into a 5-km descent with 700 meters of elevation loss. The finale is a series of ups and downs in the shadow of the Pietra di Bismantova.

A festive eve in Castelnovo ne’ Monti with “Appenninica lovers,” which brought fans along the race route of the first stage of Appenninica MTB, scheduled for tomorrow, September 4, 2022. Marathon world champion runner-up, Diego Arias, is the race favourite, while the women will fight for Naima Diesner’s crown

There couldn’t have been a warmer welcome by the Bismantova Rock. Castelnovo ne’ Monti (Reggio Emilia, Italy) was festively coloured on the eve of Appenninica MTB Stage Race 2022, just in time for racers to take to the trails of the Emilia-Romagna Apennine in this edition. Scheduled from tomorrow, September 4, until September 10, 135 participants will take part in the Italian stage race.

The bike has already played a main role, thanks to the Castelnovo Bike Fest, organized in collaboration with Appennino Reggiano Bike assosiations, which brought fans along the race route of the first Appenninica stage. Piazza Gramsci, location of the start/finish for Stage 1, “La Matildica,” (52 km with 1800 meters of elevation gain), hosted the eve day in a festive atmosphere, where food trucks and musical entertainment took the spotlight. 

From tomorrow onward it will be serious business and all eyes will be on Diego Arias. The runner-up mtb marathon world champion will start out as the race favourite, but he will have to reckon with Felix Fritzsch, who doesn’t intend to leave the throne unchallenged. The athletes of the DMT Racing Team are also out to win, with Miguel Munoz Moreno leading the Italian team, while the Dutchmen, Gosse van der Meer and Evert Koning, could each play the role of outsider, and so could the Italian, Filippo Bertone.

In the women’s field, Naima Diesner is back with every intention to confirm her position as Appenninica’s queen, but she will have to face a tough bunch of fierce rivals, starting with Ukraine’s Elena Novikova, who’s an expert in long-distance racing, to former Olympic road athletes, Maaike Polspoel and Rozanne Slik. For Italy, the ranking hopes are on the shoulders of Camilla Marinelli, while Lithuanian Ieva Venckute starts as an outsider.

THE ROUTE

After the first section, a loop around Castelnovo ne’ Monti through the region of Matilda di Canossa to warm up the legs, the second stage “The Rock,” on Monday, Sept. 5, will start to raise the level of competition with its 62 kilometres and 2350 meters of elevation gain, thanks to a very fast first segment followed by a second one full of ups and downs.

This will only be the appetizer for the “High Mountain Queen Stage” scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 6, and starting from Castelnovo ne’ Monti to Fanano. 105 km with 3600 meters of elevation gain will determine the general classification through the Monte Cusna area before the climb toward Pian Cavallaro, the last ascent before the finish line in Piazza Corsini.

On Wednesday, Sept. 7, it will be time for some extra fun with the “Pippo Yeah 2.0,” the stage designed by trail builder Pierpaolo “Pippo” Marani. 55 km and 2200 meters of elevation gain with start and finish in Fanano, will face the climbs of Passo del Colombino and Passo di Croce Arcana, with technical descents and numerous single-track sections in between.

From Fanano to Porretta Terme, on Thursday, Sept. 8, Appenninica racers will tackle 67 kilometres with 2,200 meters of elevation gain along the Linea Gotica (Gothic Line), after which the stage is named. Two technical descents before the finish could make the difference for the final stage victory.

The penultimate route, “Il Corno,” scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9, from Porretta Terme to Lizzano in Belvedere, has plenty of pitfalls. The first 30 km will cross untouched forest trails absent of human settlements, while in the second part of the 63-km stage with 2700 meters of elevation gain, the climb of the Passo dello Strofinatoio will test the athletes.

The grand finale is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10, and counts 37 kilometres with 1550 elevation gain for the “Monte Pizzo” stage, which is immersed in the trails of the Monte Pizzo bike park. Much of the general classification may already be decided, but the route – with start and finish in the village of Vidiciatico, in the municipality of Lizzano in Belvedere, hides several pitfalls, in grand Appenninica style.

The 2022 edition (September 4 to 10, 2022) of the race in the Apennines of Emilia-Romagna confirms its global character. Plenty of stories and curiosities among the nearly 150 competitors at the start

Appenninica MTB Stage has so much more than just the run for victory in it. The nearly 150 competitors who will line up for the 2022 edition (September 4-10) will come with an enticing luggage of stories and experiences, ready for personal challenges with themselves or come to join friends and relatives, or simply in memory of someone.

There will be 28 Nations at the start in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, with all five Continents represented. In addition to the “traditional” Countries in the Appenninica peloton, such as the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and USA will also field a significant group this time out. For the 2022 edition, the famous Emilia-Romagna hospitality will embrace also athletes from Australia, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and South Africa.

“Every year, the confines of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race family keep extending, and we can only be happy about this trend. Year after year, the athletes who take part in the race spread a positive image of our territory, the atmosphere and the competition, and this motivates and encourages new athletes to join us”, said Beppe Salerno and Milena Bettocchi, co-organizers of the event.

Among the athletes, some will reach Castelnovo ne’ Monti with a personal challenge to face or with the goal of narrating a unique adventure. This is the case of young Dutch cyclocross rider Gosse Van der Meer, who will ride with a GoPro to report on his experience in the Apennines, or Spencer Powlison, a well-known American athlete in the bikers’ community. Coming back to Appenninica from the US for the second year in a row is Mark Anolik, a former international Downhiller, who will seize the chance to rejoin his friend Pierpaolo “Pippo” Marani in Fanano.

Aiming at a significant goal are also those five riders with a chance of entering the Appenninica Hall of Family by achieving a third finisher’s medal: Anton Tieleman, Stefan Kiene, Thomas Jauner, Peter Wouters and Zbig Mossoczy. This last one will also lead a group of Polish athletes to whom he recommended the Appenninica experience.

Among the competitors at the start will be James Hunt and Nathan Hunt, father and son coming from the UK to experience the race together. After being unable to participate last year due to travel restrictions, Israeli doctor Michael Gdalevich – who has been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic for the past two years – will finally be at the start. He will be accompanied by his wife on this adventure, as that’s the case for South Africans Tim and Louise Ferreira.

Finally, Frenchman Jeremy Mahot, a former Transalp 2021 finisher, will participate in Appenninica, riding with the aim of creating awareness about depression and raising funds for support programmes. A former jockey living in the UK, Mahot lost a friend during the lockdown due to a concussion that caused him severe depression, and he will participate in the Appenninica adventure with the aim of raising awareness on this issue.