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Forster and Neff strike in Internazionali d’Italia’s return
Andora Race Cup marked the return of the Italian MTB circuit after the 2020 stop. The Swiss riders came on top of a star-studded field, wearing the first leader’s jerseys
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Top-class Cross Country, the Olympic discipline Mountain Bike, is finally back to Italy. Almost 20 months after the spectacular World Cup round in Val di Sole, on Sunday 7 March at Andora Race Cup the first stage of Internazionali d'Italia Series fielded a hugely prestigious panel of athletes, for an event that somebody defined a legitimate World Cup appetizer.
The event organized by ASD Andora Race, under the guidance of Italian National Team coach Mirko Celestino, offered the right mix of technical sections and altitude difference (170 meters) on the 4,200 meters of the loop immersed in the Mediterranean bush, a few hundred meters from the seafront. Many of the strongest athletes in the world have found the sun and mild temperatures waiting for them in one of the very first tests of the season, with precious points at stake for the qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Open races rewarded two Swiss riders, former European Champion Lars Forster (Scott-SRAM), and former World Champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing), who both went to claim their maiden seasonal victory.
OPEN MEN: LARS FORSTER EMERGES FROM THE PACK
The opening of the Internazionali d’Italia Series offered one of the most uncertain Men’s Open races in the recent history of the circuit. Since the start, the race has always been conducted by a group of a dozen athletes, with frequent upheavals and all the strongest protagonists vying for the top positions: from World Champion Sarrou to Forster, from Carod to Koretzky to the Italians Kerschbaumer and Luca Braidot - the latter until a puncture spoiled his plans - and the young Simone Avondetto.
The decisive move was made by Lars Forster (Scott-Sram) at the end of the penultimate lap, after having previously attempted an unsuccessful acceleration. This time no one was able to keep up with him, with Victor Koretzky and Milan Vader (both KMC-Orbea) striving to bridge over again, closely watched by Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Specialized).
The finale was a solo by Forster, who wore the leader's jersey improving a truly impressive score when it comes to Internazionali d'Italia: for the former European Champion, this is the third success (after Montichiari in 2016 and San Marino in 2019) out of four starts in the race.
![photo]()
"Winning like this on my season debut is fantastic," said Forster. “The race was very fast, but tactically it developed just as I had hoped. After looking for a first acceleration to understand how the others were responding, I sat on the wheels a bit to save energy for the finale. Italy and Andora offered us this wonderful start to the season, in a technically beautiful and well-organized race: we hope to continue like this."
Behind Forster came Victor Koretzky (+ 0.11), Milan Vader (+ 0.14), David Valero (BH-Templo, + 0.15), and Gerhard Kerschbaumer (+ 0.16), fifth and best of the Italians.
OPEN WOMEN: NEFF PUTS ON A SHOW, MITTERWALLNER AN AMAZING SECOND
There was no shortage of contenders for the first GSG leader's jersey in the Women's Open race, and it was one of the most awaited and loved athletes of the circuit to dress it. Swiss Jolanda Neff took her first victory of the season with a brilliant performance, redeeming a start that had seen her lose the pace from the early leaders of the race.
At the start, it was Lena Gerault (VCA Anjos Asterion), Sina Frei (Specialized), Anne Terpstra (Ghost), Martina Berta and Greta Seiwald (both SantaCruz-FSA) who hammered the first acceleration. Leading the chase in that phase was World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Absolute Absalon), who later struggled to find her best pace, finishing with an anonymous 16th place.
Already from the second lap, Jolanda Neff showed that she had found the right pedal stroke, returning in the wake of leaders and then accelerating in the third, with what would have proved to be the decisive break.
Behind her, however, an even more impressive and unexpected comeback took place: 17th after lap 1, Austrian Mona Mitterwallner, the 2002-born reigning World Champion in the Junior category, consistently managed to keep just below the 1-minute gap from the lead, recovering positions in the process, and even eroding Jolanda Neff's advantage in the final lap. In the end, this earned her second place overall, just 37 seconds behind the Swiss champion, as well as the best Under 23 jersey, and a bright future still to be written.
Third place at 43 seconds for a very solid Anne Terpstra, followed by Sina Frei (+0.56) and the best of the Italians, the Andora's 2019 winner Martina Berta.
![photo]()
“It's great to get to success so early in the season,” said Neff, “actually at the start I tried to stay with the leaders, but I found good sensations on the track and, progressively, the pace to make a difference. I had never raced in Andora, I found a fun, very natural route, and it was a pleasure to be back racing here in Italy after more than a year and a half. I hope that soon we can also find the warmth of the fans, also in view of the World Championships in Val di Sole."
JUNIOR: BOICHIS AND CORTINOVIS CELEBRATE
He was regarded as the man to beat among Junior Men, and Adrien Boichis delivered as expected. The Passion VTT Venelles Frenchman soloed to win the Andora Race Cup first race, started at 9:00 CET in the sun of the Ligurian Riviera.
Boichis took the reins of the race early on, trying a first acceleration in the opening lap before being caught by fellow teammate Axel Pourriere and Italian National Champion Matteo Siffredi (Scott Libarna XCO), who was racing at his home.
The trio went together until the third lap, when the two Frenchmen moved away but Siffredi once again managed to respond. In the fourth lap, the decisive acceleration by Boichies finally broke the balance: the Frenchman cruised to success with 19 seconds on Pourriere and 1.13 on Siffredi.
Fresh from a good start to the season, Sara Cortinovis (Four Es Racing Team) landed the spoils in the Junior Women category, at the end of a tight duel with Noelle Rüeschi (Swiss National Team) which was only resolved in the final sprint to the line. Third place at 21 seconds for Italian Giulia Challancin (Scott Libarna XCO).
NEXT STAGE: ELBA ISLAND
The Andora show can be relived on Sunday March 7th at 20:00 CET, with the highlights broadcast on the Internazionali d'Italia Series Facebook page.
Internazionali d’Italia Series is now preparing to embark for Elba Island, where in less than a month (5 April) the Capoliveri Legend XCO will light up Easter Monday: an event that awaits another batch of stars.
2021 INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA SERIES' CALENDAR
Stage 1 - Andora Race Cup - March 7th
Stage 2 - Capoliveri Legend XCO - April 5th
Stage 3 - Marlene Sudtirol Sunshine Race - April 10th-11th
Stage 4 - Valle di Casies - June 2nd
Stage 5 - La Thuile MTB Race - June 26th-27th
Top-class Cross Country, the Olympic discipline Mountain Bike, is finally back to Italy. Almost 20 months after the spectacular World Cup round in Val di Sole, on Sunday 7 March at Andora Race Cup the first stage of Internazionali d'Italia Series fielded a hugely prestigious panel of athletes, for an event that somebody defined a legitimate World Cup appetizer.
The event organized by ASD Andora Race, under the guidance of Italian National Team coach Mirko Celestino, offered the right mix of technical sections and altitude difference (170 meters) on the 4,200 meters of the loop immersed in the Mediterranean bush, a few hundred meters from the seafront. Many of the strongest athletes in the world have found the sun and mild temperatures waiting for them in one of the very first tests of the season, with precious points at stake for the qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Open races rewarded two Swiss riders, former European Champion Lars Forster (Scott-SRAM), and former World Champion Jolanda Neff (Trek Factory Racing), who both went to claim their maiden seasonal victory.
OPEN MEN: LARS FORSTER EMERGES FROM THE PACK
The opening of the Internazionali d’Italia Series offered one of the most uncertain Men’s Open races in the recent history of the circuit. Since the start, the race has always been conducted by a group of a dozen athletes, with frequent upheavals and all the strongest protagonists vying for the top positions: from World Champion Sarrou to Forster, from Carod to Koretzky to the Italians Kerschbaumer and Luca Braidot - the latter until a puncture spoiled his plans - and the young Simone Avondetto.
The decisive move was made by Lars Forster (Scott-Sram) at the end of the penultimate lap, after having previously attempted an unsuccessful acceleration. This time no one was able to keep up with him, with Victor Koretzky and Milan Vader (both KMC-Orbea) striving to bridge over again, closely watched by Gerhard Kerschbaumer (Specialized).
The finale was a solo by Forster, who wore the leader's jersey improving a truly impressive score when it comes to Internazionali d'Italia: for the former European Champion, this is the third success (after Montichiari in 2016 and San Marino in 2019) out of four starts in the race.
"Winning like this on my season debut is fantastic," said Forster. “The race was very fast, but tactically it developed just as I had hoped. After looking for a first acceleration to understand how the others were responding, I sat on the wheels a bit to save energy for the finale. Italy and Andora offered us this wonderful start to the season, in a technically beautiful and well-organized race: we hope to continue like this."
Behind Forster came Victor Koretzky (+ 0.11), Milan Vader (+ 0.14), David Valero (BH-Templo, + 0.15), and Gerhard Kerschbaumer (+ 0.16), fifth and best of the Italians.
OPEN WOMEN: NEFF PUTS ON A SHOW, MITTERWALLNER AN AMAZING SECOND
There was no shortage of contenders for the first GSG leader's jersey in the Women's Open race, and it was one of the most awaited and loved athletes of the circuit to dress it. Swiss Jolanda Neff took her first victory of the season with a brilliant performance, redeeming a start that had seen her lose the pace from the early leaders of the race.
At the start, it was Lena Gerault (VCA Anjos Asterion), Sina Frei (Specialized), Anne Terpstra (Ghost), Martina Berta and Greta Seiwald (both SantaCruz-FSA) who hammered the first acceleration. Leading the chase in that phase was World Champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Absolute Absalon), who later struggled to find her best pace, finishing with an anonymous 16th place.
Already from the second lap, Jolanda Neff showed that she had found the right pedal stroke, returning in the wake of leaders and then accelerating in the third, with what would have proved to be the decisive break.
Behind her, however, an even more impressive and unexpected comeback took place: 17th after lap 1, Austrian Mona Mitterwallner, the 2002-born reigning World Champion in the Junior category, consistently managed to keep just below the 1-minute gap from the lead, recovering positions in the process, and even eroding Jolanda Neff's advantage in the final lap. In the end, this earned her second place overall, just 37 seconds behind the Swiss champion, as well as the best Under 23 jersey, and a bright future still to be written.
Third place at 43 seconds for a very solid Anne Terpstra, followed by Sina Frei (+0.56) and the best of the Italians, the Andora's 2019 winner Martina Berta.
“It's great to get to success so early in the season,” said Neff, “actually at the start I tried to stay with the leaders, but I found good sensations on the track and, progressively, the pace to make a difference. I had never raced in Andora, I found a fun, very natural route, and it was a pleasure to be back racing here in Italy after more than a year and a half. I hope that soon we can also find the warmth of the fans, also in view of the World Championships in Val di Sole."
JUNIOR: BOICHIS AND CORTINOVIS CELEBRATE
He was regarded as the man to beat among Junior Men, and Adrien Boichis delivered as expected. The Passion VTT Venelles Frenchman soloed to win the Andora Race Cup first race, started at 9:00 CET in the sun of the Ligurian Riviera.
Boichis took the reins of the race early on, trying a first acceleration in the opening lap before being caught by fellow teammate Axel Pourriere and Italian National Champion Matteo Siffredi (Scott Libarna XCO), who was racing at his home.
The trio went together until the third lap, when the two Frenchmen moved away but Siffredi once again managed to respond. In the fourth lap, the decisive acceleration by Boichies finally broke the balance: the Frenchman cruised to success with 19 seconds on Pourriere and 1.13 on Siffredi.
Fresh from a good start to the season, Sara Cortinovis (Four Es Racing Team) landed the spoils in the Junior Women category, at the end of a tight duel with Noelle Rüeschi (Swiss National Team) which was only resolved in the final sprint to the line. Third place at 21 seconds for Italian Giulia Challancin (Scott Libarna XCO).
NEXT STAGE: ELBA ISLAND
The Andora show can be relived on Sunday March 7th at 20:00 CET, with the highlights broadcast on the Internazionali d'Italia Series Facebook page.
Internazionali d’Italia Series is now preparing to embark for Elba Island, where in less than a month (5 April) the Capoliveri Legend XCO will light up Easter Monday: an event that awaits another batch of stars.
2021 INTERNAZIONALI D'ITALIA SERIES' CALENDAR
Stage 1 - Andora Race Cup - March 7th
Stage 2 - Capoliveri Legend XCO - April 5th
Stage 3 - Marlene Sudtirol Sunshine Race - April 10th-11th
Stage 4 - Valle di Casies - June 2nd
Stage 5 - La Thuile MTB Race - June 26th-27th
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Member since May 13, 2020
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