- Tadei Pivk and Lorenzo Holzknecht win the 21 st
edition of the Sellaronda Ski Marathon.
- While Raffaella
Rossi and Bianca Balzarini dominate the female race.
The conditions found at the starting line of the
21st Sellaronda Skimarathon couldn’t have been
any better: -3 degrees centigrade, a clear sky, while
the sun just setting behind the Sella Group accompanied
the 1.200 athletes divided into 600 couples towards
the first ascent to Passo Campolongo. In the men’s
race during the lead up to the start, the Italians
Tadei Pivk from Friuli, winner of the 19th edition
and his team mate Lorenzo Holzknecht from Valtellina,
joint first place in last year’s 20th edition
with Michele Boscacci, imposed their rhythm straight
from the beginning. Main objective, apart from winning,
was to break the three hour record. To motivate the
athletes to break the record, the Corvara Tourist
Association put an extra 1000 € up for grabs
for whoever managed this achievement. An arduous
task, which had not been achieved last year by the “dream
team” Tadei Pivk/Kilian Jornet Burgada, beaten
by the couple Boscacci/Holzknecht and by Anton Palzer
(GER)/ Damiano Lenzi. On that occasion the time achieved
was: 3h04:40''.
From Arabba the climb up towards Passo Pordoi sees
the team Pivk-Holzknecht in front, ahead of Götsch-Hofmann.
In third and fourth place the teams Cappelletti-Bazzana
with Filippo Beccari-Martin Stofner. In this order
the teams in front reach Canazei after a long descent,
greeted and applauded by an audience typical of great
occasions: Pivk-Holzknecht, followed Philipp Götsch-Christian
Hofmann, third Martin Stofner-Filippo Beccari and
Bazzana-Cappelletti.
Along the ascent through the woods which from Canazei
leads up high towards Lupo Bianco, Götsch-Hofmann
change gear and inch their way back, gaining 50 seconds
from the leaders who manage to react and increase
once again their advantage on their pursuers. It
is above all thanks to an amazing Tadei Pivk, who
by pulling Holzknecht up, proves to have the pace
of a great champion. At the change over point on
top of Passo Sella, Pivk-Holzknecht have an advantage
of over 2 minutes on Götsch-Hofmann, the latter
showing obvious signs of fatigue up the last section
before crossing over the pass.
Along the descent from Passo Sella towards Val Gardena,
the first two positions remain unchanged, while Filippo
Beccari-Martin Stofner prove to be excellent downhill
skiers touching speeds of up to 90 km/h.
Just before Selva Gardena’s centre they manage
to overtake Cappelletti-Bazzana, |
