It’s hard to pass the opportunity to defend the title after a victory, whatever the sport or the situation. And so it goes that the organizers of Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race were not all that surprised to receive among the first entries for the 2020 edition to be held from July 19 to July 25 2020 in Emilia Romagna, the one of Maurits Buist and Henk Bos, the winning couple of the 2019 edition.
The two strong Dutch athletes have decided once again to leave the lowlands of the Netherlands for 7 days and tackle the challenging trails all uphill and downhill in the Apennines.
We’ve interacted with them after several stages and they always finished with big smiles but they also reminded us what a “tough race” it was. In between smiles, you could tell that it was harder than they thought.
They engaged in a tight battle with Swiss team Meyer-Seifried. Things had a turning point on stage 5 when Seifried had to withdraw with an injured hand and Buist-Bos wore the green Natali team leader jearseys ever since. What ever competition they will face in 2020, they can now rely on a better understanding of the terrain and of how the terrain enhances their strenghts.
Buist – Bos #31
We were curious to know why they wanted to come back to compete in the Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race and we went to investigate:
Do you still have such good memories of Appenninica that you want to compete again this year?
We won’t forget the third stage for the rest of our life. A very narrow trail upon a high hill ridge. We had to focus every second to prevent crashing. Difficult for Dutchmen coming from a flat country.
Which part or which moment of the edition 2019 you want to relive in 2020?
We prefer the long distance stages. So we would like to relive the second and longest stage.
What led a Dutch team to compete in the Apennines?
We were told this region is one of the most beautiful regions of Italy..
Is it a region of Italy that you knew already?
No, this year it was our first visit.
What do you expect to find in the 2020 edition?
A repetition of this well organised event with delicious local food.
To whom would you recommend Appenninica MTB stage race?
This race is not only for very experienced bikers, but also for those who only bike now and then.
Yours plans for 2020? other races besides Appenninica?
We bike in Dutch competitions (crits, road classics and multi-day stages).
We have several dutch teams and solo riders already registered and we can speculate that there will be lots of orange on the podium of Appenninica MTB 2020.
Go to the Registration page.