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.

The fourth edition of the MTB stage race (September 4-10) shows a positive curve also in terms of number and quality of partners, including cycling brands as well as Made in Italy excellences

Since the first edition in 2019, the rise of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race has been for everyone to see, not only in technical terms, but also based on the number and stature of the partners joining the project, either from the bike industry and from the excellences of Emilia-Romagna. A virtuous trend that rewards the efforts of the ASD Happy Trail MTB organizing company, led by Milena Bettocchi and Beppe Salerno.

For the 2022 edition, scheduled from 4 to 10 September, many established partners have remained on the side of the organizers, obviously starting with the strategic support Emilia-Romagna Region, given Appenninica’s crucial role in shining a light and promoting the active tourism opportunities in the Appennines in the summer period.

Cycling brand partners include Look, the renowned French brand, which is the official pedal of the event from 2021, and Komoot, the navigation and planning app for outdoor activities, which is the official race routing app. A recent addition to the Appenninica family, Enervit is the event’s new official nutrition partner.

Technical partner since 2020, Natali Sportwear will again dress the classification leaders. The Bologna-based bike accessories and spare parts brand Barbieri PNK has confirmed its confidence to the event to promote its NXT Tube inner tube, and Dutch wheel manufacturer 9th Wave Cycling will also be returning with its van and coffee station for all competitors. The mechanical assistance service will be delivered by Sport Bike Alicante, while bike lubricant manufacturer Squirt Cycling and Hibros Sport, producing creams, oils and warming and defatigue gels, also will show up at the race.

A race such as the Appenninica MTB Stage Race, that crosses an area rich in gastronomic excellence, must properly refuel the riders after each effort, in quality and quantity. Therefore, the organisers have teamed up with important food brands, including Barilla, which will supply the caravan with its best products for pasta parties at the end of the races.

According to tradition, the opening of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheel will not be missed, while the official water to rehydrate after the effort will be provided by Sem Group, one of the leading bottling operators in Italy. Thanks to the new partnership with Iren, a giant jug will be installed in Castelnovo ne’ Monti allowing bikers to fill their water bottles, while a smaller parallelepiped will provide water for the bike wash.

For those who prefer a different kind of hydration, the colourful stand of DeQuo Action Beer will return to Appenninica with its beer designed for sportsmen and women for quick energy recovery. Thanks to a partnership with Coop Alleanza 3.0, biological products from the Vivi Verde range will also be available. GSI Casa Modena Salumi also associates its name with Appenninica, offering participants the unique flavours of its products as well as the production experience handed down from generation to generation, combining tradition and innovation.

The former Belgian road cyclist, now a nutritionist for Van Aert’s Jumbo-Visma, is ready to take on the Appenninica MTB Stage Race (4-10 September) ten years after her Olympic adventure in London. “I’m looking for a challenge to push my limits”

The reigning queen, Naima Diesner, has cited her as a rival to keep an eye on, but Maaike Polspoel swears that she does not think about the Appenninica MTB Stage Race final victory. Whether the Belgian is bluffing or not, will be discovered as of 4 September 2022, when the Emilia-Romagna Apennines will be the judges from the start in Castelnovo ne’ Monti.

Born in 1989, ten years ago the Belgian finished 29th in the Elite Women’s Road race at the 2012 London Olympics. Today she is preparing to experience Appenninica (4-10 September 2022) after returning to her first love, mountain biking.

“Mountain biking was my first real love when it comes to cycling. As a little kid, I loved spending time in nature with my mountain bike. Before becoming a professional road cyclist, I was active as a biker in the international junior and U23 categories. I switched to road cycling after an injury during a World Cup cross-country race. However, the love for the mountain bike hasnever left me and after my career as a road cyclist, I picked up mountain biking again,” said Maaike Polspoel.

That’s why the decision to come to Emilia-Romagna for a mountain bike stage race thrilled her.

“The Appenninica MTB Stage Race is unique. It will be very challenging and pushing limits will be needed. And that’s exactly what I’m looking for… Challenging and pushing my limits. And all this in an incredibly beautiful environment and wonderful nature. These are all the ingredients for an unforgettable experience” .

After finishing her career as a professional road racer, with stage win at the Profile Ladies Tour in 2011 and the Erondegemse Pijl in 2013 standing out as her best results, Maaike Polspoel has remained in the cycling world. Once finished her studies as a nutritionist, she has recently joined the Jumbo-Visma team of the last Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and the fellow Belgian talent Wout Van Aert.

“A well-balanced fueling and nutrition strategy is crucial to successfully finish a demanding stage race like Appenninica. The repetition of efforts, every stage demands a lot from your body, so you have to give it the energy to recover and to be fuelled for the next day. Carbohydrates play an important role in this, so Italian pasta will be welcome after each stage!”, the Belgian rider explained.

In spite of defending champion Naima Diesner picking her as one of the possible favourites for the overall victory, Maaike Polspoel prefers to shy away from the race for the overall win, but not without mentioning a name to watch out for.

“I don’t think I will be able to win this edition. It is the first time I will participate in the Appenninica, and it’s been a while since I have done some competition, so I will take it one day at a time and enjoy each stage. With her experience from last year, I think Naima has the best chance of winning again. I also expect a lot from Rozanne Slik, I know her from when she was a professional cyclist and expect that she will be at the start in excellent condition. In any case, I am looking forward to it,” Maaike Polspoel said. 

Whether it is just pretactics or not, the women’s race at Appenninica certainly promises to be exciting.