by Appenninica MTB | Aug 27, 2021 | r
Winner last year with Hans Becking, Andrea Marconi’s team will be at the start of the 2021 edition (September 12th-18th, 2021) with 2012 UCI MTB Marathon World Champion Ilias Periklis and German Vinzent Dorn
If winning is hard, repeating is even harder. Andrea Marconi’s DMT Racing Team is ready to defend the title won last year by Hans Becking on the trails of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines. From September 12th to 18th, 2021, the Italian team will take part in the 2021 Appenninica MTB Stage Race, with a duo formed by experienced Greek Ilias Periklis and 24-year-old German Vinzent Dorn.
“By just checking the route, it’s hard to claim our ambitions. Appenninica will offer a great chance to test ourselves on challenging routes and prepare for the UCI MTB Marathon World Championships on Elba Island, taking place a few weeks later on October 2nd, 2021. Being at Appenninica is also a way to support a growing and ambitious event, and we are pleased of the opportunity to join an all-Italian MTB stage race”, explained Andrea Marconi.
After the positive experience of last year, when DMT Racing took the first and second overall spots with Hans Becking and the 2016 UCI MTB Marathon World Champion, Tiago Ferreira, Andrea Marconi made a call ahead of the 2021 edition: “Appenninica is a growing event that showcases semi-unknown gems and locations to the whole World. I would like all Italian teams to take part in this kind of events, as this would be a boost for the Italian MTB movement as a whole.”
On September 12th, 2021, at the start of Porretta Terme, the DMT Racing Team title defense will be started by Ilias Periklis, 2012 UCI MTB Marathon World Champion in Ornanas (France), and German Vinzent Dorn, a duo that combines experience and willingness to emerge. “Periklis is an established and successful rider, who has the experience and knows how to handle himself over the course. Dorn is a young rider with a great desire to show himself and achieve important goals”, explained Marconi.
The 420 km and 16,000 metres of elevation gain will test Marconi’s team ambitions for an encore: for sure, the Emilia-Romagna Apennine is an uncompromising judge.
by Appenninica MTB | Aug 26, 2021 | Highlights
The performance beer created for sportspeople by Simone Bertin is sponsor of Appenninica’s 2021 edition: a balanced product that restores energy without glycaemic spikes
Is there any better than a cold beer after an Appenninica stage? For the 2021 edition (September 12th– 18th, 2021), the Appenninica MTB Stage Race’s organising committee will delight its riders with a special and balanced product, developed specifically for them by La Orange.
DeQou Action Beer is the first handcrafted performance beer with an alcohol content of only 3,5% vol., rich in magnesium and potassium with a double ratio of maltodextrin. This beer releases energy without causing a glycaemic spike, thanks to an innovative production brewing method based on university research and development.
“Thanks to its wealth in elements, beer has been used for thousands of years to integrate and replenish minerals and energy in a pleasant way. DeQou Action Beer is the first performance beer specifically developed and brewed in Italy to combine taste, emotion and nutrition. The low alcohol combined with the high maltodextrin level makes it the perfect beer for recovery after a long sports session. We are sure that even the tireless participants of Appenninica will enjoy a sip of energy and “beerness” at the end of their efforts”, said Simone Bertin, CEO of La Orange.
DeQou Action Beer will be present at every stage of Appenninica with a special can, customized for the mountain bike stage race. La Orange returns to Appenninica’s family after having been a sponsor in the first edition.
by Appenninica MTB | Aug 24, 2021 | r
The sportive town in the Province of Modena renews its bound with Appenninica MTB Stage races, hosting two starts and two finishes of the upcoming 2021 edition
The special relationship between Fanano and Appenninica MTB Stage Race continues for the 2021 edition (September 12th-18th, 2021), when the town in the province of Modena will host three stages of the mountain bike stage race. Fanano is a small mountain municipality at the foot of Monte Cimone, located in the Alto Appennino Modenese Natural Park. Orange flag of the Italian Touring Club since 2001 for its environment, this municipality is renewed as hometown of the Italian gold miner Felice Pedroni, who made his fortune in the United States at the beginning of the last century during the gold rush.
Appenninica MTB Stage Race will reach Fanano on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021, at the end of stage 3, “Gold Rush”, with 57 km and 2500 metres of elevation gain, starting from Lizzano in Belvedere. Before the arrival, the bikers will face the ascent of Monte Cimone, passing through the village of Trignano, birthplace of Felice Pedroni. This stage is characterized by exhausting ups and downs where athletes will have to be ready to face any scenario.
The following day, Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, the “Pippo Yeah!” stage returns to Appenninica after last year’s success. Entirely charted by famous trail builder Pippo Marani, the stage of 50 km and 2300 metres of elevation gain is byword of pure fun with two ascents towards the Passo Colombino and Passo Croce Arcana, although the 15 km of downhill on a single track will be decisive.
Fanano will say goodbye to Appenninica on Thursday, September 16th, 2021, hosting the start of the “High Mountain Queen Stage”, 95 km and 3600 metres of elevation gain with finish in Cerreto Laghi. The athletes will immediately face the challenging ascent towards the summit of Monte Cimone (17 km of climb for an elevation gain of over 1000 metres).
“We believed in the Appenninica project from the start because it is a worldwide platform for us to promote our territory. Here in Fanano we have about 300 km of trails of different difficulties that we keep clean with effort and dedication, but thanks to Appenninica, we can give a touristic boost to this offer and commitment. This is the moment of the Apennines, an ideal area to enjoy nature and breathe fresh air”, explained the Mayor of Fanano, Stefano Muzzarelli.
FANANO, BETWEEN SPORTS AND GOLD RUSH
Fanano is a small mountain municipality with a strong sport tradition, related to the winter ski resort of Monte Cimone, where it is possible to practice downhill skiing, ski mountaineering, as well as figure skating and hockey thanks to the presence of an ice rink. In summer, the network of trails is ideal for trekking, mountain biking and outdoor sports.
The beating heart of the town is Piazza Corsini, where the three most important access roads converge. In the village of Trignano, it’s also possible to visit the native home of Felice Pedroni, Fanano’s most illustrious citizen, who founded the town of Fairbanks, in Alaska, after discovering the largest gold deposit in the region.
by Appenninica MTB | Aug 18, 2021 | r
For the first time, the village in the province of Bologna, the birthplace of journalist Enzo Biagi, will be among the venues of Appenninica MTB on Monday, September 13th and Tuesday, September 14th
Credits: The Outdoor Lab
Located in the Regional Park of Corno alle Scale, Lizzano in Belvedere is ready to make its debut at Appenninica MTB Stage Race (September 12th-18th, 2021). Famous for its stunning natural landscapes, the town in the province of Bologna is also the birthplace of the late Italian journalist and writer Enzo Biagi, as well as a scene of fierce fighting along the Gothic Defensive Line during World War II.
The Appenninica MTB Stage Race caravan will get to Lizzano in Belvedere on Monday, September 13th for the finish of stage two, “Il Corno“, 55 km and 2540 meters of elevation gain after the start from Porretta Terme. The undisputed protagonist of the stage will be the Corno alle Scale mountain, whose top offers a breathtaking view, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea, westbound, to the Adriatic Sea, eastbound. Before reaching the finish line, the riders will also enjoy the scenery of the Crinale Massimo up to Lake Scaffaiolo, already reached in the past editions.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, September 14th, Lizzano in Belvedere will host the start of stage 3, with the race heading to Fanano through a 57 km and 2500 meters of elevation gain route, in the stage called “Gold Rush“.
“We joined the project of Appenninica MTB Stage Race with great enthusiasm and we are confident that this event will help people to discover the beauty of the Corno alle Scale area – explained the mayor of Lizzano in Belvedere, Sergio Polmonari -. For some years now, we have been working to create a wide network of trails suited for mountain biking within the Regional Park of Corno alle Scale, with routes both near the villages and at high altitudes. Appenninica will be the opportunity for people to discover this network of trails, and represents a further step in this project of development and promotion“.
LIZZANO IN BELVEDERE, THROUGH NATURE AND HISTORY
The landscapes around Lizzano in Belvedere make this village a perfect tourist destination for those looking to immerse in the nature and breathe clean air. Here, a soulful place for meditation, surrounded by monumental trees and silence, is the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Acero (Maple’s Virgin): the legend says that the maples rising on the sides of the sanctuary have hosted a resting Virgin Mary.
During World War II, these areas were the scene of clashes between the partisan forces and the German army, that built the Gothic Line in 1944 . Today, a suggestive path through those paths tells the story of those terrible years. In addition, in the hamlet of Pianaccio there is a museum dedicated to Enzo Biagi, who started from here a long and remarkable career in journalism, going on to work for Italy’s major newspapers, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, as well as curating his own prime-time show on Rai Uno.
Credits: The Outdoor Lab
by Appenninica MTB | Aug 18, 2021 | r
The tourist resort in the municipality of Alto Reno Terme, known for its SPA and the Porretta Soul Festival, will host the great start of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race on September 12th and 13th
Credits: The Outdoor Lab
As already happened for the successful 2020 edition, the 2021 edition of Appenninica MTB Stage Race will start from Porretta Terme, in the municipality of Alto Reno Terme, in the Province of Bologna. Renowned for the quality of life and its favorable geographic location, Porretta Terme is a pole of attraction for thermal tourism and various health activities, enhanced over the years by an increasingly widespread culture of hospitality.
On Sunday, September 12, 2021, the 2021 edition of Appenninica will start from Piazza Della Libertà with an individual time trial of 40 km and 1600m of elevation gain, that will allow competitors to enter immediately in the competitive mood. With its route passing through villages, mountain retreats and roads, the “Porretta Soul” stage will pay homage to the Porretta Soul Festival, an event that has attracted the biggest names in soul music for over 30 years.
The route of the opening stage winds through the mountains around Porretta Terme, through the many trails that surround the town in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, such as the ring of Monte Cavallo, 43 kilometers and 1500 meters of elevation gain among the beech forests and the most beautiful forest roads of the Upper Reno area.
Credits: IAT Alto Reno Terme
The first taste of the Apennine ridge will be on the following day, Monday, September 13, in the stage from Porretta Terme to Lizzano in Belvedere, 57 kilometers and 2340 meters of elevation gain. The absolute protagonist of the second stage is the Corno alle Scale mountain, from which the fraction “Il Corno” takes its name, with its wide views ready to provide emotions.
“There are many reasons why Alto Reno Terme has chosen to believe in cycling – commented the Mayor Giuseppe Nanni -. First of all, our desire to team up with all the municipalities of Emilia-Romagna to promote the Apennines and the Alta Via dei Parchi, combined with the possibility to diversify our tourism offer with sports and eco-sustainable proposals.”
“Appenninica MTB Stage Race has risen to international prominence – continued the Mayor – and contributes to a new image and positioning of Alto Reno Terme, related to thermal water and top-quality spa treatments, wellness, nature, sports and leisure, combined with high-quality food and wine”.
Credits: IAT Alto Reno Terme
PORRETTA TERME BETWEEN MUSIC, MOVIES AND WELLBEING
The thermal baths of Porretta, renowned for their mineral waters, have a thousand-year-long tradition and have been a source of opportunities and tourism for the town. One of the main tourist attractions are the underground springs, where the secrets of the subsoil and the path of thermal water can be discovered.
The name of Porretta Terme is also linked to two prestigious festivals of the international level. The Porretta Soul Festival, celebrating its 30th edition in 2021, has brought true legends of international music to the town, while in early December takes place the Film Festival, which over the years has hosted famous directors such as Giuseppe Tornatore, Ferzan Ozpetek and Ken Loach.
