The Italian veteran will be ambassador of title sponsor Parmigiano Reggiano in the second edition of the MTB stage race. “Four years ago I beat cancer, now I am living cycling from a different perspective: Appenninica is a new and exciting experience”
This is why “IronTibi” decided to be at the start of the second edition of Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race, the MTB stage race bringing Mountain Bike racing in the wildest and unexplored areas of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, from July 19th to 25th, 2020. And Andrea will do it with the ambition of winning it.
The crave for a new challenge is the greatest boost for an athlete towards greatness. For certain athletes, though, this desire simply reaches higher standards. That’s the case of Andrea Tiberi: the 34-year-old, a long-time top rider of the Italian Cross-Country MTB movement, Italian national champion in 2015, has recently announced that 2020 will be his final season as a professional. For someone like him, who battled and defeated tough opponents throughout his career, in the race and beyond, this only means another can’t-miss opportunity to go for unprecedented challenges, always at full throttle.
“Four year ago,” recalls Tiberi, a member of Team SantaCruz-FSA, “I was preparing for my first Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro, when I was diagnosed a thyroid cancer. I underwent surgery, and from there, I started a race against the time to be ready for Brazil: on August 21st I took the start and finished 19th. Nevertheless, the way this experience changed me – both as a rider and as a man – was the real achievement.”
Four years later, Tiberi’s sights are set on new goals, not necessarily marked with a banner. Last year in September, his desire to do an MTB trip, the Tour of Mount Blanc and return, became the “Dreamlines” project. Five-hundreds kilometers and 20.000 mt elevation gain, for the pure sake of exploring, discovering and pedaling.
The same kind of drive now leads him to take on the Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race challenge, one of the toughest stage races in Europe with over 450 km and 16.000 mt elevation gainover seven stages. Andrea won’t be alone in this feat, as he will have Parmigiano Reggiano, the event’s title sponsor, on his side. In Tiberi, Parmigiano Reggiano found the perfect ambassador to lead the public to the discovery of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, where the World-famous Italian cheese comes to life.
“You can’t help falling in love with a challenge like “Appenninica”, in it I see the same spirit of my “Dreamlines”,” Tiberi told. “The Apennines are a spectacle of nature, beauty and opportunity (in cycling and beyond), waiting to be discovered, and I think this is what makes the event so special: keeping and enhancing the wild nature and authenticity of these places, while creating a top-level competitive event.”
It’s another Olympic year, but Tiberi’s goal will not be the five-ring race, but rather testing himself in unprecedented ways. “I wish to seize cycling in full, like I always have, but with a greater sake for discovery and adventure, and maybe with more opportunities to share something. At Appenninica, I will meet riders from everywhere in the World, and hopefully I can give some valuable advice, in the racing action and beyond, and even on nutrition. In that sense, having Parmigiano Reggiano on my side is the best insurance.”
APPENNINICA MTB “PARMIGIANO REGGIANO” STAGE RACE
Appenninica MTB “Parmigiano Reggiano” Stage Race is an MTB stage race taking place in Italy, on the Apennines mountain range, between Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany. The second edition takes place from July 19th to 25th, 2020. Riders can participate either in two-athlete teams (men, women, mixed) or as individuals (men and women).
With over 450 km of distance and 16.000 meters of elevation gain, Appenninica places itself among the toughest MTB stage races in the World and is the only Italian event to belong in the same “family” of events like Bike Transalp (Eastern Alps), TransRockies (Canada) and Cape Epic (South Africa).
The race is run over seven stages, including an opening and a “Queen Stage”, all of those immersed in the nature of the Emilian Apennine, full of still-unexplored opportunities for MTB and outdoor activities. That’s what makes “Appenninica” a legitimate trip “into the wild”, all to be discovered: a new frontier for international mountain bike.
The warm welcoming of the people from Emilia-Romagna is another plus of “Appenninica”s atmosphere: from climbs to smiles, to cuisine, the Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano stage experience is designed to leave a mark.
Another edition of legendary Paris-Dakar is in full swing but we have our own dirt-bike heroes at Appenninica.
The medical team at Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano stage race will again have doctors from RMT – Racing Medical Team – to care and assist all of the riders no matter the terrain. Simone and Michele charmed everyone with their professional yet easygoing attitude, surfer look, and riding skills. Here’s what one rider had to say:
“What one must appreciate – especially in the Italian summer heat – is the fact that all the time around the riders circled two doctors on enduro bikes and constantly asked if the competitors were okay and if they needed water. Mind that this type of service is not often met at races.”
The full Medical Team will be:
2 ambulances with advanced equipment, strategically located and that will move tactically along the race course
2 medical ER in motion who will follow the race along the route
3 assistance motorbikes
1 doctor in the MEDICAL TENT at the camp of each Race Village
It is with great pleasure that we’ve learned that Lorenzo De Sanctis (Italy, team D’Orsogna) will return to Appenninica next July. He is a very competitive amateur who was on the podium at the 2019 edition and he has one goal: do better.
Lorenzo De Sanctis is one of those stories that make minor sports great. He kept up with Austrian talent Lukas Kaufmann (one of the best long-distance European elites) and former American pro Coulton Hartrich. It ranked third but without ever seeming in difficulty, we have never seen him really drained at the finish lines but rather always smiling. In the longest stage he lost the change for victory in the last descent. Too bad!
Lorenzo is not only an amateur but almost a novice. Yes, his MTB career years can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
He played football but gets injured at the end of 2015. Six months of crutches, the extra kilos that accumulate, and the advice to pedal to start rehabilitation.
And so begins the MTB chapter of the sporting life of Lorenzo De Sanctis from Guardiagrele (Chieti in the region of Abruzzo) riding a 26 with a triple (you do remember!) In April 2016.
A few XC races in 2017 but towards the end of the season he understands that marathons and the big elevation gains suit him best. The first epic challenge is the Hero of 2018 completed in 6 hr 20 min and the following year, in preparation for the Apennines, he betters his time of half an hour.
We asked him what his 2020 goals are.
Appenninica MTB is the event that he targets and he literally tells us that he wants to do the race of his life. He tells us “I want to improve myself, not spare myself in any stage”. Because he took third the year before, it is clear that Lorenzo is thinking big. Obviously the others will stand still but they will have to deal with him.
The queen stage Fanano – Castelnovo Monti (105 km x 4200 m) does not seem to frighten him, on the contrary, it is exactly what galvanizes him: “I hope to get ahead, far ahead”.
Winning the queen stage for an amateur who trains as he can manage and with many sacrifices would be thrilling. Of course, he competes for fun, but to take the win would be nice.
Then we asked him where he needs to improve to do better. Uphill, he did all right.
“I suffer short and fast stages and last year I’ve lost ground in the time trials. On the long ones I think I can be with the best. “
And what about the 2019 edition? What is your most beautiful memory?
“The environment you created, the relaxed atmosphere even if the competitive spirit was there. I met all wonderful people and I’ve stayed in touch with them. “
“The other beautiful memory is the long ride uphill – infinite – made with Lukas to chase Coulton and then play my chances for the victory.”
Class 1993, Sarah Reiners is a young mountain bikers but a very successful one in long distance races. She is already one of the top MTB stage racers in Europe.
She took part in BEMC (Belgium), Bike Transalp, 4Islands (Croatia), Trans Schwarzwald (Germany), Bike Adventure (Poland), Trans Zollernalb (Germany), Zillertal Bike Challenge (Austria), Rally di Romagna (Italy).
In 2016 she won the BIKE Transalp in the women category, and won the 4Islands in Croatia in 2017 in the mixed category. She represented Germany in the past XCM UCI World Championship in Switzerland and she races for the team EDELSTEN MTB ladies.
Let’s hear why Appenninica in 2020:
“For 2020 I wished to do again a longer stage race (up to 7 or 8 days) in a team of two because I wanted to do a stages race together with my boyfriend who has now been training with me several years, but we’ve never done a race together. We both love Italy and as we heard that the food should be so great at Appenninica, we know that Appenninica should not only be our first race together but also our holidays.
As the race is limited to 150 participants, we hope to enjoy a unique familiar atmosphere there before and after the races and during the race we know that hard and challenging stages are waiting for us.
We are looking for a lot of climbing meters, fantastic single tracks and a wonderful (and for us a new) landscape.”
In 2020 is special for Sarah because it will be her 10th year doing MTB races. So, she wants to celebrate with a special race. She added this final comment when we connected: “I am dreaming about Appenninica because it sounds challenging, it’s long with 7 stages, it takes place in one of my favorite countries, and I can race it in a team of two”.
