2019 APPENNINICA MTB: THE RACE COURSE
Appenninica mountain bike Stage Race lays the cards on the table and unveils the details of the 2019 race course. The Prologue, still secret, will be announced during a press conference on the 3rd of December in Bologna.
During the last two weeks seven of the eight stages of Appenninica MTB Stage Race have been revealed, one by one. The race will be in its first edition and for the first time in the history of the sport will see the participants crossing the whole Emilia Romagna region along the Apennines watershed – about 550 km in length and with 20,000 meters of elevation gain – roughly following the route of Alta Via dei Parchi.
However, the launch of the race course is not yet complete, as the Prologue still has to be revealed: it will be unveiled, finally, during the press conference on the 3rd of December in Bologna, when the itinerary and all involved locations will be announced too.
The Prologue – time to let something leak – will really make for an amazing show in a unique and special setting, something that will leave everyone speechless. But it will also give the participants the first chance of getting the measure of the field of competitors. The result of this very first round, as a matter of fact, will help to establish the line-up at the start line of the following day’s stage (Stage 1).
The feedback on the race course the organizers of Appenninica MTB have been receiving up to now is exactly what they were hoping for, and worth a competition that is going to find its place in the international panorama amongst the best stage races.
The race course is going to be tough and challenging – that’s for sure – but at the same time it will be fast-rolling and for the most part rideable, with a good mix of intense stages and easier days, and techy trails that will alternate with sections where legs and sheer power will make the difference.
During the first half of the race the high-mountain terrain will dictate the rules of the game; a difficult ground, with long passes and serious gradients. The race course will make its way across magnificent woods of beech trees, throughout meadows and along high-altitude ridges. The stages of the second half of the competition will take the participants over lower hilly ground, on a limestone and clayish type of terrain covered with woods of oaks that gradually give way to ancient chestnut trees and conifers.
Appenninica MTB is a unique adventure of its kind, a journey throughout 5 Regional Nature Parks and 2 National Parks, an immersion in the ancient roots of this part of the country, an experience for the senses in a region that boasts an extraordinary culinary heritage and plenty of renowned spas.
Seven different municipalities will play host to the event, and no less than 21 feeding zones will be arranged along a race course that will run above 1,000 meters of elevation for 60% of its length, with breathtaking views, forests and enchanted lakes.
Great work and consideration have been put into the choice of the race course, bearing in mind the natural context the event will take place in. Appenninica organizers in close collaboration with IMBA Italia (International Mountain Bicycling Association) are working on creating a round table with the representatives of the Parks and with Emilia Romagna’s section of CAI (Italian Alpine Club). The aim is to draw up a ‘low-impact Appenninica‘ protocol that will make possible to go through the experience and participate in a top-notch competition with the smallest possible environmental impact.
Find here further info about the Stages.
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Credits: Edoardo Melchiori | appenninica-mtb.com
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