After being the outright ruler of the last two editions of Appenninica MTB Stage Race, you can’t escape the role of big favourite. From September 4th to 9th, 2023, Naima Madlen Diesner will try to win the overall standings for the third time in a row, but she’d better be ready to face some tough competition on the Emilia-Romagna Apennines’ trails.

Debora Piana and Kristina Ilina are expected to be the top rivals in the way of Diesner’s hat-trick. The Italian rider from Team Cingolani Specialized will be at the start of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race for the first time, after crowning the first half of the season with second place at the Italian Marathon National Championships in Telve Valsugana. It will be the first time for her in a solo stage race, but in 2022 she already demonstrated her ability to handle herself over multiple racing days, finishing second in the Swiss Epic paired with Janina Wüst.

“I’ve been curious about the Appenninica MTB Stage Race for several years because it’s raced in an area I’ve rarely been to. I’m ready to take on this challenge and test myself on a six-day stage race, tackling it alone. Plus, you are racing in Italy, so the motivation will be greater”, says Debora Piana.

Kristina Ilina will also try to test herself on a six-day stage race. The Russian comes from the Cross Country discipline, but she has become MTB Marathon national champion this year, and she is coming to the starting ribbons of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race with the ambition of learning and growing fast, supported by the DMT Racing Team.

“MTB Marathon stage races are a new world for me, but I’m learning fast, and I know that the DMT Racing Team staff will be able to teach me a lot. The goal is to try to win a stage. I come from XCO, so I will try to live the race day by day, listening to every word of Andrea Marconi, who will help me to get into the reality of this type of races. I know that with him and his decade-long experience I am in good hands”, explains the Russian riders.

While these three athletes should be regarded as arguably the top contenders for the Women’s race, right behind them are other competitors with a shot to squeeze into the top positions. Swiss Nina Brenn, recent winner of the Swiss Epic with Simone Stroll in the Masters Women category, stands out, while Imogen Smith arrives from Australia with an extensive background. To hold on to the Apennine sceptre, Naima Diesner must keep her eyes wide open.

Once you’ve ridden it, you can’t do without it. Among those former Appenninica MTB Stage Race competitors who think so, count also Hans Becking. The 2020 Appenninica MTB Stage Race winner has decided to return in 2023, and from September 4th to 9th, he will be one of the main contenders for the final victory.

“I have always kept a list of races that I wanted to do again, and among them was Appenninica MTB Stage Race. I skipped World Cup races this year, and the World Championships were on the calendar before Appenninica; I have the opportunity to return to Italy. I have beautiful memories of the views and MTB trails of this stage race, with long days in the saddle and big climbs, the way I like it. Appenninica MTB Stage Race is a pure, old-school mountain bike race, and it’s great like that!”, says the Dutch riders of the Buff-Megamo Team.

Becking returns to the starting line of the stage race in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines as one of the main overall contenders. After the Epic Andorra Pyrenees and the Volcat BTT victories, the Dutchman is cultivating ambitions to make Appenninica MTB Stage Race history by becoming the first athlete in the men’s field to win two race editions.

“This season hasn’t been the best, but in September I usually arrive in good shape, and I think it will be the same at Appenninica. I always want to win when I attach the number on my back. It would be an honour to win the overall again, but the days in a race like this are long, and everything has to go right. This year I will take the race day by day, trying to have some fun and not suffer too much”, explains Becking.

On the trails of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, the Dutchman will cross path with an old friend, Tiago Ferreira, his former teammate with whom he dominated Appenninica 2020.

“I like to challenge friends like Tiago, certainly wearing different jerseys than in 2020 will make the race very interesting. I will have to focus on my race and recovery day by day. The advantage of Tiago Ferreira is that he can work as a team with Andreas Miltiadis, helping each other in case of mechanical problems, while I will have to manage everything by myself. But I accept the challenge: I will try to make life as difficult as possible for the riders of Team DMT Racing”, says Becking.

With these assumptions, the Appenninica MTB Stage Race 2023 challenge promises to be exciting. It will be up to the the Emilia-Romagna Apennines’ trails to determine Diego Arias’ successor.

Over the years, Appenninica MTB Stage Race has become a favorite hunting ground for Andrea Marconi’s DMT Racing Team. The Italian MTB Marathon team, based in San Severino Marche, won the stage race on the Emilia-Romagna Appenines in 2020, with Hans Becking who anticipated the teammate Tiago Ferreira, and in subsequent editions has always been protagonist thanks to athletes like Ilias Periklis, Miguel Munoz and Filipe Francisco.

As in previous years, the Italian team has confirmed its participation for the 2023 edition, which will take place from September 4 to 9, with two high-profile athletes: Tiago Ferreira and Andreas Miltiadis. For the Portuguese, already World and European Champion in Mtb Marathon, it is a return; for the Cypriot it is the first participation ever, with ambitious goals both personally and as a team member.

“As every time I take part in a race, I will try to stay in the front – said Miltiadis -. I think it will be a tough race, because of the great elevation gain on the stages and because of the high level of the starting riders. We will decide day by day who will be the captain and how we will approach the race, but in mountain biking it’s often the legs that decide, tactics do matter but up to a certain point“.

Who already knows the hard trails of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines is Tiago Ferreira: he doesn’t hide and once again strive for victory. Again this year, he will have to face Hans Becking, winner of the 2020 final classification, when the two were teammates (Becking now rides for Team Buff-Megamo).

“It’s a pleasure to return to the Appenninica MTB Stage Race, the most important mountain bike stage race in Italy”, Ferreira said. “Due to health issues and pre-season problems, so far it has not gone as I hoped, but I go into each race with the goal of doing my best. I will try to fight for the top positions on every stage, as well as for the overall ranking. It’s clear that with Becking at the start there is one of the strongest athletes in the world when it comes to stage races. If I had to bet on a winner, I would do on him“.

Even after the forfeit of Diego Arias, forced to withdraw his participation to the Appenninica MTB stage race because of a racing calendar crunch, Becking will face two other previous Appenninica MTB Stage Race winners: 2019 champion Lukas Kaufmann and 2021 champion Felix Fritzsch. On their part, the DMT Racing Team will be in the front line to try and break their way into this exclusive club and the history of this race.

For the second year in a row, Lizzano in Belvedere will proclaim the new winners of Appenninica MTB Stage Race. The hamlet of Vidiciatico, within the Lizzano municipality, nestled in the Province of Bologna Apennines, will host the last two finishes of the 2023 edition (September 4-9).

The stage race in the Emilia-Romagna Apennines will reach Lizzano in Belvedere on Friday, September 8th, with the finish of the Appenninica Distilled stage, starting from Fanano. The following day, Saturday, September 9, stage 6 will take place on a circuit with start and finish in Vidiciatico, a stage venue that had collected great appreciation from the riders already last year.                                     

The penultimate effort of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race 2023 journey, Appenninica Distilled measures 61 km with 2,500 meters of elevation gain and is a perfect concentration of spectacular ridges, technical trails, breathtaking views and historic villages. After starting in Fanano, a long ascent will take athletes over the Colombino Pass and then to the hamlet of Ospitale through a downhill single track. A new climb will bring the challenge back to altitude towards the  Croce Arcana Pass, riding near Lake Scaffaiolo first and then Lake Patrignano. The finale is uphill again, after crossing the Dardagna stream.

For the last act, the organizers reproposed the “Monte Pizzo,” a 36-kilometre stage with a total elevation gain of 1,500 meters that was already the final difficulty last year. Starting and finishing in Vidiciatico, the stage will take place entirely in the Monte Pizzo bike park, with a loop to be covered one and a half times. Athletes will tackle the climbs on forest roads and then enjoy the descents on the “Ca Lenzi” and “Albarè” trails.

“Being the finishing town of Appenninica MTB Stage Race again fills us with pride,” said Sergio Polomari, Mayor of Lizzano in Belvedere. “This event has already won the affection of this town and its citizens, and we feel grateful to all those to put in a remarkable effort to make this outstanding race possible.”

LIZZANO IN BELVEDERE, THE HOME OF ENZO BIAGI

Lizzano in Belvedere is a town in the Province of Bologna at the foot of Corno alle Scale, included in the homonymous Natural Park. From the summit of Corno alle Scale, at an altitude of 1945 meters above sea level, it is possible to enjoy a majestic view that embraces the Alps to the north and the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian seas to the east and west. A place of peace and meditation is the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Acero, with its monumental trees and the silence of nature.

Born in Lizzano in Belvedere was the well-known journalist Enzo Biagi, the face of Rai 1 from 1995 to 2002 with his “Il Fatto.” But also linked to the town is the ski champion Alberto Tomba, who used to train in the Corno alle Scale ski area, where he built his greatest successes, creating alchemy with this magical territory.