The script for Stage 3 of the Appenninica MTB Stage Race was already written: short, explosive and full of plot twists. That is exactly what unfolded across the 38 km and 1,500 metres of elevation of the Monte Cimone Challenge, a loop around Riolunato held on Wednesday, June 24. Particularly in the men’s race, a succession of dramatic twists completely reshuffled the overall standings.
It seemed everything was set for Riccardo Chiarini, but two chain drops in the final kilometres snatched the victory away from him. The winner was Vincenzo Saitta, as fortune gave back what it had taken away the day before. The Sicilian rider claimed the stage and got back the Barbieri PNK leader’s jersey and extended his advantage over his rivals.
The defining figure of Stage 3 was Riccardo Chiarini. The experienced Italian biker attacked solo after just 5 km, in the village of Pievepelago, leaving everyone behind. At the first feed zone at km 15, his advantage had already grown to a minute and a half over Marek Sülzle and Vincenzo Saitta, with Emanuele Spica, Hans Becking and Luca Cacchi a little further back.
On the subsequent climb to 1,840 metres above sea level at Monte Cimone, the gap shrank to nothing – but a relentless Chiarini launched himself into the descent and again managed to shake off his pursuers.
Behind him, just before the second feed zone at km 25, Spica and Becking both suffered punctures. The Italian found support from his team car to change the wheel; the Dutchman had to rely on neutral service, managing only to limit the damage. Meanwhile, Saitta and Sülzle continued their chase of Chiarini.
On the treacherous descent back into Riolunato, Sülzle lost ground to Saitta, who caught and passed Chiarini – struck by two chain drops in the final kilometres. Victory slipped away from him in the worst possible fashion, forced to finish 39 seconds behind Saitta, who crossed the line in 1:47:08. Marek Sülzle was third at 2:07.
Emanuele Spica came in 4:49 back, crossing the line alongside Luca Cacchi. Hans Becking’s deficit was far heavier: 10:02, a gap that effectively rules him out of the fight for overall victory.
“I feel for Riccardo – I even waited for him at the end because he deserved this stage win,” said Saitta straight after the finish. “The final descent was treacherous; I came close to losing control of the bike several times and preferred to be a little more cautious. With ten kilometres to go I caught Chiarini, and in the finale his mechanical problems allowed me to win the stage.”
Thanks to today’s win, Saitta returns to the top of the general classification, though the positions behind him have changed significantly. Teammate Spica moves into second at 2:47, while Sülzle jumps to third at 8:51. Becking follows at 9:41 and Cacchi at 11:25.
“We came to Appenninica to race as a team: whether I wear the jersey or Emanuele does makes little difference tactically,” reflected Saitta.
Among the Masters, Oscar Pujol took the stage win in 2:02:23, though Juul Van Loon remains firmly in control of the overall standings. Jon Roberts claimed his third consecutive stage win in the Grand Master category in 2:09:36, while Bernd Büdenbender once again proved unbeatable among the Great Grand Masters.
