In the Ladies category, Isabella Lacerda and Letícia Cândido sealed their title, with Sherman Trezza and Wolfgang Soares taking victory in the American Men category
Arraial d'Ajuda, Brazil - The last stage of Brasil Ride's seventh edition happened on Saturday (22), and brought the largest MTB ultramarathon to a perfect end, during the XCM Marathon, where more than 1,000 riders from the whole country joined the 500 athletes of the race that started last Sunday (16). In the main category of the competition, the Open, Trek San Marco II duo, Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) and Alexey Medvedev (RUS), didn't push their luck and finished the race with another win. Daniel Geismayr (AUT), and Jochen Kaess (GER), first runners-up in the GC, completed the last stage in second, while Jiri Novak (CZE) and Hans Becking (NED) finished the day in third place, although they did not reduce the gap enough to overcome Tiago Ferreira (POR) and Roel Paulissen (BEL), the pair that guaranteed third place overall.
After having a lead of over 16 minutes ahead of Daniel Geismayr and Jochen Kaess after four stages, Fabian Rabensteiner and Alexey Medvedev were the stars of the last two stages, assuring the first place of the competition, with 13min52 ahead of Geismayr and Kaess. "I must say that I didn't expect this win, because we came here to support the other Trek San Marco team, with Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro. But after they crashed and abandoned the race, we changed our plans", recalled Rabensteiner.
"From then on, we went full gas, day by day in pursuit of the Open yellow jersey and we managed to hold on to it untill the end. This was one of the hardest races in my carreer. From the second to the fifth stages, we had four days riding over four and a half hours a day, with very steep climbs and technical descents. We are very happy with the overall victory. Now I'm looking forward to well-deserved holidays", completed Rabensteiner.
"It was an incredible day today. I think this is the best season of my life. I'm really happy. Brasil Ride was a very well organized race, with a great course. A very hard and very hot stage race, in a beautiful place. I think I'll be here next year", said Alexey Medvedev. "I want to dedicate this title to my sports director, Marcon Trentin, and to my daughter Barbara", he completed.
For Daniel Geismayr and Jochen Kaess, the result is favorable, even if they did not reach their main goal: winning the race. After going through bad moments on the fourth day, breaking a wheel while jumping over a cattlegrid when leading the Queen stage, the Centurion Vaude due celebrated the result. "I wanted to win, after everything that happened last year, when we had a crash that took us out of the race. But I'm happy with the result anyway. In Brasil Ride you can always expect surprises, and it happened to us once again. We kept a steady pace every day, and despite not being champions, it was a good result", said Geismayr.
Fight for the podium - While Trek San Marco II and Centurion Vaude were the protagonists in the last five stages, there was a tight fight for the third place until the very last stage. After Hugo Prado and Lukas Kaufmann started the last day ahead, World Champions Tiago Ferreira and Roel Paulissen, snatched the third place overall from the Brazilian duo. After seven stages, Hans Becking and Jiri Novak guaranteed the fourth place in the GC, followed by Prado and Kaufmann.
"For me, it was the toughest Brasil Ride ever. After the fourth stage, when I ran out of water and got worn out, our only hope was winning a stage to assure a place on the podium. Fortunately, we managed to eat into their 1'30" lead little by little, and passed them. The strategy was to attack from the very beginning, to make the race as hard as possible. This way we managed to reduce the gap in such a short stage like this. Fortunately, our plan worked, and we are happy with the result after all", told Tiago.
Tight fight - The fight for the white jersey, the champion of the Americas, was the most disputed one. A mere 58 seconds separated Brazilians Sherman Trezza and Wolfgang Soares, from Ricardo Pscheidt (BRA) and José Montoya (CRI), from Trek Latin America. In the end, Trezza and Soares chased their competitors intensely, and each got their second win in the category - both had won in previous years, with the same partner: Henrique Avancini. Trezza won in 2014, and Soares in 2015.
Fourth win - A successful partnership started in the 2013 edition of Brasil Ride, giving Bart Brentjens (NED) and Abraão Azevedo (BRA) their fourth title of the ultramarathon together. Besides the achievement, Azevedo secured his seventh win, becoming the greatest champion of the competition, as the only rider to win every year. "I'm very happy with the result. I've run nine races with Bart, and we've won all of them. I'm happy to be doing so well, and learning from him every year. Each race I learn more with him", completed the Brazilian athlete.
Unprecedented title - After five years racing the Brasil Ride, four of them competing together, and one competing in different teams, the Italian couple Annabella Stropparo and Piero Pellegrini won their first title. Good for them and for their daughter, Vittoria, who came with her parents for the second year. "A victory for the family. When I'm tired in the race, I think about my daughter and this makes me stronger", said Piero. "I also think about my daughter a lot, and I shout at my husband all the time during the races, because I always suffer so much. I used to say that we would come back to Brasil Ride until we won. That moment has come. I'm so happy", said Annabella.
Other winners - Brasil Ride's seventh edition had winners in four other categories. In the Grand Master winners were Heleno Borges and Paulo Felipe Vasconcelos, in American Women winners were Janete Correia and Joana Nóbrega, the Corporate winners were Diego/Edson/Robson, and heavyweights Nelore were Gerson Muhlbauer Junior and Marcelo De Oliveira.
Ivonne Kraft remains under observation - German Ivonne Kraft, five-times winner of Brasil Ride, is still sedated and under observation at Luís Eduardo Magalhães hospital, in Porto Seguro. According to the race's medical team, the forecast is that the cyclist will have the medication reduced on Sunday (23). In the last 24 hours, the athlete's conditions have improved. Ivonne felt sick at Km 6 of the Cross Country circuit on Friday (21), and was transfered by helicopter. She was found 15 meters away from the course, in the shade, and promptly assisted by Dr. Clemar Correa, chief of the medical staff of Brasil Ride, and a neurosurgeon at Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo, and considered the most experienced in competitions of this kind in Brazil.
7th Stage results - Marathona XCM Brasil Ride - 75 km
Open
1- Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) / Alexey Medvedev (RUS) - 2h58min25
2- Daniel Geismayr (AUT) / Jochen Kaess (GER) - 2h58min50
3- Jiri Novak (CZE) / Hans Becking (NED) - 2h58min59
4- Tiago Ferreira (POR) / Roel Paulissen (BEL) - 3h00min26
5- Ricardo Pscheidt (BRA) / José Montoya (CRI) - 3h08min34
Ladies
1- Isabella Lacerda (BRA) / Letícia Cândido (BRA) - 3h59min34
2- Maria Brandão (BRA) / Vanessa Lessa (BRA) - 4h40min56
3- Janet Correia (BRA) / Joana Nobrega (BRA) - 4h45min10
Mixed
1- Marcelo Moser (BRA) / Ana Luisa Korc Panini (BRA) - 3h50min12
2- Piero Pellegrini (ITA) / Annabella Stropparo (ITA) - 3h50min14
3- Valmor Hausmann (BRA) / Tania Pickler (BRA) - 3h54min45
Máster
1- Bart Brentjens (NED) /Abraao Azevedo (BRA) - 3h23min09
2- Pierre Bourquenoud (SUI) / Serge Robadey (SUI) - 3h40min47
3- Weimar Pettengill (BRA) / André Luis Pinheiro (BRA) - 3h43min54
Corporate
1- Diego/Edson/Robson - 3h38min01
2- Luiz Claudio/Igor/Albert - 3h41min21
3- Juliano/João/Diego - 3h41min35
Grand Máster
1- Heleno Caetano Borges (BRA) / Paulo Felpe Vasconcelos (BRA) - 3h59min27
2- Hermes Santana (BRA) / Dorivaldo Correia De Abreu (BRA) - 4h06min56
3- Fabricio Bezerra (BRA) / Dirceu Araujo (BRA) - 4h38min30
Nelore
1- Gerson Junior (BRA) / Marcelo De Oliveira (BRA) - 4h21min35
2- Jorge Silva Sousa (BRA) / Fabio Yukio Hossaki (BRA) - 4h51min29
3- Marciu Friedrich (BRA) / Jose Emilio Menegatti (BRA) - 5h16min42
Overall after seven stages:
Open
1- Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) /Alexey Medvedev (RUS) - 24h26min51
2- Daniel Geismayr (AUT) /Jochen Kaess (GER) - a 13min52
3- Tiago Ferreira (POR) /Roel Paulissen (BEL) - a 1h00min09
4- Jiri Novak (CZE) / Hans Becking NED) - a 1h00min47
5- Hugo Prado (BRA) / Lukas Kaufmann (SUI) - a 1h06min48
Ladies
1- Isabela Lacerda (BRA) / Leticia Candido (BRA) - 34h18min47
2- Janet Correia (BRA) /Joana Nobrega (BRA) - a 6h35min23
3- Maria Brandão (BRA) / Vanessa Lessa (BRA) - a 8h11min29
Mixed
1- Piero Pellegrini (ITA) /Annabella Stropparo (ITA) - 31h05min15
2- Valmor Hausmann (BRA) /Tania Clair Pickler Negherbon (BRA) - a 1h51min25
3- Marcelo Moser (BRA) /Ana Luisa Korc Panini (BRA) - a 4h23min54
Máster
1- Bart Brentjens (NED) / Abraao Azevedo (BRA) - 27h42min57
2- Pierre Bourquenoud (SUI) / Serge Robadey (SUI) - a 4h30min05
3- Weimar Pettengill (BRA) / Andre Guimaraes (BRA) - a 5h42min48
Grand Máster
1- Heleno Caetano Borges (BRA) / Paulo Felpe Vasconcelos (BRA) - 33h32min41
2- Hermes Santana (BRA) / Dorivaldo Abreu (BRA) - a 2h04min56
3- Fabricio Fontoura (BRA) / Dirceu Araujo (BRA) - a 5h12min55
Nelore
1- Gerson Junior (BRA) / Marcelo De Oliveira (BRA) - 38h54min03
2- Jorge Silva Sousa (BRA) / Fabio Yukio Hossaki (BRA) - a 2h57min44
3- Marciu Friedrich (BRA) / Jose Emilio Menegatti (BRA) - a 6h25min33
Corporate
1- Diego/Edson/Robson - 32h16min34
2- Mauricio/Luiz/Ricardo - a 1h43min30
3- Luiz/Igor/Albert - a 1h46min22
Atention - The complete results and general classification will be avaiable on the official website: http://www.romasportsmkt.com.br/brasilride/live/
Official videos:
Stage 1 - Prólogo de 21 km em Arraial d’Ajuda:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NgrasQBgU0
Stage 2 - 128 km - Arraial d’Ajuda and Gauratinga :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9eBT-dVqlY
Stage 3 - 92 km - Guaratinga: https://youtu.be/oC4-DNHTSSc
Stage 4 - 85 km - Guaratinga: https://youtu.be/TCofffVArKk
Stage 5 - 134 km - Guaratinga and Arraial d'Ajuda: https://youtu.be/mzcZi5CHwNo
Stage 6 - 34 km - Arraial d'Ajuda : https://youtu.be/QY-NvrP7fq4
About Brasil Ride - Brasil Ride’s 7th edition will have 250 teams from 23 countries. Brasil Ride Marathon will mark as the opening event for the 2016 edition and will feature 1000 riders. The event is a UCI Class S1 race and champions for the Open and Ladies categories are awarded 120 points in the world rankings.
In 2015, 500 athletes from 23 countries competed in the 6th edition in the old Chapada Diamantina route. The opening event, the Marathon, had 600 bikers. Brasil Ride is made by Roma Comunicação and Instituto Brasil Ride.
Brasil Ride: More than a race, a stage in your life.
Website: http://www.BRASILRIDE.COM.BR
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRASILRIDE
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brasil_ride
Instagram: https://instagram.com/brasilride
Gustavo Coelho / Doro Jr. - Mtb 13209
E-mail: gustavo@zdl.com.br / dorojr@zdl.com.br
Phone: +55 11 32855911 / Cell phone: + 55 11 9.8457-9699
Follow ZDL in twitter: twitter.com/ZDLcomunica
and in facebook ZDL Comunicação
Champions crossing the finish line (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
General classification podium (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Celebration with coconuts (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Stage 7 podium (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Aerial view of Brasil Ride Village in Arraial d'Ajuda (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Alexey Medvedev and Fabian Rabensteiner (Igor Schifris / Brasil Ride )
Alta | Web
The leading peloton (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Isabella Lacerda and Letícia Cândido (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
Wolfgang Soares and Sherman Trezza (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)
Alta | Web
