Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA) and Alexey Medvedev (RUS) beat favorites and win Brasil Ride's Prologue

Trek San Marco II duo starts ahead on the fight for the 7th edition of the race On the Master category, Olympic champion Bart Brentjens and Abraão Azevedo have the best time and Isabella Lacerda and Letícia Cândido lead on Ladies category

Porto Seguro (BA) - The seventh edition of Brasil Ride started on Sunday (16), at Arraial d'Ajuda in Porto Seguro, state of Bahia. The many categories will know their winners next Saturday, 22nd. On the main category - Open - winners of the day were Italian Fabian Rabensteiner and Russian Alexey Medvedev, Trek San Marco II duo. After starting the race in the seventh heat of the prologue, Fabian and Alexey took the lead from their own teammates, Italians Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro, Trek San Marco I. Brazilian Hugo Prado and Swiss Lukas Kaufmann, from the Orthocrin Cannondale Lefty Team, completed the podium in third place.

After a few rainy mornings and sunny afternoons during Arraial's week, heat scorched the town from early Sunday. It was no easy task for the 500 Brasil Ride athletes to finish the 21-kilometer prologue in the 7th edition. Owners of the Yellow Jersey, Rabensteiner and Medvedev finished the course in 49min01, over a minute ahead of Porro and Ferraro.

"Our preparation was not easy. We concentrated from mid season until now. The concentration on this last month was even stronger. We're very happy the race was so good", said Rabensteiner. "It was very hot in the jungle, and [the course] was very technical. Not easy to concentrate, because there were lots of right and left turns all the time. We didn't expect that advantage. My teammate was very strong, and it was like as if he was training", he completed.

Even having the leading position for some minutes, with 50min09, Porro and Ferraro celebrated their and their teammates' result. "For Samuele and I, even being a short stage, it was very hard. We rode as fast and carefully as possible. We are very happy for the Trek San Marco duo result. Let's see the result tomorrow. We don't know the course, and we'll see how the race develops, the weather conditions, and we will do our best", evaluated Ferraro.

Top 10 - The ten first places of the day were full top notch of athletes and favorites for the title, with world champions Tiago Ferreira (POR) and Roel Paulissen (BEL), in fourth place, and Daniel Geismayr (AUT) and Joachen Jab (ALE ) in fifth. Completing the grid, the current champions Jiri Novak champions (CZE) and Hans Becking (HOL) in sixth, and Sherman Trezza / Wolfgang Soares (BRA), Krenn Wolfgang (AUT) / Fojtik Ondrej (CZE), Hernani Sistelo (POR)/Andrew Henriques (POR) e Halysson Ferreira/Robson Ferreira (BRA), between seventh and tenth.

Master - Current three-time champions of the Master category, Dutchman Bart Bretnjens and Brazilian Abraão Azevedo started the competition full throttle, seeking the fourth consecutive win for Bretnjens and seventh for Azevedo, about seven minutes ahead Luis Felipe Monteiro and Erik Ramos Azzi. "We had a good start in this prologue. Abraão and I had the same level, both strong. We started well in the first kilometers. It was very hot, and it was not easy to ride on that pace. The course was great, and the atmosphere in Villa Brasil Ride is great. I enjoyed a great riding moment", said Bart Bretjens.

Second stage, to Guaratinga - One of the two Queen stages of Brasil Ride, the second day will have 128 km of riding and 2,225 meters elevation gain, linking Vila Brasil Ride in Arraial d'Ajuda and Conjunto Boa Vista Farm in Guaratinga, camp site for 800 people, including athletes and staff. Riders will leave the beautiful landscape of the Discovery Coast beaches and head to the Southern Bahia mountains, a region with stunning scenery. Crossing Porto Seguro's Pau Brasil National Park (PNPB) for the first time - a Brazilian historical site and area of conservation of the Pau-Brasil tree - will be one of the great innovations of Brasil Ride's seventh edition.

Prologue results

Open

1- Fabian Rabensteiner (ITA)/Alexey Medvedev (RUS) - 49min01
2- Samuelle Porro/Damiano Ferraro (ITA) - 50min09
3- Hugo Prado (BRA) / Lukas Kaufmann (SUI) - 50min40

Master
1- Bart Brentjens (NED) / Abrahão Azevedo (BRA) - 55min14
2- Luis Felipe Monteiro / Erick de Carvalho Azzi (BRA) - 1h12min11
3- Peter Jung (ALE) / Walter Reichenbach (ALE) - 1h17min50

Ladies
1- Isabela Lacerda (BRA) / Letícia Candido (BRA) - 1h01min37
2- Celina Carpinteiro (POR) / Ivone Kraft (GER) - 1h03min20
3- Janete Correia (BRA) / Joana Nobrega (BRA) - 1h17min28

Mixed
1- Piero Pellegrini (ITA) / Annabela Stropparo (ITA) - 1h01min48
2- Valmor Hausmann (BRA) / Tania Pickler (BRA) - 1h02min48
3- Marcelo Moser (BRA) / Ana Luisa Panini (BRA) - 1h07min51

Grand Master
1- Eduardo Soares (BRA) / Luiz Lopes (BRA) - 1h04min44

Nelore
1- Gerson Muhlbauer (BRA) - 1h05min37

Corporative
1- Maurício/Luiz/Ricardo (BRA) - 1h03min25

Brasil Ride Schedule - 538.8 km - 11 thousand meters of altitude
17/10 - Monday - Stage 2 from Arraial d'Ajuda to Brasil Ride Camp (128 km and 2225 m altitude)
18/10 - Tuesday - Stage 3 with start and arrival at the Camp (63.5 km and 1,587 altitude)
19/10 - Wednesday - Stage 4 with start and arrival at the Camp (85.3 km and 2,963 m altitude)
20/10 - Thursday - Stage 5 between Brasil Ride Camp and Arraial d'Ajuda (134 km and 2,027 m altitude)
21/10 - Friday - Stage 6 in the XCO course in Arraial d'Ajuda (31.8 km and 548 m altitude)
22/10 - Saturday -Stage 7, the final race in Arraial d'Ajuda and Brasil Ride Marathon (75 km e 1.105 m altitude)

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

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Fabian and Alexey (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)

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Damiano and Samuele (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)

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Bart Brentjens (Armin Kuestenbrueck / Brasil Ride)

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First start in Brasil Ride (Sportograf / Brasil Ride)

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Tiago Ferreira / Roel Paulissen (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)

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Prologue course (Fabio Piva / Brasi Ride)

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Aerial view of Brasil Ride Village in Guaratinga (Fabio Piva / Brasil Ride)

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