Bardolino Bike Marathon

25/7/2021

Hot, hotter, Bardolino Bike Marathon 2021 on Lake Garda!

A ‘scorching’ race weekend – and not just because of the high temperatures!

Two races were on the programme for Sunday: on Lake Garda there was the Bardolino Bike MTB marathon (which was originally due to take place in March but was postponed to July due to pandemic restrictions), and in Tuscany there was another round of the Toscano Enduro Series – both races, of course, featuring Dynamic Bikers!

At the race on Lake Garda, there were five athletes at the start, four of them competing in a marathon for the first time: our three juniors Gregor Pinggera, Michi Volgger and Fabian Meraner, and youth coach Lorenz Psaier. President Andy Pichler was also there, returning to competition after several years away.

It was set to be a real battle against the heat, with temperatures already reaching 27 degrees early in the morning. Nevertheless, the five lads, alongside nearly 400 other participants, set off on a 40 km route with 1,000 metres of elevation gain; the start was at 9.45 am sharp, with temperatures already high by then. The route was bone-dry and consisted mainly of gravel – the short single tracks through the forest offered a welcome respite from the heat for the participants.

Despite all these adversities, our lads achieved great results, with Gregor in the ‘unlucky’ 4th place in the Junior category (he also clocked the 18th fastest time overall on the short course) – the podium just 12 seconds away. Right behind him in 5th place in the same category was Michi, followed by Fabian in 13th place.
In the amateur category, Andy finished 17th (Master 4), and Lorenz came 37th (Master 5).