VERMIGLIO (VAL DI SOLE – TRENTINO), 28 AUGUST 2016 – From the Val di Sole Marathon to the world races the gap is very short: some athletes taking part in the marathon at Malè, will be racing in the Cross Country World Masters on Wednesday, held together with the Trials Elite in Vermiglio plain, below Passo del Tonale. It’s the first time that a UCI Masters World Championships is held in Italy and the choice of Trentino and Val di Sole was made because this territory lives on outdoor sport, which is its social and tourist driving force.
THE LIST OF ATHLETES IS IMPRESSIVE, OVER 350 ATHLETES from the five continents divided into 13 categories according age and gender (eight for the men and five for women). Many Italian athletes will race dreaming glory. They are armed and ready, among them is Ivan Degasperi, with a gold and a silver medal in the world championships; he finished second in the 40Km Marathon behind Martino Fruet and ahead of Andrea Zamboni, another favourite for the World Champs, as well as exuberant Ivan Pintarelli, head of cabinet for the Tourism Councillor of Trentino, Marco Dallapiccola.
Then there is Silvano Janes, who has already won a Masters gold medal. He hopes to clinch it again with another important name: current Italian Cross Country team manager Hubert Pallhuber, who has just come back from Rio Olympic Games. He won 1997 World Champs in Château-d'Oex and a bronze medal the year before in Cairns. He decided to take part in the World Masters Val di Sole just at the last moment, but all eyes will be on him.
AMONG THE WOMEN, EYES ON LORENA ZOCCA FROM VERONA, who has already gained several titles. Over the last years she was protagonist in both Marathons and Long-distance races in Trentino Mtb circuit (that includes the Val di Sole Marathon) and in the Lessinia Tour with the victory in PassoBuoleXtreme one year ago in Ala. And from the Val di Sole Marathon 2016 two more Italian names stand out: Luisa Poz De Lorenzo and Patrizia D’Amato, who finished fifth and seventh respectively. Valentina Rocca leading the Lessinia Tour will race too. A day dedicated to tests for Lorena Zocca who, her coach said, “likes the course very much. Congratulations to the organizers for the excellent work. Certainly Lorena after four Italian titles is ready for the world challenge”.
2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STARS WILL BE PRESENT for instance Norway’s Gjertrud Bø protagonist in the 50 category with French Corinne Bedard, but also Argentina’s Graciela Elina Vargas, Spain’s Marga Fullana and USA’s Cameron Urban, at the start in Vermiglio as world champions. But Italian athletes do not fear them.
Cross country races will be held on Wednesday 31 August and on Thursday 1 September in Vermiglio. It will be the first great event after the Olympic Games in Rio. The races will take place on the historical XCO course of the Internazionali d'Italia Series, with a few changes: the uphill section near the waterfall will be longer, there will be a brand new singletrack in addition to the one already present, redesigned for this race. The 4.5 km long race loop with an elevation gap of 190 m, is located in the beautiful area of the Vermiglio lakes, and will be repeated several times according to the athlete’s category.
The debut of the World Masters in Italy has already attracted the interest of around 50 Italian and foreign journalists which add up to 100 already accredited for Uci Mtb World Championships Elite.
Alberto Penasa - Azienda Turismo Val di Sole
Viale Marconi, 7 - 3827 - Malè - (TN)
Tel. +39.0463.900863 - Fax +39.0463.901563
www.valdisole.net - penasa.a@valdisole.net
