EN: Stu's Preview

The Riders

IT Stu's Preview

Day 3 - under 400km to go

Race wrap up!

Ciao Bella!

Quick intro: I’m Stu Taylor and I'll be one of the commentators for this year's ID, I'm a race veteran from 2019. I loved the route and had some of the best and most random bivi experiences of my life on my ride.

The Italy Divide is truly the most amazing, cultural and beautiful route and is finally back for the 4th edition with a new start from Pompei, 1,250km distance with 22,000m ascent awaits the eager riders.

You will be able to expect the usual start: an F1 style lightening-fast sprint out of the metropolitan city, which if you’ve decided to ride an mountain bike you'll instantly be doubting your bike choice but don’t worry your time will soon arrive!!

Looking at the new starting route the riders will be skirting very close to the volcano Mount Vesuvius before joining the previous route at Naples for a coastal journey before heading inland towards Latina and discovering central Italy.

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=38227919&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

This year's race has a total of 325 riders registered, from 21 different countries, with a age range between 25-60 years old, also really pleasing to see 20 female riders, a slight increase on previous year's entries, the event would love to see more!

In previous years the riders have experienced all seasons throughout the race so, don’t listen to Giacamo at the race briefing! Be prepared!

In 2019 I remember Giacamo standing on the tables and promising the best beautiful weather throughout, guaranteed no rain. Perfect as I had forgottern my waterproof. Needless to say it rained, in fact it poured!

The best €3 I spent ever was on a tourist poncho to keep me dry!

![Stu Taylor Poncho](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ScPZIxba6bF6g17DSUOGa/777ad5a0248109fff877669de8ef940f/Stu_Taylor_Poncho.jpg)

As the riders are busy gathering in Pompei they will be seeing a vast range of bike styles ready to experience this beautiful country, with some of the best food and wine available never too far away, a little bonus challenge will be riding past these offerings without stopping for more!

![Stu Taylor Espresso](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/36klVA5buQEfgScGzmiAzU/c4576396c2af674f7f8b0df334757ef3/Stu_Taylor_Espresso.jpg)

*Here's Stu enjoying an espresso whilst wearing a body warmer he'd pillaged from the bar's lost and found.*

I'm super excited to see what the event throws at the riders this year! Will we ever see another draw like James Hayden and Sofiane Sehili in 2019 due to the snow!

The races starts 23rd April from Pompei at 11am (CEST).


Beccy Waters here! Stu and I will be tag teaming through this commentary to bring a healthy dose of insights into the race from this year and editions gone by.

As a general rule: all the jokes are Stu's, all the facts are Beccy's.

TrackLeaders currently has 65 riders signed up with 14 hours to the start, however it's hard to know exactly how many riders will start as there's no official start list and there are duplicates in the All Riders drop down. So here's a selection of the few riders signed up and we'll know more once the dots start moving tomorrow morning.

### The Favourites

# Jochen Böhringer

[Jochen](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Jochen%20Boehringer)’s back to back wins at the HOPE 1000 in 2019 and 2020 and record setting pace in 2020 are a fine display of his off-road skills, combined with his second place at the Italy Divide last year, Jochen brings arguably the most relevant off-road experience and success. His unassuming demeanour belies his ambition and skill for these races.

# Zoé Chauderlot

[Zoé](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Zo%C3%A9%20Chauderlot) lines up as one of the very few, if not the only, Tour Divide veterans on the start list (we didn’t spot another, but please drop us a message if you know of one). Her tenth place finish at the French Divide in 2019 will hold her in excellent stead for a high finish here. We adore following Zoé’s dot and she was generous enough to take some time to fill us in on her extensive touring and racing background during lockdown, you can find that conversation [here](https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_5U1PSlblr/).

# Marin de Saint-Exupéry

Following in Jochen’s tyremarks, [Marin](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Marin%20de%20Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry) took Jochen’s record on the HOPE 1000 in his race winning campaign, a success he repeated at Further Pyreness finishing ahead of James Hayden who is a previous winner of the Italy Divide. Marin’s youth is counterbalanced by his experience; he’s a veteran of the Transcontinental twice over, Trans Pyrenees and Silk Road. He even rode from Europe to Kyrgyzstan to race SRMR!

# Katie L'Herpiniere

Another Silk Road veteran, [Katie](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Katie%20L%E2%80%99Herpiniere) finished the inaugural edition of the SRMR in 2018 as first pair in 14D 1H 24M and brings oodles of outdoors experience. Katie's experience in the backcountry in the mountains near where she now lives near Nice will prove very useful once the route turns upwards and the terrain roughens.

# Steven Le Hyaric

[Steven](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Steven%20Le%20Hyaric)’s experience spans widely outside of bikepacking racing; he has traversed the Namibian desert by bike and the Himalayas on foot and by bike as well as finishing the Marathon des Sables earlier this year. He has finished fifth at both Two Volcano Sprint and the French Divide as well as breaking the record at the NorthCape4000 last year. A multi-discpline athlete with the mindset for endurance is surely one to watch.

# James Craven

Last year’s winner of the Dales Divide, [James](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/James%20Craven) held the record until it was broken last weekend. A veteran of the Transcontinental, James took to off-road racing well with his first time at Atlas Mountain Race in 2020 where he placed well until a mechanical cost him his position. He was due to race last year but travel restrictions made the journey too difficult, we suspect he’ll be hungry and fit. Although, he’ll be the first to say otherwise.

# Bruno Ferraro

A rider who has continually placed well at European ultra races over the past four years, [Bruno](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Bruno%20Ferraro) has rarely featured outside the top 10. Much of his racing kilometres have been spent on tarmac, but we're lead to believe he spends a healthy amount of time training off-road and has two finishes at Badlands, 5th in 2020 and 51st last year, but we know he struggled significantly with the extreme heat and was unable to keep food down for some hours. Never one to scratch, he made sure to finish!

# Matt Falconer

A well-known name to many British and fellow European riders reading this, [Matt Falconer](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Matthew%20Falconer)’s riding reputation is dwarfed only by his reputation for his love of ice cream. We have our suspicions this may have been his primary reason for racing the ID... A four time vet of the TCR who has only ever placed outside the top 20 once and was second in 2018, Matt’s also a veteran of the Italy Divide.

# James Illman

[James](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/James%20Illman)’s name will be familiar to anyone who followed our GBDURO commentary last year as he expertly covered GBDURO for us after his finish at the self-sufficient edition in 2020. He’s also another two time TCR and Atlas Mountain veteran.

We look forward to seeing who makes it to the finishers' purple throne in Torbole in 1,250km time. Here's Stu in his throne after his efforts in 2019.

![WhatsApp Image 2022-04-22 at 4.21.35 PM](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4PMr6S0vtU33v7pYGyEcNg/856c8f0964dd28a8c9f4d46c071f6415/WhatsApp_Image_2022-04-22_at_4.21.35_PM.jpeg)

On another note, it's currently raining in Naples... The Italy Slide anyone?

Mi chiamo Stu Taylor e saro uno dei commentatori di Italy Divide 2022. Sono un esperto di questa gara dal 2019. Amo il percorso e ho avuto tra le migliori esperienze di campeggio della mia vita su due ruote.

L'Italy Divide é davvero tra i più emozionanti percorsi, culturalmente e visibilmente,  ed é finalmente tornata per la quarta edizione, con la nuova partenza a Pompei, 1250km di distanza e con 22,000m di dislivello che aspetta solo i ciclisti più avidi.

Potrete aspettarvi la partenza usuale: uno sprint velocissimo stile Formula 1 alle porte della città che, se avete deciso di percorrere con una mountain bike, dubiterete all'istante la vostra scelta ma non vi preoccupate! Arriverà anche il vostro momento!!

Guardando alla nuova partenza, i ciclisti correranno vicinissimo al Monte Vesuvio, prima di raggiungere Napoli. Percorrendo la costa, passeranno per Latina, scoprendo l'Italia centrale.

La gara di quest'anno conta un totale di 325 ciclisti, da 21 nazioni diverse, con una età media tra i 25 e i 60 anni: contiamo la presenza di anche 20 cicliste donne, un positivo aumento rispetto all'anno scorso e, sicuramente, ne vogliamo vedere sempre più!

Negli anni precedenti i ciclisti hanno visto tutte e quattro le stagioni durante l'intera gara, per cui non ascoltate Giacomo durante l'introduzione! Preparatevi!
Ricordo ancora che nel 2019, Giacomo, in piedi sui tavoli, aveva promesso le temperature migliori dell'anno, assenza di pioggia garantita. Perfetto, perché avevo dimenticato la mia giacca impermeabile. Ovviamente ha piovuto a catinelle!
I migliori 3 euro spesi in un poncho per turisti per restare asciutto!

![Stu Taylor Poncho](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ScPZIxba6bF6g17DSUOGa/777ad5a0248109fff877669de8ef940f/Stu_Taylor_Poncho.jpg)

Mentre i ciclisti saranno impegnati a radunarsi a Pompei, vedranno una vasta gamma di biciclette pronte per percorrere questo meraviglioso Paese, con del buon cibo e del buon vino mai troppo lontani. Una piccola sfida sarà non farsi tentare!

![Stu Taylor Espresso](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/36klVA5buQEfgScGzmiAzU/c4576396c2af674f7f8b0df334757ef3/Stu_Taylor_Espresso.jpg)

Qui potete vedere Stu sorseggiando un caffé mentre indossa una maglia termica trovata tra gli oggetti smarriti al bar.

Non vedo l'ora di vedere cosa porterà l'evento di quest'anno! Non ci capiterà più di avere un testa a testa James Hayden e Sofiane Sehili nel 2019 a causa della neve!

La gara comincierà il 23 aprile a Pompei alle 11:30 (CEST).

9 hours in …… What's been happening?

Firstly a welcome surprise on TrackLeaders was to see the name of Nelson
Trees on the startline. He's the man responsible for the epic Silk Road and Atlas
Mountain races, great to see you out there Nelson enjoy the luxury of plentiful
resupplies!

To the race. As predicted the pace was fast out of the blocks with plenty of
tarmac to keep the roadie biased riders happy, but not for long though!

Grumpy Scot “Rich Munro” quoted as saying it's like a bloody roadie race out
here! Rich is riding a rigid Stooge Ti 27.5 plus, don’t worry Rich your time will
come……not too far away!

At around the 25km mark riders arrived at Mount Vesuvius for the first taste of
offroad riding with reports of the famous Vulcan sand and hike a bike both up
and down the mountain from some, maybe Rich could keep on the saddle and
make the most of the plus tyres?

![Stu Taylor-s hab photo day1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4P5KZkM8MLrRP2m9n2CACB/af7eb47d41dcd34f15897832df09d6bb/Stu_Taylor-s_hab_photo_day1.jpg)

![Stu Taylor-s hab photo day1 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/rZGPin3jrazAbade9n2ne/6672701cdaabbdd1c9ced7cdc152aef3/Stu_Taylor-s_hab_photo_day1_2.jpg)

With the leaders 220km into the route the top ten are separated by only 5km
with a front 3 at the time writing of:
Rodney Soncco Zuniga – bike: OPEN U.P
Stěpán Stránský – bike: Merit
Alexander Klopp - bike: unkown?

Former Dales Divide winner James Craven is 7th, only 1km from the front man and
there literally is nothing in it at the moment.

Leading female Zoe Chauderlot is only 7km from the front of the pack. Zoe is
riding a Kona Raijin 29er hardtail MTB. Given her track record, we expect her to make her way through the pack later in the race, or atleast hold her place while others reshuffle.

Steven Le Hyaric currently sits just inside the top 10 which an astounding position considering his crank fell off earlier this afternoon! He was fortunate enough to bodge it until he could find a proper fix and is pedalling smoothly again without having lost too much time at all. A lucky escape!

![278965610 308866301237706 3780050771819043838 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/IBnaj5OOIWpL8hChn4coV/360d9224ab8d78e4719fc7b2c479b0cd/278965610_308866301237706_3780050771819043838_n.jpg)

The split will surely begin tonight when we see who stops to rest and who
decides to breakaway as the adventure turns inland, will anyone ride through
the opening 24hrs?

We can't wait to hear reports of a first bivi, back in 2019 I grabbed a couple of
hours in a fruit sellers market stall!

![WhatsApp Image 2022-04-22 at 4.19.05 PM (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mLybWBkHmzbT5mQthgHgC/420e3a4b1840bf54c62410c830df2dec/WhatsApp_Image_2022-04-22_at_4.19.05_PM__3_.jpeg)

__IT:__

__9 ore dall'inizio della gara....cos'è successo?__

Innanzitutto una bella sorpresa è stata vedere il nome di Nelson Trees tra i partecipanti sul Trackleaders: si tratta del creatore delle epiche gare Silk Road e Atlas Mountain, bello vederti qui Nelson, mentre ti godi gli snack in gara!
Tornando alla gara. Come previsto, il ritmo di gara è partito veloce sull'asfalto, facendo felici i ciclisti su bici da strada...non per molto!
Grumpy Scot "Rich Munro" ha confermato che è come una sanguinosa gara su strada! Rich cavalca una potente Stooge Ti 27.5 plus; non preoccuparti Rich, arriverà anche il tuo momento! Tra non molto!
Dopo appena 25km i ciclisti sono arrivati al Monte Vesuvio per il primo assaggio di percorso fuori strada, attraverso le sabbie del famoso Vulcano e un po' di "hike a bike" tra le dune. Forse Rich riuscirà a restare in sella e sfruttare quelle ruote Plus?

![Stu Taylor-s hab photo day1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4P5KZkM8MLrRP2m9n2CACB/af7eb47d41dcd34f15897832df09d6bb/Stu_Taylor-s_hab_photo_day1.jpg)

![Stu Taylor-s hab photo day1 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/rZGPin3jrazAbade9n2ne/6672701cdaabbdd1c9ced7cdc152aef3/Stu_Taylor-s_hab_photo_day1_2.jpg)

Con i leaders a 220km, la top ten si separa di soli 5km con in testa 3 gareggianti: Rodney Soncco Zuniga – bici: OPEN U.P Stěpán Stránský – bici: Merit Alexander Klopp - bici: sconosciuta.
Il vincitore della Dales Divide James Craven è settimo, con solo 1km dal ciclista in fronte.
La primeggiante femminile Zoe Chauderlot è solo a 7km dai primissimi. Zoe pedala una Kona Raijin 29er hardtail MTB. Secondo la registrazione del suo tracker, ci aspettiamo che raggiunga gli altri più avanti durante la gara o almeno mantenere la posizione.
Steven Le Hyaric per ora è tra i primi 10, una posizione emozionante considerando che la sua manovella ha ceduto nel pomeriggio! È stato abbastanza fortunato da sistemarla fino a che non ha ricevuto una vera a propria riparazione, senza perdere troppo tempo. Un buon mix di astuzia e fortuna!

![278965610 308866301237706 3780050771819043838 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/IBnaj5OOIWpL8hChn4coV/360d9224ab8d78e4719fc7b2c479b0cd/278965610_308866301237706_3780050771819043838_n.jpg)

La vera gara comincerà di sicuro stanotte, quando vedremo chi si fermerà e chi deciderà di continuare l'avventura notturna: chi proverà a pedalare per 24h?
Non vediamo l'ora di vedere chi ha campeggiato!

![WhatsApp Image 2022-04-22 at 4.19.05 PM (3)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mLybWBkHmzbT5mQthgHgC/420e3a4b1840bf54c62410c830df2dec/WhatsApp_Image_2022-04-22_at_4.19.05_PM__3_.jpeg)

9 Hours In

As we approach the 24 hour mark, the front of the race has seen a little shake up during the night and some small gaps are starting to appear. With the riders still being so close together and often within 10 minutes of each other, it’s hard to give exact positionings.

Mark Lauzon shared this post of some nightime festivities which were keeping riders' spirits high. We love to see it.

![WhatsApp Image 2022-04-24 at 11.15.58 AM](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2q7n7g2HjXbjtXvIPt07za/994fcb5dc063ab1ac9c5437b2689c525/WhatsApp_Image_2022-04-24_at_11.15.58_AM.jpeg)

The front three racers are Alexander Kopp, Stěpán Stránský and Jochen Böhringer; there’s not even 5km between the three but they’ve managed to establish a 30km lead over the riders behind them. Neither of them rested last night which has allowed them to pull away from the others. Jochen barely stopped on his way to second place in last year’s race and was eventually beaten by a better-rested faster rider, Mattia De Marchi. It’s unlikely Jochen will change his tactic but there’s nothing to say another fast rider won’t better Jochen again. But don’t forget, once you establish a lead, you only ever need to ride as fast as the riders behind you. Easier said than done, however.

Chomping at the bit sat somewhere around fourth place is Marin De Saint-Exupéry. He shared that he was struck with a bad tummy last night but is back and raring to go. A younger and fast rider only 30km behind is precisely the threat the leading riders will be nervous of.

Steven Le Hyaric shared some videos from earlier this morning, the 370km point is riding through the sweet streets of Rome! This looks pretty good to us.

![Screenshot 20220424-111911](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2yQzwsKvE0jlMd0NVZGRIC/33999165465623f5a8ebda60b36e8e8b/Screenshot_20220424-111911.jpg)

Zoé appears to have taken a 6 hour rest at the 243km mark when she was in approximately 17th position, which has cost her ~30 positions. This is one of the longest rests we’ve seen a rider take so far. Rest early and finish fast? This would be the same tactic as Meg Pugh on her ride to first female last weekend at the Dales Divide.

James Craven is currently in 18th but after taking a fall during the night last night, stopped to reevaluate and has said he may be forced to take things a little easier due to a swollen knee. Nelson Trees sits around 35th position but is tucked into a big group of dots.

__IT__

__24h da inizio gara:__

Ci avviciniamo alle prime 24h, il fronte gara ha subito una piccola svolta durante la notte e si cominciano a vedere le prime distanze. Con i ciclisti ancora abbastanza vicini tra loro e spesso con solo 10min di distanza, è difficile dare delle posizioni esatte.

Mark Lauzon ha condiviso un post di qualche festività notturna che hanno manenuto alti gli spiriti dei ciclisti. Ci piace!

![WhatsApp Image 2022-04-24 at 11.15.58 AM](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2q7n7g2HjXbjtXvIPt07za/994fcb5dc063ab1ac9c5437b2689c525/WhatsApp_Image_2022-04-24_at_11.15.58_AM.jpeg)

I primi tre gareggianti sono Alexander Kopp, Stěpán Stránský and Jochen Böhringer; non si distanziano nemmeno di 5km l'uno dall'altro ma sono riusciti a distanziare il resto del gruppo di 30km. Nessuno dei tre ha risposato ieri notte. Jochen ha a malapena riposato per arrivare secondo l'anno scorso ed è poi stato battuto da un più riposato Mattia De Marchi. Difficile pensare che Jochen cambierà strategia ma chissà, magari quest'anno sarà più veloce.

Non dimenticate che una volta stabilito un record, puoi solo fare meglio! Più facile a dirsi che a farsi!

Piazzato da qualche parte al quarto posto c'è Marin De Saint-Exupéry. Ha fatto sapere che ha avuto problemi di stomaco ieri notte ma ora è tornato all'attacco. Un ciclista giovane e veloce con soli 30km di distanza dai leaders.

Steven LeHyaric ha condiviso qualche video questa mattina, pedalando al punto 370km tra le meravigliose strade della Città Eterna. Ci piace pure questo!

![Screenshot 20220424-111911](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2yQzwsKvE0jlMd0NVZGRIC/33999165465623f5a8ebda60b36e8e8b/Screenshot_20220424-111911.jpg)

Zoé sembra aver riposato circa 6 ore al 234km perdendo circa trenta posizioni (17esima posizione al momento). Uno dei riposi più lunghi tra i ciclisti finora. Riposare presto e finire prima? Stessa tattica utilizzata da Meg Pugh durante il Dales Divide.

James Craven e' per ora 18esimo dopo una caduta la scorsa notte, si è fermato e ha rivalutato la situazione. Ha detto che potrebbe essere costretto ha prendere la gara più alla leggera a causa della caviglia gonfia.

Nelson Trees si trova alla 35esima posizione, tra una marea di puntini sulla mappa.


24 Hours In

It's been pointed out to us by Willi Felix, the organiser of the HOPE 1000, that the current three leading riders are all former winners of the HOPE 1000, a similar length race on slightly rougher terrain but clearly an easy transition to make. We've mentioned Jochen and Marin's wins and records on the HOPE 1000 but neglected Stěpán Stránský's win in 2018 after he'd placed second at the Italy Divide earlier that year. There’s some serious expertise in the front three!

Marin's earlier stomach issues don't seem to have plagued him for long as he's now sitting either first or second. As Marin and Stěpán must be within 10 minutes of each other and Stěpán's tracker hasn't updated in 25 minutes, it's impossible to know exactly which one has the edge. We hope to see a gap large enough to declare a leader once the sun rises. But who knows what could happen through the night; with 390km to the finish and much of the off-road left, both these riders will need to think carefully about their resting strategy and Stěpán's route knowledge may prove crucial once the sun sets and they are navigating in the dark.

Speaking of darkness, how spectacular does the Colosseum look at night?!

![279059493 1543329922747567 5738444682961812403 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1WxsPnUcRpf30kwbXkWSoO/bf15db70152222e31e39da3da7e9c4f0/279059493_1543329922747567_5738444682961812403_n.jpg)

*Photo from Toni Calderon who we believe may be considering scratching. Translation pending. *

# What's the perfect bike?

Here's a selection of images from the past days' riding which should give a glimpse into the "mixed-terrain" riders are facing. In an age of ever-evolving adventure/groad/multi-hyphen/N=1 bikes, we're not sure which bikes we'd choose in these moments. Probably no bike at all.

![279028339 3278289012402634 5860854549097107337 n (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/tmNI9z7S3A8RcS5IIESkJ/5290136ef7f9b1f08dc6d174db98bdfa/279028339_3278289012402634_5860854549097107337_n__1_.jpg)

![Photo from Fabio Negretto](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2xxowLxS57XLtPiNjHm1WK/0db453f389e337f46e3add227e2f9ef0/Photo_from_Fabio_Negretto.jpg)

*Fabio Negretto*

Now THIS is the gravel we came for!

![Federico Bassis ID gravel road](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Pwdl9saFpe5gTtquOdxre/835a39f3f02a1a81867e12d8aa7538cc/279076581_265906929008179_1057846920827596218_n.jpg)

*Federico Bassis's perfect gravel road*

# We hate to say we told you so, but...

![Matt Falconer Ice Cream ID22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/34ocS6g8Vh24FGYjMkQ9lx/547f3b87bf2ddd07055e9c3fc3ec6bcb/279136363_1412577952527806_6759016960177201272_n.jpg)

*Matt Falconer digs into an ice cream*

# Scratches

There are currently only 3 Scratches registered on TrackLeaders but we know there are more. Total: unconfirmed. The two riders are Italian Antonio Fusaro  and Brit James Craven. Other scratches and reasons are below:

Zoé Chauderlot - due to Bronchitis that has flamed up.

![279060622 663550721419124 8916011825322653694 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7uRWUSdngcTH4mTCAEysSy/6aba0f5493f503f5f20179120daac16c/279060622_663550721419124_8916011825322653694_n.jpg)

James Craven - due to a broken bike, more details in the photo below from his Instagram.
![279025411 1381903108915817 6866974516564459849 n (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/72yFzdzU38dj0AnQg2AjOa/77b832575dab57cd9475df54b2f87b19/279025411_1381903108915817_6866974516564459849_n__2_.webp)

## IT Giorno 3 - 400km dalla fine

 Willi Felix ha fatto notare, l'organizzatore di HOPE 1000 (i tre leaders della gara al momento sono tutti vincitori della HOPE 1000), che si tratta di un percorso simile ma su un terreno un pelo più difficile, tuttavia è un cambiamento abbastanza semplice. Abbiamo menzionato le vittorie e tempi record di Jochen e Marin alla HOPE 1000 ma ci siamo dimenticati della vittoria nel 2018 di Stěpán Stránský dopo aver conquistato il secondo posto all'Italy Divide dello stesso anno. I primi tre sono dei veri e propri professionisti!
I precedenti problemi allo stomaco di Marin non sembrano averlo rallentato a lungo e al momento si trova al primo o secondo posto. Marin e Stepan sono a 10 minuti di distanza l'uno dall'altro e il tracker di Stepan non da aggiornamenti da 25 minuti. Impossibile sapere cosa sta succedendo laggiù! Speriamo si distanzino abbastanza da sapere chi sarà il vincitore all'alba. Chissà cosa succederà durante la notte; con solo 390km alla fine della gara, la maggior parte su sterrato, entrambi dovranno pensarla bene per quanto riguarda il riposo e la conoscienza del percorso di Stepan potrebbe essere cruciale per pedalare nell'oscurità della notte. A proposito di oscurità, quanto è spettacolare il Colosseo di sera?

![279059493 1543329922747567 5738444682961812403 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1WxsPnUcRpf30kwbXkWSoO/bf15db70152222e31e39da3da7e9c4f0/279059493_1543329922747567_5738444682961812403_n.jpg)

*Foto di Toni Calderon che pensiamo si sia ritirato.

### Qual è la bici perfetta?

Ecco una selezioni di immagini dei giorni passati che ci danno un'idea del mix di terreni che i ciclisti stanno attraversando. Tra avventura/fuori strada/gravel/strada/ibrida non sappiamo qual è la miglior bici da scegliere per l'Italy Divide. Probabilmente nemmeno una!

![279028339 3278289012402634 5860854549097107337 n (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/tmNI9z7S3A8RcS5IIESkJ/5290136ef7f9b1f08dc6d174db98bdfa/279028339_3278289012402634_5860854549097107337_n__1_.jpg)

![Photo from Fabio Negretto](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2xxowLxS57XLtPiNjHm1WK/0db453f389e337f46e3add227e2f9ef0/Photo_from_Fabio_Negretto.jpg)

*Fabio Negretto*

QUESTO è il gravel come lo intendiamo!

![Federico Bassis ID gravel road](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Pwdl9saFpe5gTtquOdxre/835a39f3f02a1a81867e12d8aa7538cc/279076581_265906929008179_1057846920827596218_n.jpg)

*Federico Bassis su un perfetto sterrato*

### Odiamo dire che ve l'avevamo detto, ma...

![Matt Falconer Ice Cream ID22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/34ocS6g8Vh24FGYjMkQ9lx/547f3b87bf2ddd07055e9c3fc3ec6bcb/279136363_1412577952527806_6759016960177201272_n.jpg)

*Matt Falconer si gode un gelato*

### Ritirati

Per ora ci sono solo 3 ritirati registrati sui TrackLeaders ma probabilmente ce ne sono di piu. Totale:non confermato. I italiani Antonio Fusaroe l'inglese James Craven.

Zoé Chauderlot  a causa della bronchite peggiorata

![279060622 663550721419124 8916011825322653694 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7uRWUSdngcTH4mTCAEysSy/6aba0f5493f503f5f20179120daac16c/279060622_663550721419124_8916011825322653694_n.jpg)

James Craven - a causa della bici rotta, maggiori dettagli su instagram

![279025411 1381903108915817 6866974516564459849 n (2)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/72yFzdzU38dj0AnQg2AjOa/77b832575dab57cd9475df54b2f87b19/279025411_1381903108915817_6866974516564459849_n__2_.webp)

Italy Divide organisers have posted on the Facebook group news of a reroute due to San Benedetto bridge being closed. None of the riders are yet to face this diversion as it sits at the 1,033km point.

The diversion itself is approx. 38.5km and will add 23km to the route, all of which is paved and appears to be pan flat mostly on cycle paths! It could be a lot worse!

Here's a look at the reroute we've traced from the organisers' post. It's unofficial.

__IT__

Gli organizzatori dell'Italy Divide hanno postato su Facebook i dettagli del percorso aggiornato a causa un ponte chiuso a San Benedetto. Nessuno dei ciclisti ha ancora passato questo punto poiche' si trova al km1033.

La diversione è di circa 38.5km e aggiungerà 23km al totale, tutto su strada e apparentemente piatto. Potrebbe andare peggio!

Qui potete vedere il percorso aggiornato, preso dal post degli organizzatori. Non è quello ufficiale.

<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=39198510&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>


REROUTE

Approaching 60 hours / 2 ½ days elapsed ….

The leaders are cranking there way through the kilometres despite the challenging weather and ground conditions. 

Marin De Saint-exupéry and Stěpán Stránský are separated by a single kilometre in first and second place as they head for Bologna in the most technical section of the route. The will be experiencing mud and wet slippy roots by the plentiful as they pass through the forests

In third place rider Jochen Böhringer is 30km behind due to experiencing his first in an ultra-endurance event, he slept in a bed for a few hours so he could dry his kit which had failed due to the persistent heavy rain (maybe the Rome poncho would have been better)!  With a promising early morning forecast Jochen set off for Sienna.

Leading lady Zoe_Chauderlot is maybe having tracking issues as she hasn’t tracked for 9hours or is it mechanical issues, she is about to be caught by Katrien_De_Smet Full also from Belgium who is now only 5km behind, we will have to see what develops here.
James Craven has scratched due to a broken frame to quote “Yes I’m gutted but shit happens and all is good, with the energy to be a tourist in this beautiful country” Unlucky James he also says that even with the stomach bug Marin is flying out front particularly now the route is getting more and more off road, he is also ridiculously minimal which may favour him on the last 2 monster climbs.

![james](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6je51LBIoLgeqx9EfLLbXd/bd730fafd38ff91834cbd684d8d7ed4e/james.jpg)

Nelson Trees had previously shared himself sheltering out of the torrential rain, before the sun returned and he stopped to make friends with a fox! Nic e to see Nelson looks like he’s enjoying himself out there.
A social post from team ID shows the riders will have to navigate a route diversion at 1033km, let’s hope they get these or this could play games with the Marin and Stepan.

![route](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3CUrNnqlBGQHgi3H9r1USX/20001da023349ed46e81d05fe1a070e8/route.jpg)

The middle of the pack riders will have or be experiencing the crazy enchanted woods hopefully in the day light, as there are trees to climb over, rocks to squeeze through and lots of mud!

![squeeze-](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2tozdTnlFMUivQKfZvdRFH/00f18bf1f2c9b2476d4b5d40d17ad0d3/squeeze-.jpg)

Rich Munro was finally smiling, maybe the mud made him think of being back at home in the Lake District he reportedly bunny hopped the trees and drifted the corners! I think maybe his earlier post of a sampling a few Peroni’s has gone to his head!

![mud](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7i78zGnSoWi7cWDMOO9Ros/9b70acbe5dcc463dd7f11abc1ef76205/mud.jpg)

Rich had a bivi in Rome not far from the Coliseum where the Police were patrolling every hour, so didn’t get much sleep!

![slrrp](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3PadPRvuiiHFlKk4uptW9I/ea7de513e133e7f8316860f266bea24b/slrrp.jpg)

Elsewhere lots of riders are sharing posts of themselves eating best looking pizza’s, such a tough job but someone has to do it!

__IT:__

60 ore da inizio gara
Avvicinandosi alle 60 ore / 2 giorni e mezzo
I leader stanno continuando con tutte le loro forze, nonostante le avverse condizioni atmosferiche.

Marin De Saint-exupéry e Stěpán Stránský sono a solo 1km di distanza da Bologna (primo e secondo posto), la sezione piu tecnica del percorso, ovvero molto fango e sezioni spinose, passando per i boschi emiliani.

Al terzo posto Jochen Böhringer é 30km indietro a causa della prima esperienza in una gara di lunga distanza, ha dormito nel letto caldo per qualche ora in modo da asciugare il kit bagnato fradicio per la pioggia costante (forse quel poncho a Roma sarebbe stata un'ottima idea)! All'alba soleggiante Jochen si é messo in moto verso Siena.

La prima femminile Zoe_Chauderlot non ha lasciato traccia per 9 ore, forse qualche problema con il tracker o qualche problema meccanico, e sta per essere raggiunta da Katrien_De_Smet, anche lei dal Belgio, con solo 5km che le separa. Aspettiamo di vedere come la situazione si evolve. James Craven si é ritirato a causa della rottura del telaio e dice "Si mi dispiace molto ma queste cose accadono e che ci puoi fare. Farò il turista in questo Paese meraviglioso". Lo sfortunato James ha detto anche che l'insetto allo stomaco Marin sta volando in fronte agli altri ciclisti, speialmente ora che il percorso si fa più fuori strada, sta anche viaggiando ridicolosamente minimal, cosa che lo favoreggerà durante le mostruose salite.

![james](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6je51LBIoLgeqx9EfLLbXd/bd730fafd38ff91834cbd684d8d7ed4e/james.jpg)

Nelson Trees ha precedentemente condiviso una sua foto mentre si riparava dalla pioggia torrenziale, prima che il sole tornasse e si fermasse per fare amicizia con una volpe! Bello vedere Nelson che se la gode! Un post dal team di Italy Divide ci mostra la diversione al percorso al km1033, speriamo che i ciclisti se ne accorgano in tempo o potrebbe essere un problema per Marin e Stepan.

![route](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3CUrNnqlBGQHgi3H9r1USX/20001da023349ed46e81d05fe1a070e8/route.jpg)

Il peloton sta attraversando le meravigliose boscaglie toscane, per poi passare alle colline e alle rocce e, ovviamente, molto fango!

![squeeze-](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2tozdTnlFMUivQKfZvdRFH/00f18bf1f2c9b2476d4b5d40d17ad0d3/squeeze-.jpg)

Rich Munro finalmente sorride, forse il fango lo riporta con la mente al Lake District in Inghilterra: ha cominciato a saltare le radici degli alberi con la sua bici e  tagliare le curve. Probabilmente queele Peroni gli hanno dato alla testa!

![mud](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7i78zGnSoWi7cWDMOO9Ros/9b70acbe5dcc463dd7f11abc1ef76205/mud.jpg)

Rich ha campeggiato a Roma, non lontano dal Colosseo, dove la polizia passa a controllare ad ogni ora, per cui non deve aver dormito molto!

![slrrp](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3PadPRvuiiHFlKk4uptW9I/ea7de513e133e7f8316860f266bea24b/slrrp.jpg)

Molti altri ciclisti si stanno godendo delle pizze che fanno acquolina, un lavoro duro, ma che deve essere fatto!


60 Hours In

The finish is nigh!

What a day there has been a whole host of twists and turns, firstly the mystery of Zoe’s dot was that she has been suffering with a lung infection so stopped to rest and posted on her story that she was taking it easy and riding round the course, apologising for no dot anymore. 

![Zoe](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4Mp1wCuz0CVbISmwoS8yhU/93c58e0ab9601884bd53604a1dc2ad3b/Zoe.jpg)

Zoe’s dot then reappears 180km along the route, she then turned the tracker back on for her Mum, but it turns out her scratch hadn’t been registered with Trackleaders so she is back on the map? 

![Zoe 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19CmkqCmgQvPqEbwK9dqSR/b84370f636fb9caabb4d26d9477d9442/Zoe_2.jpg)

But is she still in the race? Giacomo will need to decide on this matter. Katrien is the next female 38km behind but who is the leading female? We will let you know as soon as we find out.

In the mens race we have had some big news last nights leading rider Marin has scratched from the race due to an injury, he has said “Knee Over, Race Over” Unlucky Marin great ride. 

That has left Stepan and Jochen to battle it out over the last 100km with only 2km between them. Jochen has been flying to claw back the distance he lost yesterday,

They still have the two absolute beasts of climbs to get over back to back, both steep over a short distance, the first one from sea level the highest point on the ID 1675m elevation but over around only 25km, its likely that there will be some snow at the ski resort at the top. 

A screaming fast road descent follows back to nearly sea level which with low tempatures there will be a freezing wind chill before another super steep endless final climb.

At this point and similar time of the day 11pm in 2019 I was riding with Philippa Battye and Mark Lauzon before the last climb we grabbed food and a quick 10mins shut eye in the last village, I borrowed some winter clothes from the lost property due to the amount of snow ready to push through the night to finish.

Shhh Phils stop snoring for just 10 mins!

Will Stepan and Jochen push through ?  Will they encounter so much snow that they call it a draw like James Hayden and Sofiane in 2019 ? The dot watching will tell us!

Further back in the pack we have our leading and only singlespeeder Andrew Turner doing  a sterling job approaching 700km.

Lots of riders are sharing photos of Airbnb’s or hotels they have stopped in for a recharge, hot showers and cleaning kit after leaving the forest and mud of Florence region.

### Italiano

Che giornata piena di avvenimenti: a partire dal misterioso dot di Zoe, la quale inizialmente si era fermata a causa di una polmonite, postando nelle sue storie che l'avrebbe presa più tranquillamente e che non avrebbe tracciato il percorso.
Il dot di Zoe è poi riapparso a 180km dall'inizio, poichè voleva far sapere a sua madre la sua posizione. Tuttavia, il suo ritiro dalla gara non era stato registrato nel Trackleaders per cui stiamo ancora cercando di capire se è tornata in gara.

Sarà Giacomo a decidere. Katrien è  la seconda donna a 38km di distanza, ma è difatti la prima? Vi faremo sapere appena ne veniamo a capo.

![Zoe](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4Mp1wCuz0CVbISmwoS8yhU/93c58e0ab9601884bd53604a1dc2ad3b/Zoe.jpg)

Tra gli uomini in gara ci sono grandi notizie: Il leader Marin si è dovuto ritirare a causa di un infortunio e ha detto "Addio ginocchio, addio gara". Che sfortuna! Bella gara finora Marin!

![Zoe 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19CmkqCmgQvPqEbwK9dqSR/b84370f636fb9caabb4d26d9477d9442/Zoe_2.jpg)

Per cui Stepan e Jochen dovranno giocarsela negli ultimi 100kkm con solo 2km di distanza l'uno dall'altro. Jochen ha riguadagnato tutto lo spazio che gli era rimasto dai giorni precedenti.

Ci sono ancora due salite bestiali che aspettano i concorrenti, entrambe corte e ripide, la prima a 1675m di altitudine, quindi ci sarà probabilmente della neve in cima. Una veloce discesa subito dopo, che arriva quasi al livello del mare, con basse temperature portate dal vento prima di ricominciare con l'ultima terribile salita.

A questo punto e più o meno stesso momento della giornata, nel 2019, stavo pedalando con Philippa Battye e Mark Lauzon e, prima dell'ultima salita, ci siamo fermati a prendere del cibo e per un veloce riposino di 10 minuti nella cittadina locale e dovetti prendere in prestito dei vestiti invernali a causa della neve.
Shhh Philip basta russare!

Ce la faranno Stepan e Jochen? Troveranno cosi tanta neve da finire in parità come James Hayden e Sofiane nel 2019? Continuate a seguire dot watcher per scoprirlo!

Più indietro nel gruppo, abbiamo il leader e unica bici a velocità singola Andrew Turner , che sta facendo un'incredibile lavoro avvicinandosi ai 700km.

La maggior parte dei concorrenti hanno condiviso foto di Airbnb e hotel in cui si sono fermati per ricaricare le batterie, farsi una doccia calda e lavare il kit dopo aver attraversato la foresta e il fango fiorentini


The End Is Nigh

In a time of 3D 20H 26M, Jochen Böhringer took the win ahead of Steven Le Hyaric. Jochen knocked 2H 15M off his 2021 time with a convincing gap of 6 hours back to Steven. Jochen spent much of the race in a three-way battle with Marin de Saint-Exupéry and Stěpán Stránský. Marin's scratch at the 986km mark due to knee injuries left Jochen and Stěpán battling it out, Jochen was only able to overtake Stěpán on the climb out of Verona (~1167km) where Stěpán's dot mysteriously stopped for 7 hours from 4am to 11am, costing him second place and allowing Steven Le Hyaric to take the second spot on the podium and for five other riders to overtake him.

Steven Le Hyaric's early mechanical woes and broken crank did little to stall his race campaign and he finished his first Italy Divide in second place, in 4D 2H 26M.

# The Unscratch

In the women's race, Zoé Chauderlot led for the first day and sat within the top 10, however after a good rest on the first night she wasn't able to make up many places before she decided to scratch due to ongoing Bronchitis that reared its head. But that wasn't the end for Zoé. When she decided to continue riding again she learnt she hadn't been scratched from TrackLeaders and her dot continued to move on TL. Having followed the route in its entirety, she awaits Giacomo's decision on whether her finish is legitimate.

First female to Torbole was Luisa Werner, however due to tracker failure her finish time is still to be confirmed. Using her Strava data we estimate her total time to be 5D 6H 28M. Here's a [link to her profile](https://www.strava.com/athletes/9767720#interval?interval=202217&interval_type=week&chart_type=miles&year_offset=0) for a browse and some brilliant photos. We've pinched a few below!

![279483463 321412293468210 5086094254193598310 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1qzl4YubJ79mDCqWADxdwI/1afc86b0d1ee6287c3d63b42fdf9967f/279483463_321412293468210_5086094254193598310_n.jpg)

Searching for food and accommodation on Bank Holidays is an ultra-cyclist's nightmare! On the second day of the race Luisa was lucky to find some floor space in a restaurant and shared a photo of the timeless classic of overloading a plug socket. Luisa will line up for Three Peaks Bike Race and Race Across France this year.

![Restaurant plug socket Italy Divide 22](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2S61oh6IQojNBNAwzRU9yQ/79de6bd5d42e42c2f18a70b4f6bf4585/279536858_516602666672863_2016444891383523111_n.jpg)

Third place female was Cristiana Tamburini in 6D 4H 11M.

Katie-Jane L'Herpiniere finished as fifth woman but lost a lot of time on day 5 due to what sounds like Shermer's Neck: a failing of the neck muscles that plagues ultra-racers towards the end of long distance races. It's often found in road races or after long stretches of road. It's the same condition that hampered James Hayden's TCR effort in 2015, more [here](https://jamesmarkhayden.eu/knowledge/shermers-neck-and-how-i-dealt-with-it).

The race's only singlespeeder Andrew Turner rolled in after 7D 6H 31M of riding. A fine effort indeed! With such a wide variety of terrain and gradients, we're stunned at Andrew's effort and doff our caps to you, sir! Here's Andrew at the finish with his bike, it's very similar set up to the one he rode on the Dales Divide in 2020.

![Andrew Turner Italy Divide singlespeed finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4WuRWLhoV9tOe5ZlA4DSRo/f72dc29e52e60a58c7ec3847e901d5a2/279440408_522721196172117_4237463549840130298_n.jpg)

Italy's original mixed-terrain race is back for another year's racing. A season opener for off-road European racers, it's always a great watch as many riders have kick-started a fruitful season from these hillsides.

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