Finisher Party in Trieste!!!

Podium Finishers are In!!!

Day 3 and Adverse Weather!

Day 2 is Underway!

Riders Set Off From Ljubljana

Seven Serpents Race Overview

Nils Correvon

Jonas Fischer

Jan-Philipp Sacher

Romain Wartel

Till Schenk

Joris Pesch

Andrew Walker

Florian Kraschitzer

Sandra Schuberth

Christian Leischner

Martin Holnburger

Gabriel Waringer

Sebestyen Jozsa

Theo Klagsbrun

Stefan Heilig

Nikolas Möhrmann

Alessandro Grisotto

Sam Atterbury

Ernesto Valentini

Cédric Sion

Giuseppe Esposto

Filippo Nicoli

Omar Martinello

Ivan Poiana

Melvin de Groot

Guido Gazzaniga

Emil Johnsson

Tom Gehler

Robert Krügel

Sebastian Bauer

Jörg Wachowiak

Chris Herbert

Florian Gläßer

Ákos Szabó

Markus Scheidt

Antje Graebe

Robert Winter

Zoltan Petes

Matthias Habenstein

Michael Jacob

David Büttner

Franz Schäbler

Lorenza Walker

Vedran Vukic

Nicolas Miauton

Laetitia Roux

Ash Fontana

Timo Vievers

Tamás Agyánszki

Max Muller

Margarete Schumm

Constantin Baki

Mathis lauras

Santi Val

Ada Xinxo

Tim Comyn

Chris Menges

Lulu Keller

Johannes Pfahl

Sandra Gardill

Karsten Bay

Jens Frank

Svenja Nilsson

Marco Wenegger

Anna Niski

Adrian Niski

Manuel Draschl

Szabolcs Várnagy

Balázs Kékes

Jonas Sutter

Media 2

Media 1

Thomas Schlorke

__Party in Trieste!!!__
Today has been all about the fishers arriving in Trieste and continuing the prolonged pizza party that started last night! 

![Sandra and Bruno](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/616e7JeEkIecwBjeGjWc5c/d54322d922da2ff4229c4dd7dfec9bda/Screenshot_2022-05-18_at_17.27.05.png)

Sandra Schubert arrived earlier with a total time of 76 hours 10 mins. You smashed it Sandra! She celebrated her victory with a lift up from race director Bruno!

![Sandra](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4eOSAKInbFMxEQO28ZXAop/3378ec418529bc7e53ee772a3b14dcda/Screenshot_2022-05-18_at_17.26.54.png)

The pairs race winners were Catalan duo Ada and Santi who arrived an hour ahead of Sandra at the finish. 

An honourable mention goes out to 5th place finisher Till Schenk who suffered through some serious stomach problems and sickness to make it to the finish line! 

All photos: [Marco Samiolo](https://www.instagram.com/marco_samiolo/)


__The Top 3 Finishers are In!__

Nils made it in to Trieste earlier this evening with a total time of 59hrs 12mins. He had to seek some shelter from a storm close to the end of the ride which allowed those in second and third to get a little bit closer to him in the final stretch. Bruno told me that Nils was looking very fresh at the end of the ride!

Jonas Fischer rolled in just 50 minutes later in second position. He was followed by Jan-Phillipp just one hour later. Jan had suffered a lot on the final day. Huge congratulations to those first finishers for a very hard pushing ride. They are enjoying big pizzas and beers tonight in Trieste, well deserved!

![Waiting for Pizza!](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7pyjejQVquzNOkkxOHOKwQ/d86367c1245cf3b9cd9bbecd80678b58/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_21.14.57.png)

When we first discussed the ride with Bruno we estimated that Wednesday morning was most likely for the first finishers to arrive. Our estimates have been well and truly smashed by the strength of the riders in the field!

![Pizza for 3rd](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2B8ZCD0K2elCqKiBYqJvZ7/e677462a157e44f5b7c8bfd71f19e3c1/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_21.14.51.png)

__Puncture Drama!__

Elsewhere in the race Peppe Esposto has a near ride-ending tyre slash on the Vojak off-road climb. He went back down the climb walking and hitched a car ride back to the nearest town in search of a mechanic. Thankfully he got some help and rejoined the route soon after. You can read the story and see the evidence below:

![Peppe (Giuseppe) Esposto and his saviour!](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4D1En7cUGmI08bbd508Y8K/97e0ef7cd2b8dc157b3e8611345deffc/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_21.20.35.png)

![Tape solution?](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1mIp8dWYbfZdahyGDpzjXa/4878bc30a7c95e3cef82829ca8b025c9/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_21.20.43.png)

__In to Night 3__
As we head deeper in to the night we have riders 4th/5th/6th around 100km from the finish point. I think it's likely we see some early morning finishes from Till, Romain and Joris. Many other riders sit not far behind. An incredible achievement to get this far on what looks like a testing course!

__Storms Ahead!__
As the leading riders head towards Checkpoint 7 with Trieste in sights its worth noting that there are storms lurking around which have slowed progress over the last few hours. It looks like Nils has been seeking some shelter around CP7 while Jan-Phillipp and Jonas have narrowed the gap to the race leader.

Riders have posted more photos in the group chat of some tough hike a bike sections which look a lot more like MTB terrain. The following are from Karsten:
![hikey](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Sc1IlV4HRikteMI7TO8ur/66eb4fe8f5ad9f086b048bdca2194bee/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_17.03.43.png)
![trail](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7hkpL8MJH8gmivkwM1u8bw/8f4498e37b6f0fbe74225ba673cc625d/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_17.03.10.png)

I've also spotted some faster looking gravel too - although the rain could make these sections much tougher too!

![7S](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6IwcVOXGtcPcg2xGgzTnz2/fa04639f34258ae12e712a83302b6137/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_17.03.28.png)

I'll keep an eye out on progress over the next few hours - I think its still likely we will see the first finishers rolling in today!


We are officially into day 3 of Seven Serpents! Before we get caught up on the details please check out this photo of Nils catching some sleep on the ferry from yesterday morning. I believe it captures the spirit of the race quite perfectly!

![Nils on Ferry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/44Hr5FpW1ZkcUnHrPLZwMh/e5d25f40ae541a78650b0df8bb9cc592/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_09.49.18.png)

Nils has again smashed on through the night and is currently at 700km. Not long to go and I think we can expect an early afternoon finish. What a ride!
His stopped time currently shows 6hrs 28mins - perhaps he had a powernap during the night which should of set him up perfectly for the night section. He shared the below image of arriving at CP5 in the dark.

![Nils at CP5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2WNOFOTTHXSUBiaztLbldm/a7054c3b4623a5bf871872d9dce8a010/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_09.46.50.png)

Jan-Phillipp currently shows in 2nd position some 70km behind Nils. There could be an issue with Jonas' tracker as I don't currently see him on the map?! On the leaderboard they are both marked at the same position.

Many other riders are now back on the mainland, catching early ferries this morning. Catalan MTB pair Ada and Santi are back on dry land now. Sandra Schubert is at 514km and in 9th position overall. 

One rider just posted the following photo to the group which highlights how  rugged the hike-a-bike sections have been!
![Hike-a-bike](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Vrb3PcOeBl1xPdMLgDaFH/5083b51bcdddf89a5d7400ecf4c17c80/Screenshot_2022-05-17_at_10.03.58.png)

Day 3 is Live!

Heat and tiredness have played a big part in day 2 – particularly in the tough hike-a-bike section on the southern part of Krk. Race leader Nils covered the tough 1.5km section in just over half an hour early this morning. The second rider took almost double that time as the day heated up!

There have been some photos of that rough hike-a-bike section coming up from the riders through the day along with other rocky sections on Krk and Cres.

A photo appeared of Nils crashed out on the ferry this morning. Perhaps this was the sleep he was waiting for! As I type, at around 8pm local time Nils is back on the mainland after taking the second ferry of the day. He is currently at 556km with a staggering 2hrs 6mins stopped time. A short Insta post looks like he is ready for the section that lies ahead and I think we can safely assume that he will finish the race tomorrow.

It looks like Jan-Phillipp and Jonas have just make the last ferry over to the mainland at 8.30pm local time. A nice big road climb awaits them! 

The timetables for the ferries were a bit different than riders had expected! Nils sent over an updated timetable to the group earlier.

Sandra Schubert remains strongly in the top 10. 


Day 2 Recap

__We are well and truly in to day 2 of racing on the Seven Serpents! __

Nils looks to have made a morning ferry and survived the brutal section of hike a bike on the lower end of Krk. A quick look at his stats earlier showed he had only 45mins stopped time after 1 day and 1 hour of racing!!! He has made it to the ferry with a considerable gap over Jan-Phillipp and Jonas who both shared around 2 and a half hours stopped time when I last checked. They may have squeezed in a power nap overnight – not a bad option considering the tough climbing that lies ahead when they reach Cres!

Nils has 8 hours to cover the Cres section which is doable and would give him a considerable advantage further in to the race – if he can keep pushing with little rest and likely no sleep!

Sandra Schubert smashed the night section and currently sits in 8th position overall. 

![Sandra Schubert](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1l7qd7XwT744vMheBXYhZs/ba191f6f4c91f017dbd6d57382e9e931/DSC00438.JPG)

Ada and Santi are leading the pairs race and pushing hard.

Elsewhere, Lorenza Walker and Vedran Vukic (Cap 22, cap 06) have officially scratched. Below is a photo from the start:

![Lorenza Walker and Vedran Vukic ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3ryhxOe9fL5hrbYcSJWJDf/8152291266888d5bc23ee6241446ff6e/DSC09915.JPG)

I’ll be back for an update later in the day. Keep an eye out for riders struggling with that tough hike-a-bike section before the ferry ride and for how people manage the ferry timetables in to their plans!


![Jean-Phillipp at CP1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6GQUBeMgs2i9paea34Kpou/0a35323485c7dc23ea146ec4294d698f/DSC01345.JPG)![Jonas Fischer and Joris Pesch](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2aPsGHZzVc9rwGeiwWbCO5/4f2ea38064849c538125325c1f8b1a97/DSC01436.JPG)
As we head in to the night of Day 1 it’s time to have a quick recap of where the riders are at the head of the race and a few updates from the day.

By all accounts today has been very fast rolling. The race director, Bruno, was even shocked by the pace at the head of the race with current race leader Nils Correvon arriving much earlier than expected at CP1.

The front three riders are: 1 - Nils Correvon, 2 - Jan Phillip Sacher and 3 - Jonas Fischer. Those first three riders currently hold a 20-25km over Joris Pesch and Till Schenk (who sit in 4th and 5th positions). I’ve been told that all looked very fresh and energetic at CP1. You can check out the photos to see for yourselves!

As I write at 8pm UK time the front three have covered over 250km and have an average of around 20mins stopped time. Very good going considering the elevation and some rain in the afternoon. 

In the pairs race the Catalan MTB duo of Ada and Santi are pushing very hard and smashing the climbs. The current leading pair is Johannes Pfahl and Lulu Keller.

The current leading female rider is Sandra Schuberth who has covered 211km so far today.

Wowza, some big miles to get this first day of the race off to a great start. It will be interesting to get an insight in to the sleep strategies of the riders overnight. Surely that fast pace of the front three can’t hold forever! I’ll be back in the morning with another update!


Race Update Day 1

As the riders set off from Ljubljana this morning I thought it would be good to give a quick run-down of some names to look out for in the race.

There are a total of 44 individual riders and 18 riding in pairs seen on the tracker page.

We are likely to see some surprises from the riders along the way but I asked Bruno to give an insight on the starting list to give a brief intro to those racing. These were the individual riders he mentioned to me:

[Nils Correvon](https://instagram.com/nils.crrvn) from Switzerland (4th at Gran Guanche Road) 

[Lorenza Walker](https://instagram.com/lorenzadw) from Sweden (TCR 2019 finisher) 

[Sandra Schuberth](https://instagram.com/san.___.dra) from Germany 

[Till Shenk](https://instagram.com/tillschenklive) from Germany (triathlete, Ironman veteran and endurance athlete)

[Jonas Fischer](https://instagram.com/jo_fietser) from Germany 

Andy Walker from UK (Badlands finisher)

[Chris Herbert](https://instagram.com/_chris_herbert) from UK (TCR 2019 finisher)

[Giuseppe Esposto](https://instagram.com/peppeesposto) from Italy (North Cape 4000 finisher) 

Ivan Poiana from Italy (CX and MTB athlete)

Ada Xinxo and Santi Val from Catalunya (MTB racers, strong mixed pair)

Now the dots are off and on the move! Best of luck to all riders!![Seven Serpents Dotwatcher](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4NetGNXEvQs9irlR9jQcbm/756337d5961a5844037d40876bac2ff8/DSC09807.JPG)![Dotwatcher](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/bgxOhOHYwNy9QFYyzY7Wy/697e9d7cfc15ee5dc61c2737f5de92fb/DSC09870.JPG)


[Seven Serpents](https://www.instagram.com/sevenserpents.cc/) is an 800km unsupported bikepacking race taking place on gravel and secondary roads. The route includes a knee-shaking 15000m of elevation and will largely follow gravel and secondary roads. I’ve seen some promo shots from route scouting and the surroundings look like they will deliver some phenomenal gravel riding for the riders in this inaugural edition of the raceI

The snakey route slithers down from Ljubljana, Slovenia and heads in to Croatia, before taking in two island sections in Krk and Cres. Riders will have to be mindful of ferry timetables when planning their rides. Riders will pass 7 Checkpoints before arriving at the finish in Trieste, Italy. 

__A Bit More Detail__

Day one is likely to be fast rolling. We're expecting some rain after lunchtime but then sunny (hopefully). CP1 Sveta Trojica is a nice and steady climb. First riders are expected to arrive at km 200, close to Sneznik Castle around 7-8 p.m). After that, they will face a long climb to the Croatian border. 

CP2 Guslica (252km) will probably be ridden in the dark by those at the head of the race, some people will probably try for a non-sleep ride. They will Cross Fuzine area and then climb again before entering Krk island by the bridge.

One key moment will be south of Krk the hike a bike in Baška area. Strong riders will try to catch an early ferry to Cres (9:15, 10:45) 26h 45m of ride. This looks to be pretty much impossible; they will probably get the one at 13:30. This means riding 460km in 29h 30m and they will do most of the mountains in the dark.

Cres (492km) has an 82km/1700m section before the other ferry, to exit the island and return to Istrian mainland. The last ferry before the night is at 7pm (5h of riding for people who catch the 13:30 ferry) insane? Yes... this could prove to be a step too far for the riders but let’s see!

If riders choose to push hard at a crazy pace they will consequently tackle Istria, and Vojak peak with no energy. After the ferry it's only climbing to Vojak (576km). Central Istria is hilly with short but steep climbs. After Motovun village they tackle Parenzana cycle way to the coast and Novi Grad.

Easy rolling till the last climb, entering Slovenia and heading to Slavnik...just before a fast downhill to Trieste (818km)! My guess? Wednesday early morning, first finishers...

[Komoot Links
](https://www.komoot.com/collection/1334338/-seven-serpents-gravel)![Seven Serpents Gravel](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6793YWJtz8kKD6HeyGNsxy/4609ae38ae27e3bc06abb3dabe6d01fc/Screenshot_2022-05-14_at_21.50.51.png)

Hi, my name is [Marcus Nicolson](https://www.instagram.com/marcusnicolson/) and I’m going to be coming at you with updates from the inaugural Seven Serpents gravel race over the next week!

I’m currently recovering from riding the Italy Divide race with a fever a few weeks back (maybe not the smartest idea!). Since the race I've had a lot of sleep, copious amounts of pasta and an urgent trip to the dentist to fix a broken tooth! Hoping to be back to fitness ahead of the Highland Trail 550 at the end of May! 

Normally I’m based in Glasgow, Scotland but I’ve spent the last 3-months on a work exchange visit in Italy. During my stay I’ve done a fair bit of riding with Seven Serpents race organiser [Bruno Ferraro](https://www.instagram.com/bruno.gpx/). He’s given me the low-down on the format of the event which looks set to be a great new addition to the bikepacking calendar. 

I’ll follow-up with a race preview shortly. In the meantime make sure to follow the [Seven Serpents IG account](https://www.instagram.com/sevenserpents.cc/) for updates ahead of the start tomorrow! It looks like it will be a hot start for the riders!


Introduction

Seven Serpents 2022 Tracking and Commentary

A free-route race between seven checkpoints from Slovenia through Croatia and its islands into Trieste, Italy via gravel and secondary roads.

Seven Serpents 2022

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Seven Serpents 2022

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Distance — Elevation

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