RALLY DI SARDEGNA MTB, WHAT A SHOW: ILIAS WINS IN DESULO, ROSA HOLDS LEAD

The former Marathon world champion tops first stage, as the Italian saves his throne by 21 seconds. Kortekaas gaves encore after winning the prologue

Desulo (Italy), August 29th, 2024 - Former Marathon world champion Periklis Ilias (Tabrosracingteam) won the 10th Rally di Sardegna stage 1, 70.7 km with start and finish in Desulo (Nuoro), on Thursday, August 29th. Runner-up of the day, 1'51” behind, Italian Diego Rosa held the leader's jersey, thanks to the consistent advantage achieved in the prologue. Tessa Kortekaas gave encore among Women, strengthening her lead.

Besides the 2.500 elevation gain, the stage 1 between Desulo and Tonara was made harder by the heat. Ilias was in the leading group since the early race, before speeding his pace and making the difference in the last kilometers. "I am very happy to have finished first in the first stage of the Rally di Sardegna MTB. I felt in great shape during the race. During the first hour, I was already in the leading group, at the front, with the other guys. I tried to pull away from Hans Becking; we were working together until the last ten kilometers, when I kept my high pace until the end” Ilias explained. The advantage Rosa had achieved in the prologue has been significantly reduced: "Yesterday I did the maximum I could do, but at this level if you are not at 100 per centi you can easily lose a couple of minutes” Periklis added.

Rosa was outdistanced by Ilias in the more technical section, but he managed to hold the race lead. "It was a challenging stage. We knew we would have tackle a lot many climbs and a more technical section midway. In the single track there was the selection. We started off very fast, with several riders trying to attack. I was controlling the situation, but the leading group was still quite large. We reached the technical section, where it was necessary to proceed on foot. Ilias achieve almost a one-minute advantage,also because I wasn't confident enough in single tracks, coming from road cycling, so I continued without taking risks. It turned then into a long chase; I had Ilias and Becking ahead of me, and gradually I limited the gap” the Italian commented.

Tessa Kortekaas and Claudia Peretti were the Women's leading duo for more than half race, before the Dutch rider outdistanced her rival by over four minutes. Karla Loffelmann finished third. “"It was a very, very hard race. The climbs were so tough with a remarkable elevation gain and super steep ramps, but I felt good and I was able to keep a hard pace. On the longer climbs, on the way up to mountains, the views were incredibile. Halfway I was together with Claudia, then I continued strong and I was leading from there. I'm super happy to take the win and to have a bigger gap for tomorrow's stage” Kortekaas commented. 

Claudia Peretti defined it a "wild stage", between wide and fast roads and technical and spectacular single tracks, surrounded by uncontaminated nature. "It was a really tough stage. I didn't expect such a hot day. I skipped a refueling in the last 30 kilometers and this affected my performance. After the long climb, I rode a technical section alongside with Tessa, then at the first steep section she gained a few meter advantage that grew up downhill. Then I was so thirsty and my only goal was to get to the finish line" Peretti said.

Tomorrow the second stage will 66.9 km with a 2,300-meter elevation gain, starting and finishing at the Seulo sports center, passing through the ancient forests of Sadali and Seui.

OFFICIAL CLASSIFICATIONS

Race results Men Stage 1
1) Periklis Ilias (Tabrosracingteam) in 3:07:01
2) Diego Rosa (Torpado Kenda Factory) +1:51
3) Hans Becking (Buff Megamo) +2:34
4) Davide Foccoli (Olympia Factory Team) a +4:13
5) Peter Menghetti (Dmt Racing Team by Marconi) +4:54

Overall classification Men after Stage 1
1) Diego Rosa (Torpado Kenda Factory) in 3:39:13
2) Periklis Ilias (Tabrosracingteam) +0:21
3) Hans Becking (Buff Megamo) +1:59
4) Davide Foccoli (Olympia Factory Team) +4'13
5) Peter Menghetti (Dmt Racing Team by Marconi) a + 4:51

Race results Women Stage 1
1) Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB Sport) in 3:48:47
2) Claudia Peretti (Olympia Factory Team) + 4:07
4) 3) Karla Loffelmann (Ceska Sporiteln - Accolade) + 15:23
4) Monica Calderon (Cannondale ISB Sport) + 20:09
5) Maria Cristina Nisi (Boscaro Racing Team) + 24:24

Overall classification Women after Stage 1
1) Tessa Kortekaas (Cannondale ISB Sport) in 4:26:32
2) Claudia Peretti (Olympia Factory Team) +5:20
3) Karla Loffelmann (Ceska Sporiteln - Accolade) + 18:18
4) Monica Calderon (Cannondale ISB Sport) + 21:53
5) Maria Cristina Nisi (Boscaro Racing Team) +28:28

The Rally di Sardegna MTB is promoted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia – Department of Tourism, Handicrafts and Commerce, and is organized by Wild Track, under the aegis of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI), with the support and sponsorship of the municipalities of Aritzo, Desulo and Seulo. The collaboration of the municipalities Tonara, Sadali, Seui and Gadoni, as well as the Forestas agency with its management and its territorial offices (Cagliari, Nuoro e Lanusei) played also a key role. The event is also supported by companies such as Scott, Enervit, Playcar and USE, with media partnership by Corriere dello Sport.