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Eydallin and Lenzi sign the Adamello Ski Raid, in the women's field 'hat-trick' of Mirò and Roux
The fifth edition of the Adamello Ski Raid spoke Italian, at least as far as the men's competition was concerned. One of the most evocative ski mountaineering races in the world, tackled this year by seven hundred athletes from 13 nations, saw Matteo Eydallin and Damiano Lenzi from Piedmont, as well as Michele Boscacci from Sondrio and Robert Antonioli from Furv, climb the two most valuable steps of the podium, a poker that is also a poker of the Italian Army Sports Centre. The third place in the competition organised by the Adamello Ski Team with even triple validity (World Cup, La Grande Course and Dolomites Cup) was instead the prerogative of the Swiss Martin Anthamatten and the German, class of 1993, Anton Palzer. For the rainbow champions Eydallin and Lenzi it was a success that interrupted their fast in Ponte di Legno and guaranteed the two successes in the second appointment of the La Grande Course after the one at Pierra Menta, while in the World Cup Lenzi moved decisively closer to the leader Antonioli, also thanks to the bonuses. In the women's field, on the other hand, the Iberian-French pair of Mireia Mirò and Laetitia Roux scored for the third time, reaffirming their supremacy in this very long but also fascinating race. Second was France's Axelle Mollaret in tandem with Emelie Forsberg, who preceded Cuneo's Katia Tomatis and Elena Nicolini, the only medal winner from Trentino.
The race, which started at 5.30 a.m. under the Passo del Tonale for the men and shortly after six o'clock from Passo Paradiso for the women, offered the athletes an unforgettable scenario, not only for the views and the clear skies that framed them, but also for the warmth transmitted by the public, estimated at 3,500. We cannot speak of a record, since the route followed by the athletes was once again different from previous ones, but there is no doubt that both the time of 4 hours 41'36" set by the winners at the end of 43 km with an altitude difference of 4.000 metres, as well as the time of 4 hours 40'49" credited to the winners, are of great importance and tell of a technical level that continues to grow.
At the first relief at Passo Presena Antonioli and Boscacci caught up with Reichegger and Lanfranchi, who had started very fast, while Lenzi and Eydallin remained behind. At Rifugio Mandrone, the pairs of Antonioli - Boscacci, Reichegger - Lanfranchi, Gachet - Bon Mardion, Eydallin - Lenzi, Anthamatten - Palzer passed within a few seconds of each other. In the women's field, Mollaret - Forsberg are in front, a few seconds ahead of Miró - Roux. The sky begins to light up, when at Passo Tre Denti, at 7.20 a.m., very little changes, it is still too early to see how the bigs will order themselves. At Passo Lobbia, at eight o'clock on the dot, Antonioli and Boscacci boast ten seconds on Eydallin and Lenzi and two minutes on three other pairs. Mirò - Roux, on the other hand, have already put four minutes on Mollaret and Forsberg. At Cresta Croce, the queen's pairs pull away decisively from the others, and it becomes clear that the contest for the final success is confined to Antonioli - Boscacci and Eydallin - Lenzi, as they now have eight minutes on Anthamatten - Palzer, Gachet - Bon Mardion and Reichegger - Lanfranchi. Mirò - Roux were six minutes ahead of Mollaret - Forsberg. On the summit of the Adamello, the two men's pairs are always very close, this time those gaining ground are Anthamatten and Palzer, who have now mortgaged third place. It is the climb towards the Passo degli Italiani that finally settles the question at the top: Eydallin and Lenzi pass 4 minutes before Antonioli and Boscacci and 12 before Anthamatten and Palzer. The games seem to be done, the descent to Passo Venezia and then to Lago Pisgana cannot change this situation.
Eydallin and Lenzi arrive at the sports palace of Ponte di Legno with 5 minutes and 33" ahead of Michele Boscacci and Robert Antonioli, 7 minutes and 31" ahead of Martin Anthamatten and Anton Palzer, 14 minutes and 44" ahead of Xavier Gachet and William Bon Mardion. Veterans Manfred Reichegger and Pietro Lanfranchi had to be content with fifth place at 16'13", ahead of the unprecedented star pair of Kilian Burgada and Lorenzo Holzknecht, sixth at over five minutes, and underwhelming compared to eve's predictions.
Positive eighth place for the two under-23s from Valle d'Aosta Francois Cazzanelli and Nadir Maguet. Thomas Trettel, paired with Ivo Zulian, finished in eleventh place, by virtue of which he had to take off the red bib as leader of the Coppa delle Dolomiti, whose 23rd edition was won by Manfred Reichegger. In the women's field Elena Nicolini won, thanks to her extraordinary score in this race, at the expense of Birgit Stuffer (not competing on the Adamello).
So the fifth edition of the Adamello Ski Raid, whose lights will be back on in two years' time, goes into the archives with a smile. In the meantime, this week it will be possible to relive the highlights on television: tomorrow (Monday 13 April) at 6pm a one-hour special will be broadcast on Rai Sport 1, and on the same evening 30-minute summaries on Italia 53 (8pm), Sportelevision (8pm), Più Valli Tv (9pm), Odeon Tv (10pm), and also in the following days on over 100 local and regional TV channels throughout Italy.