MOUNTAIN BIKING – Mountain biker Tim Smeenge from Assen finished third in the Hero Dolomites, a race in the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Cup.
The Team Bergankunft rider completed an 86 kilometer course with 4,500 meters of elevation in Italy and finished third, his team reports.
The victory went to Spaniard David Valero Serrano, who finished first after 4 hours, 30 minutes and 11 seconds. The Italian Diego Rosa came second at just over forty seconds. Smeenge followed shortly behind and crossed the line in third, less than a minute behind the winner.
The Hero Dolomites is known as a tough marathon race in mountain biking. The route runs through the mountain region of Val Gardena and annually attracts the international top of marathon mountain biking.
Smeenge rode in the front group for a long time and was in the attack during the match, his team reports. On the course with steep climbs and technical descents, he was regularly able to hold his own with the best riders in the race.
In the final, the man from Assen tried to make a difference on the last climb towards an altitude of 2300 meters. There he launched an attack and briefly broke away from his competitors. That attempt ultimately did not result in a victory, but it did result in a podium finish.
Smeenge says afterwards that he is satisfied with his performance and states that he can compete with the world top in marathon mountain biking. With third place, Smeenge continues its series of strong results this season. He previously became Dutch champion and finished seventh at the world championship.
The Hero Dolomites is one of the longer and tougher races on the calendar, with many elevation meters and technical terrain.