Exciting start at the TOUR Transalp 2023 

After the mountain fires illuminated the evening sky the night before, the start of the TOUR Transalp 2023 took place at exactly twelve o'clock today. Nearly 600 participants embarked on the first and only stage in Austria, from Lienz to Silian in East Tyrol. 

Lienz, June 18, 2023: The planned later start, due to the Herz-Jesu processions in Tyrol, resulted in well-rested and well-fueled participants for the first stage of the TOUR Transalp. A total of 115 kilometers and 1,900 meters of elevation awaited the cyclists, providing a good introduction to the following six stages. 

The sunny city of Lienz lived up to its name once again. Under perfect weather conditions, the race kicked off at the town square. Well-known faces such as Alban Lakata, multiple MTB marathon champion, and Olympic snowboarding champion Benjamin Karl are participating in this year's Transalp. 

From the town square in Lienz, the race started neutralized and headed towards Defereggental. After two kilometers, the race was officially opened by the race organizers, and the pace increased. Benjamin Karl, Alban Lakata, and some local riders pulled ahead and established a lead. Defereggental offered beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. The first ascent was particularly gentle to the legs and brought smiles to everyone's faces. East Tyrol offers a total of 266 peaks above three thousand meters and has made a name for itself as a varied cycling region. 

However, the motivated riders did not have much time for panoramic breaks. The ascent towards Staller Sattel saw a change in the leading pack. From this point on, Stefan Kirchmair, Christian Oberngruber, and Pammer Rene took the lead. The highest point of the first stage was Staller Sattel at an altitude of 2,052 meters, also marking the border to Italy. 

The demanding and curvy descent past Lake Antholz required full concentration. After reaching the Antholz Biathlon Stadium the roads widened again, and the pace picked up significantly. The route continued straight into the Puster Valley, reaching Olang at the foot of Kronplatz. A final small hill motivated the riders for a sprint finish. 

Catherine Rossmann, who claimed the overall victory in the women's category last year, said before the race, "I would naturally be delighted to repeat last year's success, but for me, the focus is on the beautiful route and having fun." In today's first stage, she secured the victory with a time of 3:24:24.7, laying a solid foundation for a repeat performance. Sylvia Hermans took second place, followed by Amit Moran in third. 

In the men's category, Stefan Kirchmair maintained the lead until the end, crossing the finish line first in the Single Men classification with a time of 3:05:15.2. Belgian rider Alesio Ruffo secured second place, and Oliver Vakilzadeh took third place. 

Christian Oberngruber and Rene Pammer from the "next125 Hackl Lebensräume" team remained at the front alongside Stefan Kirchmair, thus securing the first place in the Men's Team classification. Simon Schupfer and Daniel Webhofer from the "Osttirol dein Berg" team claimed second place. Raphael Tiziani and Alberto Gavazzi from the "Garda Scott Matergia" team took third place in the first stage. 

Janine Meyer and Julia Schallau from the "LeXXiSmartSuits" team finished first in the Women's Team classification in the first stage. Meike Maurer and Daniela Tinger from the "tritime women" team secured second place, followed by Nicola Hörndl and Britta Erdmann from the "Plasmatreat" team in third place. 

In the Mixed classification, Jael Heinrich and Jonas Kahler from the "Strassacker" team claimed first place. Despite Jael Heinrich's fall last year, the duo still managed to secure fourth place overall. Andrew Sellars and Kelly Jablonski from the "Canadian Fireworks" team took second place in the first stage. Daniela Kratzer and Sebastian Kratzer from the "next level racing" team grabbed the last podium spot with third place. 

In the "Nation Hero" classification powered by Specialized, Italy was drawn as the competing nation today. Thus, the Italian participants not only for the first stage victories but also aimed to secure the top spot in the national ranking. Thomas Gschnitzer and Michael Oberrauch claimed victory in this category. Tomorrow, Switzerland will be the competing nation for the Nation Hero title. 

Thanks to all the highly motivated volunteers, the first day went smoothly, and there were no notable incidents. The planned road closures were implemented as scheduled. 

For more information and all results, please visit: https://tour-transalp.de/en/live/etappen/stage-1/