MTB-live.com Your mountainbike website. you will never bike alone

On May 2nd 2009 the Bike Festival marathon race near the Garda Lake was ridden. The 105,3 km long ride was an exhausting battle between various top marathon mountainbike racers.

The 2.200 competitors already hit a 18 km long climb after just a couple of kilometres. Team Bulls's team-mates Tim Böhme and Thomas Dietsch set the pace and become part of a large leading group.

Winners of the 2009 Absa Cape Epic, Stefan Sahm and Karl Platt (also Team Bulls) are having trouble on that first climb and need to let other racers go on...

After 38 km, at the first feeding zone, there was a leading group of only six racers left with still Böhme and Dietsch in it.

"The pace was so high, nobody could or even wanted to attack. I think everyone was already happy to be in the group", describes Böhme after the race.

During the last difficult climb, Thomas Dietsch decides to attack again and causes the leading group to scatter. Only Tim Böhme, Hannes Genze (Multivan-Merida) and Thomas Zahnd (Stöckli Craft) are able to follow the wheel of the French racer.

"I felt good and wanted to make the difference. But after a few kilometres, I got cramps and needed to relax the muscles. Due to this situation, I knew my chances of winning the race were gone as well...", says Thomas Dietsch.

Still climbing, Böhme and Genze take over the leading position of Dietsch, but before the end of the climb Tim Böhme has to let Genze go. Despite having Hannes Genze in sight the whole time, the Bulls racer can't close the gap and finishes 29 seconds later than the winning Genze.

"I had a weak moment and Hannes used that moment to strike. After racing for over four hours, a time difference of only half a minute is frustrating. But a second place in such a huge marathon race is an excellent result for me.", concludes Böhme.

Source: Press release by Team Bulls and www.bike-festival.de
More information: www.bike-festival.de