"Become part of a legend and experience the race of all long-distance races", this is the lived credo of the Nove Colli in the Italian Romagna in the sign of the usual Italian hospitality. After the early successes in 2017 at the Tour of Cyprus and Sardinia, the entire Raublinger Team Corratec with Bury Bart, Hofmann Wolfgang, the Ötztal winner Hornetz Bernd, Markolf Michael (overall 21.05.2017rd place at the Tour of Sardinia), Oettl Stefan and Reisner Martin was at the 3th edition of the Nove Colli cycling marathon at the start. One of the top-class one-day classics in Europe for every ambitious racing cyclist.
On the day of the race, the alarm clock rang just before 4:00 a.m. and the countdown to the start ran: 4:00 a.m. breakfast, 4:45 a.m. departure with the team vehicles to the start, 6:00 a.m. start together with 15.000 passionate racing cyclists from all over the world countries around the globe. You have to have experienced the starting scenario and the ambience right up to the starting gun - and you will certainly never forget these last 30 minutes until the starting gun and the fireworks.
And this traditional route with its 9 "hills" over 205 km with 3890 m altitude difference is really tough: 89 km uphill, 77 km downhill and only 39 km flat. The technically very demanding route is characterized by many tricky passages, curves, hairpin bends, roundabouts and the many steep gradients of 16-18% on mostly very narrow and bumpy roads. The first challenge for the Corratec team was that on the 25 km flat approach in the field of the 1000 first privileged starters of the top starting group - the gruppo rosso - they could drive up to the front row of the field before they could take 1st place with the polenta. Colli could tackle. Not an easy “endeavour”, as you can well imagine. And if you didn't get this baked, you almost had to say goodbye to top positions in the top 50. The exciting "9 colli menu" with polenta, Pieve di Rischovio, Ciola, Barbotta, Monte Tiffi, Perticara, Pulginano, Monte delle Sieppi and Gorlo in the hinterland of Cesenatico in the hills of Romagna made it clear that the resources of racing cyclists are fully demanded here were. With the top times of just over 6 hours - which all team corratec drivers were able to manage - with an average performance of 300 - 340 watts a good 6.000 kcal were burned.
The fine Team Corratec results: 2 times 1st place (Ötztal Cycle Marathon winner 2016 Bernd Hornetz and Wolfgang Hofmann) and 1 time 2nd place (Stefan Oettl) in the categories. In addition, places 13, 15, 21, 27, 47 and 53 overall among 10180 finishers. It goes without saying that everyone in the Corratec team was and should be satisfied with their performance. And you have also been able to learn a lot for the next races and gained new racing toughness.