Everyone expected him to be one of the new riders able to give a surprise: Marco Milivinti did not miss his chance! At Sestri Levante the rider of the Torpado Factory Team wrote his name on the first round of the Superenduro Powered By SRAM 2014.

pit_6828

For this rider from Valtellina, the race has kept getting better and better up until the victory of the Red Bull Special Stage, the PS 5. The trails of Liguria have been the severe judges at the first round of an exciting season, where Italian riders with big names have to fight head to head with young riders able to get to the top positions.

In second place we find Alex Lupato (Lapierre – FRM Factory Racing Team), in excellent condition, followed by Manuel Ducci (Ibis – Life Cycle), who found his mojo only at the end of the race, but who is pretty pleased with his result. Right at the Red Bull Special Stage, this rider from Sanremo overcame Vittorio Gambirasio (Trek – Officine Red Bike), who finished in fourth position, in front of Nicola Casadei, who got a solid fifth place beside the time lost during the Saturday race. In the top ten we also find Davide Sottocornola (SantaCruz – Cicobikes Dsb Ion Nonsolofango), Tobias Reiser (Focus Trail Team) from Germany, Andrea Gamenara (Ancillotti Doganaccia), Bruno Zanchi (Santacruz – Team Airoh Axo) and Kristijan Medvescek (Blackhorn GT UCI Mtb Team) from Slovenia.

st3_8049 (1)

An unlucky defeat has been that of Denny Lupato (Lapierre – FRM Factory Racing Team), who stood up on the ‘virtual podium’ for most of the race, until a flat dragged him out of the podium positions. The young brother of Alex confirms his fantastic condition and we are sure he will play a leading role during this season.
A series of events took place also in the race of the ladies, especially during the last Special Stage. The final winner is Louise Pauline (Cannondale – Oddonebici), but Valentina Macheda (Ibis – Life Cycle) kept improving her performance, ending up in second place, likely slowed down by a jam of riders. The third place goes to Alia Marcellini (Lee Cougan Dirty Factory Team) in front of Laura Rossin (Devinci – DreamTeam Genova) followed by Lorraine Truong (Norco – Lysin Oxigea).

Full results

pit_5016

The Superenduro Series kicked off at its best and the new changes already showed great results. The Service Park has possibly represented one of the most interesting and exciting moments of the whole weekend highlighting the hard work of the mechanics and testing the technical skills of the riders. Finally, the pressure built up at the end of the race could be released by dropping the bikes into the Closed Park.

pit_6036 (4)

At the arrival line the riders could chat a little bit: Marco Milivinti – “I am so happy, I didn’t think I would be able to win the last Special Stage, as it is just not right for my riding style. But being at the same level of the big names of the enduro scene at my first PRO race feels so good. I will train my hardest for the next events, as I did for the race here in Sestri”.
Alex Lupato – “Marco has been very fast today. I rode well in the last Special Stage, but far from perfect. Good job Marco, he rode a brilliant race”.

pit_6610

Manuel Ducci – “I paid for the period off I got and even if I trained a lot, I have been missing the racing tempo. In fact I found my flow only during the last Special Stage, and that has been the result. We all knew that Milivinti was more than a surprise because he has always been great on the bike”.
Louise Pauline: “I have been far from the racing scene for a while, after giving birth to my two daughters. The race has been cool: yesterday I fought in the pedaling sections and today I attacked downhill, but it has been pretty hard at that race pace. The overall level of the ladies has grown a lot, and I loved the fact that the ladies left the start line first ”.

pit_68231

After this first round of the PRO series, Superenduro Powered By SRAM keeps running for a double dose with two weekends in May, the Experience at Priero followed by the second PRO round at Punta Ala.

pit_5587

For more information, visit www.superenduromtb.com

Words & Pictures: PR Superenduro


Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.