Red Bull X-Alps
Record Fast Start to Red Bull X-Alps 2023
Press Release / 12.06.2023
Half the field of athletes jockey for position at the front as they race at breakneck speed across Germany towards Switzerland on Day 2 of world’s toughest adventure race.
The Red Bull X-Alps has seen some fast starts and some lightning moves from athletes during its 20-year history. But nothing comes close to the relentless speed at the front of this year’s race – nor the number of athletes jockeying for position.
In a single day a gaggle of 15 athletes had cleared both Turnpoints 3 and 4, Chiemgau Achental, and Lermoos, in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena and even had the next Turnpoint in their sights.
Athletes always knew that today looked promising to make good distance in the air. But conditions exceeded expectations with thermal development starting much earlier than predicted, allowing athletes to make Chiemgau Achental in record time. The first athlete to land was Aaron Durogati (ITA2) around 10:00am and for the next ten minutes the athletes came thick and fast, spiraling down to the landing field as hundreds of spectators looked on.
“I’ve never seen a Red Bull X-Alps start like this,” says race co-founder Ulrich Grill. “It’s proving to be a super fast race and with good weather forecast it’s not impossible that the first athlete could reach the goal in Zell am See as early as this weekend. The question is, who will it be? Chrigel Maurer has had plenty of challengers in the past – but never before has he found himself surrounded by so many capable athletes. It's not a Chrigel one-horse race right now, it's a fifteen-horse race!”
The gaggle includes Maxime Pinot (FRA1), Patrick von Känel (SUI2), Tom de Dorlodot (BEL) Tobias Grossrubatscher (ITA1) and the Austrian athlete Simon Oberrauner (AUT1). The French athletes are also performing well, with rookies Tim Alongi (FRA4) and Tanguy Renaud-Goud (FRA5) in the lead group.
Day 1 belonged to the Hungarian athlete Pal Takats (HUN) who made a breakaway move after leaving the Hahnenkamm, successfully holding off the chaser group all the way to Turnpoint 2, Wagrain-Kleinarl. He was still flying ahead of the pack at 20:15 near Saalfelden before he was overtaken by Markus Anders (GER1). The German then pulled a Night Pass and hiked through the night in a bold gamble to be first into the Turnpoint – as he was in 2021. He hiked 38km and slept for just two hours. “I rested while hiking,” he said afterwards. Sadly, the gamble didn’t pay off but by late afternoon he’d caught up the rest of the leader group.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said former athlete and race commentator Gavin McClurg. “To have everyone stacked together like this in the middle of Day 2 is just unbelievable. I predict the athletes with a lot of racing background such as Maurer, Pinot, Takats, Durogati, Grossrubatscher and Renaud-Goud are really going to shine today and will keep the hammer down.”
Meanwhile it was a different story at the back of the field, 150km behind the leaders. Czech athlete Ondrej Prochazka now finds himself in last place after making a bad move on Day 1. He will need to make a comeback on Day 3 of the race if he is to avoid the mandatory elimination of the last placed athlete that happens on the morning of Day 4.
Follow all the action via Live Tracking on redbullxalps.com, which is also home to the latest updates and athlete stats. You can also find the most exciting content from the race on our social channels.
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