Red Bull X-Alps
X-Alps Leaders Forge into Switzerland
Press Release / 13.06.2023
The field of Red Bull X-Alps athletes attempting to cross 1,223km route around the Alps now stretched between three countries.
The leading athletes of the world’s toughest adventure race are today hoping to reach the Swiss town of Fiesch, situated at the base of the mighty Aletsch glacier.
But there was something stopping their way – the notorious Oberalp pass, the famous crossroads of the Alps, the watershed for the Rhine and Rhone rivers. French athlete Max Pinot (FRA1) was first to try his luck around 13:30 but turned back in the face of strong headwinds funneling through the pass. Patrick von Känel (SUI2) was next to try to get over. Athletes were desperate to clear the famous landmark as the next stage to Fiesch is a relatively smooth run.
The day had begun with Chrigel Maurer (SUI1), Maxime Pinot (FRA1) and Aaron Durogati (ITA2) near the fifth Turnpoint of Piz Buin, having tagged it last night. Before dawn and in the dark, they hiked 800m to the top of the 2,700m Klosterpass before gliding to the village of Klosters. From there, another 800m hike awaited to the top of Gotschna ridge, which the athletes reached at 08:30am.
“Nearly 2000m, before 9am,” commented Italian athlete Aaron Durogati on the way up. During the ascent he explained his race strategy was to do as much of the race as possible without support – which meant carrying a rucksack at least 4kg heavier than the others. “It makes a big difference,” he said. At the top, the athletes took their time, waiting for the sun to hit the slopes and release the elevators of warm air they need to stay up.” Eventually they made their break.
This Red Bull X-Alps is not a race between three or four athletes like in previous years. This race is anybody’s – 35km separated the top 12 athletes while the lead swapped between Maurer, Pinot, Takats (HUN) and von Känel.
Comments Ulrich Grill, the race’s co-founder: “The race is super fast and the weather seems to provide good flying conditions. The further the top athletes go west the more likely cloud cover which may slow them down a bit. Expect the top gaggle to potentially reach Fiesch, Turnpoint 6 by late afternoon and with a very slim chance to get to Frutigen towards evening. It all depends on how the weather is going to be crossing the high Alpine range across the Aletsch glacier. This will be a critical point of the race. The ones, who get across in the air will leapfrog ahead.”
Today also saw a battle at the back to avoid mandatory elimination of the last placed athlete tomorrow morning. By mid-afternoon that was the Czech athlete Ondrej Prochazka, who was 13km behind Junming Song (CHN). It’s almost certain that both athletes will pull a Night Pass and hike through the night in a bid to avoid being in last place when the axe comes down.
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