CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC
Visnovský, Kelemen and Ulik Win A Tough Stage One
Press Release / 24.09.2017
The first stage of the CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC 2017, organized by the ACS MPG, was spectacular, intense and tough, with many challenges and overturns, especially on the last part of the race. And the finale was great! Starting from Sinaia, this race of 58 km, the longest in the competition, was conquered by Tomas Visnovský, an Elite cyclist from Slovakia, followed in short time by Arpad Kelemen from Romania and by Matej Ulik from Slovakia.
In spite of the difficulties faced on the route, designed right in the heart of the Southern Carpathians, to which was added the cold weather and the mist that seriously challenged the competitors, Slovakia XCM vice-champion Visnovský finished the 1st Stage in 3 hours and 45 minutes, passing the finish line with a wide smile. "It was a very hard race because the weather was not good. I felt great, I was in front of everyone at the start line and I had a very good start. Then, on the way I had problems… I realized I was lost. After my calculations I’ve waisted a lot of time, about 15 minutes trying to recover. I am really happy with this result! ", said Slovak Tomas Visnovský, immediately after finishing the first stage of 4 Day Epic.
During Stage 1 of the CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC 2017, the most difficult part of the route was near Babele where many cyclists chose to get off the saddle and push bike. The steep and technical potions have fully tested the participants’ skills, on climbs as-well as on descents. In the last few kilometers out of the total of 58, there was a struggle between Visnovský and Kelemen. The later demonstrated excellent qualities, achieved during the years of intensive downhill, but also good resistance due to the numerous marathons finished.
"Hard! Cloudy, cold ... the water was finished, until I stopped at the power points. Very hard! Just because of the conditions, because it was foggy and in some places visibility of only 10 meters”, Arpad Kelemen said after completing the race, with a time of 3 hours and 47 minutes. The two winners shook hands afterwards, smiling and complementing each other on their results. Waiting at the finish area, set at the Cheile Gradistei - Fundata Resort, Kelemen’s wife and child hurried to hug and congratulate him enjoying the success.
Matej Ulik, another Slovak vice-champion, who came four minutes away from his compatriot, also fought the mist that dominated the Carpathian Mountains, but he was delighted with the experience. "The race was beautiful, I liked it! The weather was bad and there were a few problems on the route due to lack of visibility.There were many stones everywhere ... but I liked the entire route!", said the 20-year-old cyclist, the youngest of the winners.
The Elite women enrolled in the race reached the finish line after almost 5 hours. The fastest was Janka Keseg Števková, Slovakia's champion at XCO-XCE and XCM, who has an enviable portfolio. Three times participating in the Olympics and Absa Cape Epic, the 41-year-old cyclist is in excellent shape and finished this first stage of the CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC 2017 in 4 hours and 50 minutes. An hour later 2nd and 3rd places on the podium arrived, Krystyna Konvisarova (5 h 05 min) and Hanna Verheles (5 h 12 min), both from Ukraine.
"The race was very beautiful; we fully enjoyed the incredible landscapes of the Bucegi National Park! The track was very technical, sandy and with stones, and it was kind of cold for me, but everyone faced the same conditions. The race was very well prepared and the route well marked, the organization is great and everything is perfect! I am very happy to have won! We will see what will be in the following days, I hope I can keep the advantage, but each race is different. We hope to have better weather, but it's mountain biking and the competition is a real adventure!", stated Janka Keseg Števková with a big smile.
Also suffering in the weather conditions was Vlad Dascalu, a multiple international and Romanian champion, decided to abandon this stage. He was the first cylist that started at the 4-day EPIC today, winning the qualifying race for this contest on Thursday, September 21st.
The level of competition is high on the first edition, supported by Banca Transilvania and Gatorade. In fact, it is the first race in the country that brings so many international and national champions to the start line. 70 cyclists from 10 countries are present at the first edition of the completion at the race village, set at Cheile Gradistei-Fundata. Among those are: Frédéric Gombert - France, Lutz Baumgärtel and Florian Schön - Germany, Łukasz Klimaszewski - Poland, Márton Blazsó and Veronika Cseh - Hungary, Aneliya Karagyozyan - Bulgaria and Maxim Ciumer - Republic of Moldova; from Romania: Lucian Logigan, Daniel Crista, Karina Bonta, Salome Bondor, Robert Dobai and Alexandru Stancu.
The riders' efforts were sustained during the race with the help of two power & hydration stops, one set at Babele, the highest point on the route, and the other at the Saua Strunga, provided by Kaufland Extreme Games. They were supplied with fruits, Gatorade sports drinks, water and many other products to restore their strength.
Every rider participating in the 4-day EPIC was monitorized by a tracker, so both organizers and guests knew where the athletes were, at any time. Besides, almost the entire Stage 1 could have been watched Live on Youtube and Facebook Riders Club. Moreover, every night during the 3-day competition, September 22-24, there are Live broadcasts summarizing the CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC, moderated by Alex Ciocan and Catalin Sprinceana. These can be watched on Pro X – Sport.ro, Telekom Sport and TVR HD, and the TV and Live broadcasts program can be found on the official page www.carpathianmtb.ro – click here.
A short ceremony after Stage 1 was organized and the winners received cash prizes ranging from 100 to 200 Euro. At the end of the 4-day contest and after riding 157 km, the fastest cyclist will get 2.050 Euro and products from the sponsors, whose total value reaches an estimated amount of 30,000 Euro at CARPATHIAN MTB EPIC.
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