Novotny and Hynek check back in at the top

Another day, another host of epic tales from the Claro Brasil Ride mountain bike stage race.

Wednesday's setting was the second straight Rio de Contas circuit race, this time with 95km and 1,750m of climbing. The key features were a trifecta of bruising climbs: a reasonably gentle 25km grind at the start; a mid-race hike-a-bike from hell that lasted in excess of 30 minutes for most riders; and a precipitous nine-kilometre paved climb at the end that had multiple ramps in excess of 13 percent.

The highlights were several sections of giggle-inducing singletrack, more epic scenery, and enough cloud cover to keep the heat at bay.

The day's winners all started the stage in their respective leaders jerseys, resulting a further consolidation of the overall standings.

The Czech duo of Robert Novotny and Kristian Hynek waged the same battle they've been in all week: watch Christof Bischof and Martin Gujan (Swiss Machine) ride away on the technical downhill sections, then reel them back in when the course mellowed. This time it was the long, straight stretch of dirt road at the 70km mark that served as the reconnection point.

The end game came 15km later at the aforementioned punishing paved climb.

"Our goal from the beginning was to not lose too much time in the technical, but also not take a lot of risks," explained Hynek (Free Cycling/Factor Bike). "Our plan worked and when Robert attacked on the last climb, Bischof could not follow."

The winning margin was 4:40 on a day that lasted just over four hours and 40 minutes. The duo teams are 17:46 on the overall with two stages remaining.

Andy Eyring and Lukas Kaufmann (Team European Youngsters) held on for third in the stage despite two early punctures for Kaufmann. It's been that kind of week for the pair, who've had seemingly every mechanical known to bike racing.

Fortunately for them, they have faced an unglued bottom bracket shell, something American Jeff Kerkove did face Wednesday.

"It was about 10k [in] and the thing just came apart," said Kerkove, who along with mixed team partner Sonya Looney, ended up fourth on the stage. "It was bad. The chain wouldn't stay straight, it was skipping in basically every gear. It felt like riding without a rear skewer, the back end was moving around so much. So I had to ride super conservative."

The mishap resulted in a major tightening in the battle for third place. Kerkove and Looney now lead Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren (Sole-Ellsworth) but by less than four minutes.

The good news is that Kerkove found a loaner bike for Thursday courtesy of the Brazilian Topeak distributor, which also imports Scott bikes.

At the front of the mixed race, Brian and Jenny Smith made it four-from-four despite husband and wife spending unscheduled time in the dirt. Brian took a trip over his bars early in the stage while Jenny washed out her front wheel and hit her neck on a tree stump.

"My crash wasn't a big deal," explained Brian. "But like 20 minutes later I'm riding and all the sudden I hear Jenny screaming. For a second I really thought our race was over. But she wasn't hurt and pulled it back together."

The end result was a 14-plus minute win ahead of Switzerland's Renata Bucher and Damian Perrin (Team Zaboo Free-Mountain). The Smiths own a 37-minute general classification lead.

It was also more of the same in the women's category, with Ivonne Kraft and Celina Carpinteiro also taking their fourth straight stage win, and expanding their lead over the Brazilian duo of Janildes Fernandes Silva and Julyana Rodrigues (Jaju) to over an hour.

Italian Lorenza Menapace and Portugal's Sandra Araujo are third overall at 1:10:52, but took second on the stage.

"Sandra is getting a little tired because this is a first for her, but after getting dropped by the Brazilians early we catch and drop them on the singletrack," said Menapace, who owns dozens of 24-hour solo and XC marathon race wins.

Racing in Brazil continues Thursday with a trip back to event start city Mucuge. But unlike the brutal trip to Rio Contas, the 135km return has only 1,716m of climbing. Still, the race cut-off is nine hours, and number that could be tough for some of walking wounded further back in the field.

All told, 81 teams of two are still alive in this inaugural event in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Of those 81, 30 have logged in excess of 24 hours in the saddle in the last four days.

Results

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Men duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Robert Novotny & Kristian Hynek (Cze) Free Cycling/Factor Bike4:47:20
2Martin Gujan & Bischof Christof (Swi) Swiss Machine0:04:40
3Andy Eyring & Lukas Kaufmann (Ger) European Youngsters Trek-Brentjens0:07:03
4Joao Marinho & Valerio Ferreira (Por) Rocky Mountain Portugal0:21:08
5Horak Martins & Spolc Milan (Cze) Ked Eleven0:22:35
6Raphael Mesquita Mendes & Cícero Silva (Bra) Moda Cup0:22:40
7Alexandre Sousa & Mauricio Pereira (Bra) Terra Chapada Diamante0:34:02
8Ricardo Pscheidt & Gilberto Gois (Bra) James Crank Brother0:40:28
9Marcelo Sampaio & Ulisses Valarelli (Bra) Dental Power0:58:57
10Heliesse Santos & Edimilson Santos (Bra) Terra Chapada Ouro1:21:02
11Rodrigo Gouvea & Denis Yoshio (Bra) Adriana Nascimento II1:21:56
12Helder Carvalho & Pedro Araujo (Por) Rocky Mountain Onbike Portugal1:33:56
13Bruno Lopes & Leonardo Parada (Bra) Tche Poronpa1:36:09
14Richard Silva & Felipe Moraes (Bra) Harpia Adventure Race1:41:03
15Francisco Junior & Luis Carvalho (Bra) Bruttus1:51:42
16Paulo Dias & Tiago Rossi (Bra) Ciclovece Reynold's2:07:26
17Alfredo Montenegro & Carlos Lopes (Bra) Savana Bike Shop2:07:51
18Jose Festugatto & Fábio Festugatto (Bra) Twin Brothers2:11:04
19Reginaldo Mariano & Joao Pereira (Bra) Tropical Auto Posto2:12:42
20Juliano Nunes & Andre Lima (Bra) Tche Bike-RS/Coroas Do Cerrado2:15:36
21Fábio Lôbo & Sergio Lemos (Bra) Casa Do Ciclista2:18:21
22Luzo Passos & Marcos Abitante (Bra) Os Mantiqueira II2:23:38
23Antonio Filho & Sergio Dourado (Bra) Terra Chapada Cristal2:23:58
24Gustavo Astolphi & Giulliano Mendes (Bra) Pedal Urbano2:29:13
25Alexandre Hadade & Carlos Fonseca (Bra) Selva2:29:40
26Rafael Alves & Filipe Xavier (Bra) Brazil Re-Cycling2:29:46
27Rogerio Moda & Fabio Ferreira (Bra) Beep Beep2:30:55
28Fernando Fernandes & Edson Oliveira (Bra) Herbie 532:44:32
29Guilherme Quissini & Rafael Capoani (Bra) Zero Grau2:48:58
30Wallace Brito & Geraldo Moraes (Bra) Devassa2:49:02
31Plínio Junior & Tadeu Malavazzi (Bra) Clube Do Pedal Team3:08:39
32Humberto Luis & Tiago Branco (Por) Ami Portugal3:13:07
33Nuno Duarte & Joao Elvas (Por) Team Acreditar PortugalRow 32 - Cell 2
34Alex Constâncio & Marcello Cenci (Bra) Webike/Magura3:30:17
35Ricardo Pupo & Santo Feltrin (Bra) Adriana Nascimento/Specialized3:43:15
36Fouad Artigas & Carlos Carvalho (Bra) Riobici3:48:51
37Antonio Calmon & Diogo Rehder (Bra) Espinhaeo Selva3:55:28
38Denio Franco & Felipe Comini (Bra) Libertas Todos Os Santos3:58:56
39Rodolfo Carvalho & Tiago Abati (Bra) Tia Do Batman4:05:32
40Francisco Filho & Plauto Angelo (Bra) Endurance Ii4:08:27
41Raphael Chaves & Jânio Oliveira (Bra) Cla Selvagem4:08:28
42Rodrigo Mariotoni & Adriano Seabra (Bra) Xterra Pro Runner4:11:17
43Roberto Souto & Carlos Esteves (Bra) IBS4:16:09
44Osvaldo Martins & Marcelo Chinaglia (Bra) Letti/Cccp4:38:12
45Sergio Marques & Sidnei Marques (Bra) Marques Brother4:40:03
46Rodrigo Suriani & Alexandre Perez (Bra) Gillette/Duracell4:47:47
DNFRyan Draper & Michael Buxton (Can) 29er CanadaRow 46 - Cell 2
DNFAlexandre Lima & Emmanuel Stroessner (Bra) Ale Lima Personal TrainerRow 47 - Cell 2
DNFRomeu Franciosi & Anderson Oliveira (Bra) Dague PaiaRow 48 - Cell 2
DNFAlessandro Romano & Amauri Costa (Bra) Harpia IanaRow 49 - Cell 2
DNFRicardo Roldao & Guilherme Rodrigues (Bra) RoldaoRow 50 - Cell 2
DNFCarlos Antunes & Giancarlo Clini (Bra) Scott/TapRow 51 - Cell 2
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Women dup
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Ivonne Kraft & Celina Carpinteiro (Por) Bionicon Loule5:57:32
2Sandra Araujo & Lorenza Menapace (Ita) Round The Clock0:17:09
3Janildes Fernandes Silva & Julyana Rodrigues (Bra) Jaju0:23:57
4Erika Gramiscelli & Raquel Queiroz (Bra) Circuit KHS Pro Ladies1:38:58
5Andrea Estevam & Silvia Guimaraes (Bra) Atenah/Go Outside2:04:15
6Luciana Cox & Adriana Boccia (Bra) Flower People Rocky Mountain2:58:24
DNFCarla Plens & Carolina Hess (Bra) Adriana Nascimento/LimiarRow 6 - Cell 2
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Mixed duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jennifer Hopkinson-Smith & Brian Smith (USA) To Be Decided5:33:59
2Renata Bucher & Damian Perrin (Swi) Team Zaboo Free - Mountain0:14:24
3Paul Romero & Karen Lundgren (USA) Sole Ellsworth0:25:15
4Jeff Kerkove & Sonya Looney (USA) Topeak-Ergon0:52:39
5Adriana Nascimento & Rogerio Pires (Bra) Brasil Soul1:00:53
6Alexandre Teles & Mariza Souza (Bra) Trotamundo1:29:02
7Sabrina Gobbo & Joao Junior (Bra) Webike1:33:11
8Orlando Alves & Roberta Santiago (Bra) Ciclo Ravena - Marin1:39:04
9Joana Nobrega & Felipe Rodrigues (Bra) Endurance2:14:19
10Reginaldo Oliveira & Katia Gomes (Bra) Jundiaí Pró Team3:08:55
DNFFlavia Dall Acqua & Mateus Gil (Bra) Bike Na Midia TeamRow 10 - Cell 2
DNFRaquel Gontijo & Antonio Barbanti (Bra) Espn-BHRow 11 - Cell 2
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Masters duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Abraao Azevedo & Plínio Souza (Bra) AZ Masters5:45:30
2Gonzalo Ceballos & Pedro Prats (Spa) Titan Desert0:12:21
3Cesar Almeida & Paulo Freitas (Bra) Leite Piracanjuba-Tigre Rolamentos0:25:23
4Rudney Villanova & Alberto Geronimi (Fra) Tecnoval0:28:53
5Rodrigo Silva & Enrico Favilla (Bra) Caliandra Oz0:38:09
6Eduardo Soares & Jayme Filho (Bra) Os Mantiqueira I1:00:29
7Marcos Soares & Francis Hudson (Bra) Movimec - Soca Bota1:20:11
8Sandro Bernardoni & Gerson Doll (Bra) D&B Ride1:33:55
9Santiago Gonzales & Juan Lopez (Col) Trope Shago1:47:42
10Pedro Neto & Luiz Filho (Bra) Adriana Nascimento I2:00:08
11Sergio Silva & Dorivaldo Abreu (Bra) Aky Veiculos Vitoria Da Conquista-Ba2:04:18
12Luis Pato & Carlos Reino (Bra) Pcdf/Zero Meia Um2:15:39
13Sergio Sá (Zolino) & Pedro Morganti (Bra) Adventure Camp2:34:40
14Oton Souto & Neuseli Sampaio (Bra) Papaleguas Do Cerrado2:49:54
15Robert Schneider & Claudio Van Damme (Bra) Coroas Do Cerrado3:23:51
16Rodrigo Andrade & Jose Ambrosio (Bra) Juncambrosio3:31:32
17Antonio Rodrigues & Marcos Dias (Bra) Tia e´nia3:36:11
18Aluizio Maia & Sergio Silva (Bra) Calaroti3:45:32
19Carlos Perpetuo & Claudio Kligerman (Bra) Jabuteam3:47:56
DNFJose Verçosa & Mauricio Goncalves (Bra) Coroas Do Cerrado 01Row 19 - Cell 2
DNFRondon Pinto & Mauro Filho (Bra) Oce MasterRow 20 - Cell 2
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Men duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Robert Novotny & Kristian Hynek (Cze) Free Cycling/Factor Bike15:47:57
2Martin Gujan & Bischof Christof (Swi) Swiss Machine0:17:46
3Ricardo Pscheidt & Gilberto Gois (Bra) James Crank Brother1:05:44
4Horak Martins & Spolc Milan (Cze) Ked Eleven1:14:26
5Raphael Mesquita Mendes & Cícero Silva (Bra) Moda Cup1:18:29
6Joao Marinho & Valerio Ferreira (Por) Rocky Mountain Portugal1:58:53
7Alexandre Sousa & Mauricio Pereira (Bra) Terra Chapada Diamante2:18:05
8Andy Eyring & Lukas Kaufmann (Ger) European Youngsters Trek-Brentjens3:08:14
9Marcelo Sampaio & Ulisses Valarelli (Bra) Dental Power3:25:34
10Richard Silva & Felipe Moraes (Bra) Harpia Adventure Race4:19:32
11Rodrigo Gouvea & Denis Yoshio (Bra) Adriana Nascimento II4:25:27
12Reginaldo Mariano & Joao Pereira (Bra) Tropical Auto Posto4:39:49
13Heliesse Santos & Edimilson Santos (Bra) Terra Chapada Ouro4:52:58
14Helder Carvalho & Pedro Araujo (Por) Rocky Mountain Onbike Portugal5:26:30
15Bruno Lopes & Leonardo Parada (Bra) Tche Poronpa6:28:17
16Alfredo Montenegro & Carlos Lopes (Bra) Savana Bike Shop6:52:16
17Juliano Nunes & Andre Lima (Bra) Tche Bike-RS/Coroas Do Cerrado6:54:20
18Rafael Alves & Filipe Xavier (Bra) Brazil Re-Cycling6:57:07
19Paulo Dias & Tiago Rossi (Bra) Ciclovece Reynold's7:04:38
20Francisco Junior & Luis Carvalho (Bra) Bruttus7:09:04
21Jose Festugatto & Fábio Festugatto (Bra) Twin Brothers7:42:39
22Rogerio Moda & Fabio Ferreira (Bra) Beep Beep7:42:55
23Antonio Filho & Sergio Dourado (Bra) Terra Chapada Cristal7:54:46
24Fábio Lôbo & Sergio Lemos (Bra) Casa Do Ciclista7:59:04
25Gustavo Astolphi & Giulliano Mendes (Bra) Pedal Urbano8:03:35
26Luzo Passos & Marcos Abitante (Bra) Os Mantiqueira II8:04:03
27Alexandre Hadade & Carlos Fonseca (Bra) Selva8:33:00
28Wallace Brito & Geraldo Moraes (Bra) Devassa8:54:36
29Guilherme Quissini & Rafael Capoani (Bra) Zero Grau9:16:12
30Fernando Fernandes & Edson Oliveira (Bra) Herbie 539:31:55
31Nuno Duarte & Joao Elvas (Por) Team Acreditar Portugal10:15:29
32Humberto Luis & Tiago Branco (Por) Ami Portugal10:17:28
33Alex Constâncio & Marcello Cenci (Bra) Webike/Magura10:23:09
34Denio Franco & Felipe Comini (Bra) Libertas Todos Os Santos10:27:37
35Plínio Junior & Tadeu Malavazzi (Bra) Clube Do Pedal Team10:40:11
36Ricardo Pupo & Santo Feltrin (Bra) Adriana Nascimento/Specialized11:25:31
37Antonio Calmon & Diogo Rehder (Bra) Espinhaeo Selva11:59:03
38Fouad Artigas & Carlos Carvalho (Bra) Riobici12:03:06
39Raphael Chaves & Jânio Oliveira (Bra) Cla Selvagem12:37:31
40Rodrigo Mariotoni & Adriano Seabra (Bra) Xterra Pro Runner12:44:42
41Rodrigo Suriani & Alexandre Perez (Bra) Gillette/Duracell12:49:06
42Francisco Filho & Plauto Angelo (Bra) Endurance Ii12:53:35
43Roberto Souto & Carlos Esteves (Bra) IBS13:04:26
44Rodolfo Carvalho & Tiago Abati (Bra) Tia Do Batman13:06:45
45Osvaldo Martins & Marcelo Chinaglia (Bra) Letti/Cccp14:06:39
46Sergio Marques & Sidnei Marques (Bra) Marques Brother14:21:33
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Women duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Ivonne Kraft & Celina Carpinteiro (Por) Bionicon Loule19:46:53
2Janildes Fernandes Silva & Julyana Rodrigues (Bra) Jaju1:08:57
3Sandra Araujo & Lorenza Menapace (Ita) Round The Clock1:10:52
4Erika Gramiscelli & Raquel Queiroz (Bra) Circuit KHS Pro Ladies3:59:56
5Andrea Estevam & Silvia Guimaraes (Bra) Atenah/Go Outside6:23:37
6Luciana Cox & Adriana Boccia (Bra) Flower People Rocky Mountain8:53:32
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Mixed duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jennifer Hopkinson-Smith & Brian Smith (USA) To Be Decided18:12:13
2Renata Bucher & Damian Perrin (Swi) Team Zaboo Free - Mountain0:37:06
3Jeff Kerkove & Sonya Looney (USA) Topeak-Ergon1:18:17
4Paul Romero & Karen Lundgren (USA) Sole Ellsworth1:21:41
5Adriana Nascimento & Rogerio Pires (Bra) Brasil Soul3:14:22
6Orlando Alves & Roberta Santiago (Bra) Ciclo Ravena - Marin5:21:34
7Sabrina Gobbo & Joao Junior (Bra) Webike5:34:43
8Alexandre Teles & Mariza Souza (Bra) Trotamundo6:04:31
9Joana Nobrega & Felipe Rodrigues (Bra) Endurance7:29:48
10Reginaldo Oliveira & Katia Gomes (Bra) Jundiaí Pró Team10:51:46
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Masters duo
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Abraao Azevedo & Plínio Souza (Bra) AZ Masters18:36:11
2Gonzalo Ceballos & Pedro Prats (Spa) Titan Desert1:07:26
3Cesar Almeida & Paulo Freitas (Bra) Leite Piracanjuba-Tigre Rolamentos1:27:45
4Eduardo Soares & Jayme Filho (Bra) Os Mantiqueira I2:15:40
5Rudney Villanova & Alberto Geronimi (Fra) Tecnoval2:44:09
6Rodrigo Silva & Enrico Favilla (Bra) Caliandra Oz3:22:07
8Sandro Bernardoni & Gerson Doll (Bra) D&B Ride5:31:35
9Marcos Soares & Francis Hudson (Bra) Movimec - Soca Bota6:12:34
12Pedro Neto & Luiz Filho (Bra) Adriana Nascimento I6:24:03
14Santiago Gonzales & Juan Lopez (Col) Trope Shago6:33:16
15Luis Pato & Carlos Reino (Bra) Pcdf/Zero Meia Um6:36:19
16Sergio Silva & Dorivaldo Abreu (Bra) Aky Veiculos Vitoria Da Conquista-Ba7:09:13
18Sergio Sá (Zolino) & Pedro Morganti (Bra) Adventure Camp8:08:26
19Oton Souto & Neuseli Sampaio (Bra) Papaleguas Do Cerrado8:33:23
20Robert Schneider & Claudio Van Damme (Bra) Coroas Do Cerrado9:59:20
21Antonio Rodrigues & Marcos Dias (Bra) Tia e´nia10:20:03
22Rodrigo Andrade & Jose Ambrosio (Bra) Juncambrosio10:44:59
23Aluizio Maia & Sergio Silva (Bra) Calaroti11:01:57
24Carlos Perpetuo & Claudio Kligerman (Bra) Jabuteam11:19:08

 

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