Litscher wins stage 1 on Lanzarote

Image 1 of 7

Thomas Litscher and Adelheid Morath won the first stage of Lanzarote 4-Stage MTB Race. The race kicked off with the easiest stage, 36km, with the first half being mainly uphill and the second half being mainly downhill.

The relatively short length of the stage meant riders considered it more of a a sprint-type event, and the pace was high from the start. The leaders averaged closed to 30km/h. The wind helped the riders at first, but hindered them later on.

Racers started at 10:30 am and began on an initial asphalt section. Litscher imposed a fast pace until the first climb, where last year's runner-up, the Spaniard Ismael Ventura was the first to attack and try to get away from his followers.

Soon a group was of six riders was created at the front. Benjamin Justesen, along with Portuguese rider Luis Leao Pinto and Ventura, would be the first three to read the last part of the climb while Litscher chased not far behind.

On the final leg of the climb, the Swiss Litscher, who is the current U23 cross country world champion, managed to reach the leaders and helped increased the group's advantage over the others. Only his teammate Karl Markt would be able to keep up, so now it was five of them going on to fight for victory.

In the last section, Litscher attacked with about 2km from the finish, on a rocky stretch, while Markt protected his fellow rider from the others, who might otherwise have drafted Litscher and then overtaken him.

The others chased, but Litscher was able to hold them off and win the stage by a few seconds ahead of Markt. Venture was third while defending champion Justessen was fourth.

The women's race was full of excitement, as the first three riders reached the finish line in a sprint. Suprisingly, Adelheid Morath won, defeating marathon world champion Annika Langvad and Sally Bigham. Langvad won this race in 2011.

Stage 2 will take place on Sunday in the Natural Park of Timanfaya. It includes a long uphill and some very technical sections.

Full Results