Fumic and Lechner win Sunshine Race

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Manuel Fumic (Cannondale) and Eva Lechner (Colnago Sudtirol) won the 13th annual Marlene South Tyrol Sunshine Race in Nals, Italy on Sunday. German cross country national champion Fumic triumphed on a beautiful spring day ahead of his teammate Anton Cooper - a U23 rider - and Miguel Martinez. Local favorite Lechner asserted herself to win the women's race for a record fourth time. The Italian cross country national champion Lechner beat Blaza Klemencic and Elisabeth Osl . Lechner's victory put her in the race's record books ahead of Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa, who had won the race three times.

"It is a hard race. I finally captured gold after my fourth place last year and the mishap two years ago," said Fumic. "I am very pleased. I am in great shape and was able to ride in my own tempo keeping my own rhythm. That allowed me to stay consistent throughout the race. A victory at the beginning of the season always boost one’s self confidence."

Lechner said, "I am very happy. The spectators definitely provided a boost to my energy levels. I love riding here in Nals. There were a few junior racers ahead of us in the first three laps, which was a bit distracting. I wasn't able to ride the way I intended in my first downhill. I knew Blaza is very strong, which is why I wanted to be strong right from the start. But I really pushed hard in the short, steep uphills and that was the key. I had no problems in the downhills."

The women raced 26.6km while the men covered 36.6km. 750 registered riders participated in the Internazionali d'Italia round.

Men

In the men's race, Fumic finished in 1:38:10, winning by 43 seconds over 18-year-old U23 rider Cooper. Frenchman Martinez, who has only recently re-entered the racing world, crossed the line in third overall at 1:49.

Fumic turned up the heat on the second lap, leaving behind his then fiercest competitor Luca Braidot from Italy. Riding in third place, Gerhard Kerschbaumer crashed and broke his saddle. He ended up up placing 12th.

Fumic continued to widen his lead, leaving Braidot, Cooper, Skarnitzl and Martinez to fight for their rankings. Cooper closed the gap to Braidot and overtook him on lap four while Martinez managed to move to third place on lap six.

U23 race winner Cooper said, "I had a great start and kept my speed. My ranking improved with every lap. Coming to Europe from New Zealand only one and a half weeks ago, I had to get adjusted to the new time zone. I was hoping for a place on the podium but did not think I could win silver."

Martinez said, "It was a great and hard race, and I am thrilled with my outstanding result. I suffered in the first few laps but then decided to have fun. I was finally able to really push the pedals, ride intelligently and at the right speed thus reaching the finish with still some energy left. Despite my age, I still feel young. I recently started a new career. I was able to reach the top 15 and my objective is to continue to perform."

U23 local Kerschbaumer said, "I am content despite my mishap because I am in good shape and feel good."

Women

Lechner, 27 added a win in 2013 to her previous successes in 2009, 2010 and 2012. She distanced herself off the front alone to take the win by 32 seconds over Slovenian champion Blaza Klemencic, 33. Lechner crossed the line in a time of 1:28:19. 2010 World Cup champion Elisabeth Osl was third at 1:44. Beijing Olympic champion Sabine Spitz placed fourth at 3:07.

Lechner was closely behind Osl after the opening loop but managed to take the lead shortly thereafter and maintain it throughout the remainder of the race. Lechner decided to attack in the second lap to distance herself from Klemencic, particularly in the downhill. This allowed her to extend her lead, which grew to 50 meters at its biggest point.

The Italian's lead dropped to 14 seconds at the end of lap 3 while Klemencic stuck to her guns and made up some time.

Alexandra Dawidowicz from Poland and Jakelina Alvarez from Argentina placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

"Eva was very clever and thoughtful about her competitors' strategies," said Race Director of the Italian Federation and former world champion Hubert Pallhuber. "It wasn't easy to keep Blaza Klemencic under control."

Klemencic said, "This was a hard race. I tried to stay close to Eva on the uphills and even managed to do so in a few instances. But she took off when it got very steep and certainly also in the downhills, where she is always strong. I am pleased with my second place, even if I do want to win here in Nals at some point. My aim is to continue to place among the top 10, trying hard to reach the podium."

Osl said, "Anyone who knows me is aware that I am never very strong at the beginning of the season. My third place showed that I'm trending up. I want to regularly place in the top 10 and maybe add to my great results from 2009-10. My shape is definitely getting better. But I am thrilled for Eva because I know how it feels to win at home."

Spitz said, "It was a hard, but beautiful race. I suffered from the constant change in rhythm and the altitude profile peppered with difficult sections. In general, I am pleased with my fourth place as I raced against true specialists who are strong in the uphills. I am also pleased as I am in ever better shape and that is great for the upcoming World Cup season. South Tyrol is great, the people very nice and I hope to be able to return."

Italy leads the nations ranking

Athletes from 10 different countries featured in the nations ranking. Italy led with 11 victories. Six of these victories are in the women's races, five in the men's. Norway was next with three victories ahead of Germany, Belgium, Spain and Switzerland with two each.

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