Estonian Martin Loo (InfoTre Lee Cougan) won the UCI category C2 Yokneam race in northern Israel today in a tight battle with Austrian Hannes Metzler (Muskelkater Genesis Team). Switzerland's Mathias Rupp (eam Firebike Droessiger) was third.
The race, held under a clear blue sky in the forest surrounding Kibbutz Mishmar Haemek covered 6.5 laps of a 5.3km circuit.
Former Israeli Champion Shlomi Haimi (Focus MIG) suffered from two flat tires, but was able to finish 11th among a strong international field of 40 riders.
In the women's race the winner was Hungarian Barbara Benko (Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team), who took an early lead over local crowd favorite Inbar Ronen (CCC) and maintained it. Belgian champion Kristien Nelen (Scott - Goeman UCI Team) was third.
Riders from 10 countries participated in the race, and they are expected to return to participate in tomorrow's C1 race in Haifa.
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Loo (Est) InfoTre Lee Cougan | 1:42:05 |
| 2 | Hannes Metzler (Aut) Muskelkater Genesis Team | 0:00:06 |
| 3 | Mattias Rupp (Swi) Team Firebike Droessiger | 0:02:28 |
| 4 | Matthias Leisling (Ger) Muskelkater Genesis Team | 0:02:56 |
| 5 | Szilard Buruczki (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | 0:03:56 |
| 6 | Sebastian Szraucner (Ger) Team Berg | 0:04:15 |
| 7 | Evgeny Pechenin (Rus) Forward-Udmurtia | 0:06:14 |
| 8 | Wolfgang Krenn (Aut) Bike Team Kaiser | 0:06:41 |
| 9 | Christopher Maletz (Ger) Team Easton Rockets | 0:06:56 |
| 10 | Benjamin Büchi (Swi) Swiss GS Domaine du Frigoulet | 0:08:15 |
| 11 | Robby Debock (Bel) Waasland MTB Team | 0:08:38 |
| 12 | Shlomi Haimi (Isr) Focus MIG | 0:08:46 |
| 13 | David Simon (Ger) | 0:08:57 |
| 14 | Georgios Pattes-Toumanis (Gre) Greece | 0:09:40 |
| 15 | Marek Csielka (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | 0:11:26 |
| 16 | Dimitrios Antoniadis (Gre) Greece | 0:11:34 |
| 17 | Idan Shapira (Isr) CCC | 0:12:27 |
| 18 | Dror Pekatch (Isr) Israel Go Pro | 0:12:54 |
| 19 | Christian Bickel (Swi) | 0:14:01 |
| 20 | Alexios Kokovikas (Gre) Greece | 0:14:12 |
| 21 | Kirill Kazantsev (Kaz) Kazakhstan | 0:14:17 |
| 22 | Paul Beales (GBr) Orange Monkey - Cannondale | 0:16:24 |
| 23 | Anton Korolev (Rus) Forward-Udmurtia | 0:17:08 |
| 24 | Marco Schaetzing (Ger) | 0:17:13 |
| 25 | Itai Bireboim (Isr) For Galilee Cycle | 0:17:23 |
| -1lap | Eliad Daniel (Isr) CCC | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Oded Danon (Isr) CCC | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Zsolt Juhasz (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Gabor Bogar (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Alexey Belokrylov (Rus) Forward-Udmurtia | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Tal Koler (Isr) TeaMisgav | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Noam Strashnov (Isr) For Galilee Cycle | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Ron Shimaon (Isr) ECO Team | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Benjamin Shemidt (Isr) TACC | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Andras Parti (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Ben Roff (GBr) Orange Monkey - Cannondale | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
| DNF | Anton Michaelov (Isr) TACC | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | George Fattas (Cyp) Cyprus | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Andras Szatmary (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Nikolay Zaitsev (Kaz) Kazakhstan | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Artium Golovachshenko (Kaz) Kazakhstan | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Yoav Tal (Isr) Emek Haosher | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
| DNS | Ori Crulovich (Isr) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbara Benko (Hun) Euroone-Cube MTB UCI Team | 1:47:15 |
| 2 | Inbar Ronen (Isr) CCC | 0:00:43 |
| 3 | Kristien Nelen (Bel) Scott - Goeman UCI Team | 0:07:29 |
| 4 | Noga Korem (Isr) TeaMisgav | 0:08:57 |
| 5 | Paz Bash (Isr) TACC | 0:11:57 |
| 6 | Anna Konovalova (Rus) Forward-Udmurtia | 0:16:47 |
| -1lap | Idit Shub (Isr) CCC | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| -1lap | Gili Tamir (Isr) CCC | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
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