Genze and Kugler outsprint Centurion-Vaude duo to take third stage

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Hannes Genze and Andreas Kugler have won the third stage of the 2011 TransAlp after 94.01 kilometers and 2,154 meters in elevation from Mayrhofen (AUT) to Brixen (ITA). The Team Multivan Merida Biking riders successfully won the final sprint to take the stage over Germany's Markus Kaufmann and Rupert Palmberger of Centurion-Vaude who came in second (3:40:40.7).

The overnight race leaders; Massimo de Bertolis and Johann Pallhuber of Silmax Autopolar Cannondale, rounded out the podium as third (3:40:42.4) after they had controlled their competitors over a course characterized by bad weather, cold temperatures as well as five centimeters of snow that fell on the Pfitscherjoch.

Due to the weather conditions and only one mountain to master through to a 60 kilometers long smooth downhill thereafter into the finish, none of the favored teams tried to pull clear or set up any kind of attacks.

"The tempo was pretty slow," Andreas Huber of the winning team recapped. "It was obvious that no one would try to get away if it's so easy for the field to close the gap in the downhill." In the end, all riders in the leading group knew how the stage would wrap up - with a sprint and that’s the way it panned out.

With the experience of a similar finish in 2009 on the same stage to his belt, Genze took over the main work in the wind for the last three kilometers upping the tempo.

"I remembered the finish from two years ago and knew exactly where I had to push it so no one could pass me." The 2009 and 2010 Transalp runner-up also added that "it was an important win for the team. Now, we hope that we can also move forward in the ranking."

After today's performance the good team currently sits third, a mere 45 seconds behind De Bertolis and Pallhuber.

De Bertolis was happy how the day had transpired but the Italian knows all too well that the race is far from over.

"It's so close. There will be attacks for sure. I don't think that the first climb is made for it as this could backfire. But the second peak might bring some turbulent race situations."

Best ladies of the day reduce delay in the ranking

After they had missed victory on the opening stage due to some leg cramps, Martina Miessgang and Katrin Neumann of Mountain Heroes crossed the finish line in first position today celebrating their first ever TransAlp stage win.

The Austrian-German pairing mastered the 94 kilometers across the main chain of the Alps into South Tyrol in 4:35:30.5 hours and were six minutes faster than the ladies in Pink, Natascha Binder and Danièle Troesch who took the runner-up position.

Miessgang/Neumann reduced the gap on Binder/Troesch and are now breathing down their necks in the women's ranking. With the Queen Stage coming tomorrow, there is also some exciting racing to expect in the ladies category as the battle for the Transalp crown gets tight.

Today's third ranked riders from Switzerland, Manuela Jenny and Susanne Tanner of Velorado Racing (4:53:15.5), are already some 50 minutes down and thus too far behind to have any real chance to feature in the dual between the top two teams.

Master category: Bölts/Strobel with stage win

Andreas Strobel gave a proof of sign that not only mass sport athletes have problems with cold weathers but also top pros might suffer from it.

The Bavarian racer riding for Centurion-Vaude had to stretch his limits in the climb up to Pfitscherjoch. "Until we reached the Schlegeisspeicher I was absolutely freezing. I was lucky that I could put on some warmer cloths at the peak and we were able to fight back into the game."

In the downhill to Sterzing, Strobel and his fellow countryman Udo Bölts closed the gap to Austrian Master Leaders Silvio Wieltschnig and Heinz Zörweg of Factory Cube and finally were ahead by a nose in the sprint.

Italy's Claudio Segata and Claudio Pellegrini of Team Treno Iii came in third (3:57:12.7) thus placing on the podium for the first time.

First win for Landtwing/Kiechle in mixed category

Just like in the men, women and master category, also one mixed team climbed the top spot of the podium for the first time at the 2011 Transalp.

Overall second ranked mixed, Milena Landtwing and Martin Kiechle of Centurion-Vaude, kept up with so far dominating Pia Sundstedt and Carsten Bresser of Craft-Rocky Mountain finally edging them off to second in the decisive finish sprint (4:03:44.0).

Kristina Weber and Daniel Jung from Germany rolled in as third. Team Mountain Heroes rode 4:07:43.7 hours and thus reconquered the third spot in the rankings from their fellow countrymen Katharina Alberti and Matthias Jäger of Moooove Racingteam.

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