The Villach Alpine Road provided the backdrop for the first official Everesting event of the season. Athletes from eleven nations competed in various categories on Saturday. The route led from the Villach Alpen Arena up to the Rosstratte and back again. Depending on the category, the participants completed up to eight ascents. The road has an average gradient of 7.2 per cent and also reaches 10 per cent in some sections. In total, the climb is 16.4 kilometres long and, according to the organisers, offers around 1175 metres of elevation gain per ascent. With eight ascents, this means a total of 9400 metres in altitude.
Everesting route
The starting signal for the full and half Everesting was given at 04:00 in the morning. The full version covers at least 8848 metres in altitude, the half Everesting 4424 metres. The quarter and eighth Everesting categories as well as the team competitions followed at 09:00. The closed course allowed the riders to ride freely uphill and downhill.
Burke dominates, Verbnjak convinces
Jack Burke from Canada, reigning Everesting World Champion, completed the eight ascents of the Dobratsch in 7 hours and 15 minutes. Paul Verbnjak followed in second place, 14 minutes behind. The 24-year-old Carinthian ski mountaineer had been struggling with knee problems just a few weeks earlier. Frederik Niessen from Germany completed the podium in third place. Verbnjak said that he had not yet spent many hours on the bike this year. The switch from three-minute competition distances in ski mountaineering to ten hours on the bike was a major challenge.
Ötztal winner at the Everesting
Canadian Jack Burke made headlines in 2024 because he conquered several KOMs on climbs that had previously been set by well-known professional cyclists. Even "Der Spiegel" reported on the "second-class rider who beats the stars". Burke can look back on a career as a rider in Continental teams and won the Ötztaler Cycle Marathon twice. He currently lives in Neustift in the Stubai Valley and therefore has the mountains on his doorstep. The Everesting has a different load profile - in terms of time, it is roughly in the range of his Ötztaler victory. In 2022 he won in 7:10 hours and in 2024 even in a time of 6:49 hours.
Arnaudo wins the women's race
Samantha Arnaudo from Italy won the women's race with a lead of almost two hours in 8:29:47 hours. Sonja Tajsich from Germany, a former professional triathlete from Carinthia, crossed the finish line in second place. Carinthian triathlete Elke Hinterberger followed just two minutes later in third place. Carinthia was thus able to claim two podium places in the women's race.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
