The sky was already overcast at the start, with the first drops of rain falling here and there. When the athletes were sent on their way from Livigno to Aprica, the rain finally came and the temperatures cooled down by a few degrees. Not the best conditions for such a long stage, which was already viewed with great respect by many participants because of the Passo Mortirolo. This pass, which was also repeatedly Giro d'Italia is closely associated with the late Italian climbing specialist Marco Pantani. And so the participants of the TOUR Transalp 2022 passed the Pantani memorial. Whether everyone was able to admire it remains to be seen. With an average gradient of over ten per cent - some ramps with far more - combined with the poor weather conditions, it was certainly an exhausting ordeal for many, where everything outside the tunnel view becomes secondary.
Three more passes were on the agenda today. The racing cyclists also had to climb the Passo d'Eira, the Passo Foscagno and the Passo di Guspessa. At the end of the stage, this added up to 2440 metres in altitude over 107 kilometres.
Despite soaked bones and exhausted faces at the finish, the mood of the participants remains cheerful. To have mastered such a demanding stage under these difficult conditions deserves the greatest recognition and should be celebrated proudly by everyone.
The results of stage 4
Men's teams:
- Team Strassacker 2/radsport-news.com (Benjamin Witt and Philip Peitzmeier) Time: 3:31.29,2 h
- Stipbike Racing Team (Erik Franssen and Stefan Verhaaf) Time: 3:36.16.9 h
- Team Strassacker 1/radsport-news.com (Nils Kessler and Moritz Palm) Time: 3:38.33,6 h
Women's teams:
- Kartoffelclub (Kerstin Kaiser and Luisa Zimmermann) Time: 5:14.21,9 h
- TSV Karlstadt girls (Carmen Krebs and Karina Steffan) time: 6:03.47,2 h
- Genussschnecken (Gitta Fernau and Petra Marton) Time: 6:25.53,3 h
Mixed teams:
- Team Hypertech pb Castelli (Francesco Visconti and Chiara Doni) Time: 3:55.00,1 h
- Team Strassacker 3-mixed (Jael Heinrich and Jonas Kahler) Time: 3:55.37,8 h
- drahtesel-lützelbach.de (Tina Büttner and Johannes Wagner) Time: 3:56.30,7 h
The trend of the last few days continues in the overall standings. Benjamin Witt and Philip Peitzmeier from Team Strassacker 2/radsport-news.com continue to dominate the men's teams. Kerstin Kaiser and Luisa Zimmermann from Team Kartoffelclub are still leading the women's race and Francesco Visconti and Chiara Doni from Team Hypertech pb Castelli are the current leaders of the mixed teams.
About the legendary Mortirolo
The fifth section leads from Aprica to Castione della Presolana. With the Passo di S. Cristina, the Passo Vivione and the Passo della Presolana, the athletes' legs will once again be put through their paces. The weather forecast promises improvement, so the participants can look forward to a fifth stage that will most likely be dry.
Further information and all results can be found at: https://tour-transalp.de
