CICLOVATION

25.09.22

World Championship: THE TOUGHEST RACE EVER!

Over six hours in the saddle, 5,000 m of elevation across 125 km, capped by a ruthless 4 km portage — a day that redefined endurance and grit.

Race Stats.

• 6+ hrs — total race time.

• 5,000 m — elevation gain.

• 125 km — distance.

• 4 km — on-foot portage.

Race Report

A World Championship is unforgiving by design — the best riders, the highest stakes, and no easy meters. Add epic stats and a brutal portage above Verbier, and you get a race that many are calling the toughest ever.

Three riders from KTM SPADABIKE powered by Brenta Brakes — Mara, Lorenzo, and Nicolas — pulled on the blue jersey of the Italian national team and lined up in a frosty dawn start at 6:30 a.m., the mercury hovering around 6°C with a wintry breeze. The first climb split the field instantly: a front group of twenty formed with Lorenzo and fellow Italian captain Samuele Porro safely inside, while Nicolas, under the weather, fought with trademark grit to limit losses.

“He fights for every position, whether it’s first or fiftieth. Nico’s mental toughness has become his trademark.”

Up front, Lorenzo rode with composure, shadowing Porro and holding a Top‑10 berth all day — until the infamous push‑bike portage bit hard. In that section alone he ceded six of the ten minutes to the winner, yet still clawed home an impressive 15th, ahead of former world champion Andreas Seewald and alongside two‑time World Cup winner Fabian Rabensteiner. Minutes later, Nicolas ground out a heroic finish in 31st of 150 starters — heart and head in equal measure.

In the women’s race, former XCO world champion Kate Courtney lit the fuse for the USA, while the Italian squad chased with conviction. On a course that didn’t play to her strengths, Mara delivered a career‑worthy Top‑10, attacking where the gradients allowed and defending when the mountain said 'no.'

It was a day of passion, pain, and pride — and proof that on the hardest roads, character is the ultimate gear.

Race Gallery