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2019-11-09 01.55.51 2

The Endgame

__At the time of writing, Ulrich Bartholmoes is wrestling his bike up the ice-cold slopes of Mt. Etna, edging himself metre by agonising metre towards victory in the first-ever Two Volcano Sprint. __

12 hours ago, Ulrich’s hold over this race seemed unshakeable – he had a healthy lead over his closest chasers and seemed ominously in control of his own efforts - but the last few hours have seen cracks beginning to appear in the German’s challenge.

The recurrence of an old knee injury picked up racing at the Transiberica is playing havoc with Ulrich's ride – forcing him to alternate between climbing exclusively out of the saddle, or else pedalling with only one leg.

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All this has in turn brought on a severe case of Shermer’s neck. Ulrich may only be 30km or so from the finish, but the gradients he is currently facing are brutal… half of the races total elevation is packed into the last third of the course, and that challenge is beginning to take its toll.

He may still carry a buffer over his closest chaser, Adrian Phillips, but Ulrich is now in different race altogether - a race to the finish before his body gives out.

Behind him, Andrew Phillips is now attempting to close the gap and Adrien Liechti has now become the third rider to make the ferry crossing to Sicily. Barring injury or mechanical problems, all three of the leading riders are set to finish the 1100km in a time less than three days – a truly remarkable feat.

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Meanwhile, Pamela Cepparulo’s Garmin troubles show no sign of abating – she is now navigating as best she can using her mobile phone for guidance yet remains in indomitable spirits.

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