The first rider home

__The race has its first rider home, and the Two Volcano Sprint has its first ever winner. __

Arriving at the finish line in Nicolosi in a time of 59 hours and 58 minutes, Ulrich Bartholmoes claimed victory despite being forced to climb Mt. Etna with only one functioning leg.

In all, Ulrich rode 1100km and climbed 24,000 metres of ascent – and he covered the course well under three days. Considering the time and energy-draining mechanical problems that Ulrich faced early on his race, this was a truly impressive ride from a worthy winner of the inaugural Two Volcano Sprint.

Waiting for Ulrich at the finish was his girlfriend, who was able to give him the news that he’d arrived just two minutes under his stated target time of 60 hours.

Also waiting at the finish was the Mayor of Nicolosi. Together with the rest of the 2VS crew, Ulrich hobbled from his bike and into the nearest bar for a well-deserved beer – as well as a few arancini the size of small mountains.

We know by now that the final stretch of this race is a brutal prospect - and yet tonight, things became even more challenging for 3rd-placed Adrien Liechti when the gear cable for his rear deraileur snapped inside his shifter.

Now, he's left to tackle the remainder of the race on what is effectively a two-speed bike – hardly an ideal racing setup considering the savage gradients he is still yet to face.

Ahead of him, Andrew Phillips is now nearing the summit of Mt. Etna. Soon enough, he will begin the freezing descent down the mountain towards the town of Nicolosi. In the cold and the dark, that final descent will be a real test of these sleep-deprived rider's concentration.