Ultra Biking Sardinia 2023, Race Preview

Route Preview

Welcome to your commentary for the 2023 UBS790. 
Race Start: Friday 13th 6am - 7am 

After racing the first edition in 2022, this year I am at home in Northern England this week, ready to watch the dots as they move around these beautiful … but brutal roads.

In my opinion UBS790 has got a good thing going as an end of season race/challenge. The route is tough, probably a bit tougher than it looks on paper. The time limit is challenging for the mid pack and backmarkers who will probably need to factor in some sleep as they will inevitably be out for 2 nights. At the front, the riders will go through without a proper sleep stop (Last year's race was won by Luciano Zattra in just over 36hrs).

With a TT style start, riders setting off at 1 or 2 min intervals, they will need to keep an eye on who is coming from behind as well as who is up the road in front of them. Basically you need to 'crack on' whichever end of the race you are at!

The race organizer, Giampy, along with his team (read “wife and daughter”) have an unrivaled enthusiasm for welcoming the riders to Sardinia and providing them with an unforgettable experience. Giampy has half of the town of Alghero supporting the riders with local businesses investing in his energy for the event. Riders will get a typically Italian pre-race party with Focaccia and treats from a local bakery. Every rider is celebrated along with these race partners that help Giampy and his family run the event. After that you are strictly self supported until you get to the finish line. Giampy is happy to call this event challenging - both physically and mentally. He calls his riders “Dreamers” … those who dare to dream big!

Starting and finishing in historic Alghero, on the Italian Island of Sardinia, Ultra Biking Sardinia is a 790km self supported bike race covering an anti-clockwise loop of the northern half of the island.

[https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=44555447&sampleGraph=true
](https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=44555447&sampleGraph=true)

A rolling 50km start heading south down the west coast twists and turns, hugging the coast which overlooks the Mediterranean sea. The route soon turns inland and tackles the biggest of the climbs in the first 160km before the first time station in Cala Gonone. In this section, in the very center of the island and crossing the Barbagia and Gennargentu Massive, riders will find very little in the form of resupply. This area is characterized by having one of the lowest density of inhabitants in Europe. Climbing the Genna Silana Pass riders then drop to sea level to TS1.

The climb out of Cala Gonone, named “Inferno Blu”, is framed with steep rock formations, tight hairpins and 20% sections. For 20 mins or so you have to chew your stem instead of looking back at the blue sea. The reward is the longest flat and fast section of the race. The leaders will find themselves here as the evening starts to draw in. There is an equal amount of day time and darkness here at this time of year. With a long 12hr night section riders need to be prepared to not see the sun rise till about 6-7am the next day. On the plus side, on a Friday night heading north up the coast and then inland every town, large and small, has a pizzeria and a Tabac open well into the early hours. Getting food overnight is not such a big issue!

Just before TS2 on the north coast the historic fortified town of Castelsardo awaits.

The last third of the race, although not as high as the first, accumulates a lot of elevation gain. As tiredness kicks in the order of this section is up, down, up down, up down. It seems like it will never end, until you get to Villanova Monteleone where at 600m altitude you look down to Alghero and the Mediterranean gulf where it all started.

Riders have 60 hrs, as that's what time the finishers party starts!

48 Riders are scheduled to start, traveling  from 12 different nations. 
The no.1 cap has been given to Patrick Leuenberger, the fastest returning finisher from 2022. He will set off last. With no one behind him he will be hunting the wheels of 2 very competitive Italiens, Daniele Rellini and Omar di Felici. 
Omar and Daniele both have had big wins in 2023 at Trans Am, and Race Across Italy respectively. They have heaps of experience, and are both serious mile munchers. Check out Daniele’s [Strava](https://www.strava.com/athletes/867627), if you thought you cycled a lot then the mileage he covers weekly can give some perspective.

Starting ahead of them, and therefore someone who really needs to have half an eye over his shoulder is Xavier Burgos Rodriguez, winner of the 2023 Madrid Barcelona race.
Guy Marks has some unfinished business at this race. In 2022 he went into a shop to get food, moments later hearing the crunching sound of a wall, bike and car sandwich. The damage to his bike was too great for him to carry on so he is back to have another go.
First to depart at 6am is Bianca Brambilla and shortly after, Ultra “newby” Fiona Shorten. Hopefully they can hold off the rest of the field as they battle it out for the female solo title.


Ones to Watch

![Alghero sunset](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ckry7EAn1R9xCpGahsI4D/4b72c00a53bd3dd3b09aa787160c98d3/Screenshot_20231012_180114_Instagram.jpg)

Thursday evening will see all the racers registered and attending the pre race mingle at Villa Mosca where they will enjoy the sunset as captured by Omar di Felici  in the photo above. His [insta](https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyTJuuutdGu/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) story is here where you will be able to see the delightful roads and views the riders get as they tackle the first 50km or so down the coast (see photos below).

![Omar3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5yyV5Y9opTMQXNu8REoq73/731595791d06aa8ef2324ea6235b4310/Screenshot_20231012_145037_Instagram.jpg)

![Omar2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6wROegzu9aH7oPTSBGL9As/f0dfc24b498ab651f4476f49d7650027/Screenshot_20231012_145047_Instagram.jpg)

![Omar1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7kGBCk5lyKpXnBjAJYGBt9/47fbaaaab6304dd6b890bbd439dfc5f3/Screenshot_20231012_145058_Instagram.jpg)

Guy Marks has also been on [social media](https://instagram.com/photosfromabike?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) and appears to be enjoying the Sardinian pre race food options.

![Guy Marks Lobster](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5nrldwNne1sWrD9y2e8jSe/0820f34e836189a05cec51085bc64f62/Screenshot_20231012_181343_Instagram.jpg)

Cristian Bianchetti and Daniele Relini seem very chilled out pre race and have been hanging out on the beach. Christians [insta](https://instagram.com/stories/cristianbianchetti/3211937683492239808?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==) story is here.

For a social media post of a different kind, check out the [insta post](https://instagram.com/burgos_xavi?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==) from Xavier Burgos Rodrigues from a couple of days ago talking about W/Kg and performance expectations. Clearly he is planning a strong and controlled ride.

Giampy will have drawn the fanfare to a close by now, and will have sent the riders on their way to bed ready for the early start in the morning. From here it will be all about self sufficiency and challenging the riders to get the best from themselves.

![Giampy goodnight dreamers](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2vu6rmSBdoMRKcSpFdPiRj/eac399cce2a13f34af59423ce5ec141e/Screenshot_20231012_185125_Facebook-2.jpg)


Mediterranean Calm before the Racing Storm

All the riders were safely dispatched in a time-trial style start this morning, starting with the 2 women at 6am this morning.
(Bianca Left, Fiona Right)

![Ubs woman start](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ugni6YAqQPMSNqS3GsQJp/54b3f42716c750f361d18e71d66843a4/20231013_103141-COLLAGE.jpg)

The riders were roughly ceded so that the fast guys left last, closer to 7am.
(Christian Bianchetti top left, then clockwise Daniele Relini, Omar di Felici and Patrick Leuenberger)

![Ubs fast men start](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/20hYgt0xvyXnXAC5g0cilf/a21e510aadf2ae5bb3a08a21fd47f3c7/20231013_104226-COLLAGE.jpg)

This means that the position on the road in the first couple of hours is confused until enough ground has been covered to allow the faster riders to pass the slower ones that set off before them.

5 hours in and that has clearly happened and Daniele Relini has already stamped his authority on the race…One of the last riders to depart and already 2nd on the road. He has only one km between him and current leading rider Christian Bianchetti

The top 5 all sit within 5km of each other with Xavier Burgos Rodriguez in 5th. He did start about 20 mins before the leading men so you need to add that deficit to his position.

Omar di Felici sits in 7th not too far behind. With a long way to go for these guys, who no doubt will not have a significant sleep stop before the finish, we should not count out the experience of the racers that might be measuring their efforts and come back up the classification later in the race.

The two women in the race are moving consistently, with Bianca Brambilla leading comfortably and in 13th overall. Fiona Shorten, at her first ultra race is not far behind Bianca as they move inland and into the bigger climbs,

There are 3 pairs in the race, all towards the back of the field.

All the riders are currently tackling the bigger hills on the route. They are very nice climbs indeed; definitely not forgiving, but not savage. The weather is getting warm, about 30deg.C currently (11am), so I wonder if this will take its toll on any riders this afternoon.

I plan to get an update to you as the riders pass Time Station 1 in Cala Gonone and we will see if the 2 friends Daniel and Christian are still battling for the lead. 


The Start and Resulting Shakedown

Omar di Felici has confirmed on social media that its hot in Sardinia, 32 degrees C at 9.30am!
![ubs its hot](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1jdO6wQz2xeBVGo8dPDCtF/56af64bae634a686a288d0d7271bc660/20231013_131431-COLLAGE.jpg)

Sholto Campbell from the UK has had puncture woes and seems to have covered his kit and the west coast of the island in tubless sealant!! He is bringing up the rear at the back of the race. With him, the flame rouge pairing of Alberto Carerra and Samuele Vigano have covered about 140km of the course as of 3pm ish.
![ubs sholto campbell woes ](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5GI8l7xS4FdQipm3ueow63/154261796c93bb4ffc99e0241cf14f3f/Screenshot_20231013_125918_Instagram.jpg)

Meanwhile at the pointy end Daniele is out front, a few kms ahead of fellow Italian Christian and Bruno Wicht of Switzerland. Xavier (Spain) lies in 4th not far behind that. 

But as of 3pm, its still all to play for! As the leaders climb the Silana Pass (230km) there are several other riders not allowing the front 4 too much of a lead.
![ubs climb COLLAGE1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4pwzVaIZZWUmV1dXgwIOmy/512f5ad8c416d87b07b275bed1c1ed0c/20231013_141512-COLLAGE.jpg)
Nicolas Hartman of France and Xavier above
Christian and Bruno below.

![ubs climb COLLAGE2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5KP68CbPTB3rJCf3u2oo5q/eec622448717ecc7c6bd383f563b707b/20231013_141536-COLLAGE.jpg)

Bianca Brambilla is in the mix too, 190km in, and sitting in 14th position.

Its Hot in Sardinia

The first 4 riders have gone through TS1 barely stopping to admire the coastal view from the time station in Cala Gonone. Daniel is now (5pm) climbing the 'inferno Blu" climb out of town with Christian and Bruno in hot pursuit a couple of kms behind. Xavier is immediately behind following them.

No stopping at TS1 for the leaders

Its 14hrs since the riders left Alghero this morning. Night has well and truly fallen and the long night looms for the riders who choose continue through.

The leaders have reached the approximate half way point with Daniele Relini at about 390km. There has been a slight reshuffle of the following 3 competitors. Xavier Burgos Rodriguez is now in second only 6km behind Daniele, although Christian Bianchetti is with him and they appear to be swapping places from time to time. Bruno Wicht is only another 4km back. 

5th place is taken by Omar di Felici. He is 23km from Daniele so well within the leaders wake.

The terrain in the middle section of the race, which the riders will tackle through the night, is not quite as challenging as the 1st 250km, or what's to come in the latter 250km. They will have no problem finding pizza up till about 3am so expect some pizza breaks to be taken in the next few hours.

Bianca Brambilla has moved up into the top 10 with Gavino Ruzzu and Patrick leuenberger only just ahead.

Behind that there are a few riders off route around TS1 in Cala Gonone, probably taking a few hours rest or enjoying the sit down food option.

The back end of the race has about 12 riders not far from each other. As I write this they are climbing the Pass before they descend to TS1. They only a bit of time in hand, as they have covered just over a quarter of the race distance, in about quarter of the time limit. Hopefully they will use their time wisely through the night and keep dreaming of reaching the finishers party before the 60hrs pass. I will update in the morning.

Into the First Night as the leaders reach half way.

Morning all, we are 24hrs into UBS2023. The night time always changes things and this race is no different. We have a new leader with Christian out front, with a 10km gap to Daniele and Xavier. Along with Omar (another 20km behind) they are the only 4 riders to pass through Time Station 2 on the North Coast of the island. 
Christian rode the first edition of this race last year and, if he keeps up, this pace will easily beat his time and maybe even smash the fastest time set by Luciano Zattra last year. I am sure Giampy will be very exited to see riders pushing the limits on this course!!
Herbert Mans sits in 5th about 130km behined the leader.

![Ubs morning track pic](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3fF3wqMFVUmhRl7t8JzKkC/4174b495962d47683c8b7b41ecce67a2/Screenshot_20231014_063205_Samsung_Internet.jpg)

The next group to reach TS2 make up the top 10 positions. Herbert has a small gap to another 5 riders bunched close together. In 9th currently is Bianca. I wonder if any of this group are going to chase Herbert for that 5th place?

First time ultra racer Fiona is moving consistently and is currently in 26th place and approaching the half way point.

There have been 2 riders scratch in the night while Sholto is bringing up the rear at km278. let's see what the second day brings for him. It is forecast for more sunshine and hot temperatures which I am sure will take its toll on all the riders. 

Saturday Morning update

As the 3 leaders, Christian, Xavier and Daniele head into the last 100km lets just check the status and implications to them being so close together.
![Leaders COLLAGE 100km to go](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7rt7cknVznOTnIleOoS2V7/fa9d93b6f5b86202d9b54b49891484ef/20231014_093705-COLLAGE.jpg)
![Ubs start sheet info](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/H1ArsxHbaKamoqrBLyoR1/1410f22fba7056ec14fd12133935eaf0/Screenshot_20231014_091419_Instagram.jpg)

Xavier started first at 0632hrs he would need to beat Cristian by 4mins and Daniele by 10mins to position ahead of them at the finish.


Into the last 100km for the 3 leaders

Paul Wainwright

UBS defines itself as an adventure dedicated to women and men who love to dream, know how to suffer and strongly believe in the values of sportsmanship. 

Ultrabiking Sardinia 2023 Tracking and Commentary

UBS defines itself as an adventure dedicated to women and men who love to dream, know how to suffer and strongly believe in the values of sportsmanship. An idyllic end of the season Mediterranean adventure, but don't be fooled, it's no holiday.

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