Cycling: As expected, on a beautiful, sunny day, the French dominated the final round of the Cyprus Sunshine Cup in ancient Amathous. Between the ruins, Stephane Tempier took the day's and the overall victory. He won the men's race ahead of his teammate Maxime Marotte and Sebastian Carabin from Belgium. The Swiss Nathalie Schneitter celebrated a surprise win in the women's category, beating the Austrian Lisi Osl and Anne Terpstra from the Netherlands.
Already in the 2,8-kilometer starting lap of the men's race, Sebastian Carabin (Merida-Wallonie) and Stephane Tempier (BH-Sr Suntour-KMC) tore a gap to the pursuers Grant Ferguson (British National Team) and Maxime Marotte (BH -Sr Suntour-KMC).
But in the first complete 5,6-kilometre lap, Tempier suffered a defect in the rear wheel. So suddenly Carabin was involuntarily alone at the top.
"It wasn't the plan. But once I had the lead, I decided to go flat out.", explained Carabin at the finish. Of course, in the open and windy terrain between the ruins of Amathous, that was a handicap.
Behind him, Marotte waited briefly for his teammate to swap rear wheels and then they gave chase. They caught up with Grant Ferguson who later fell further behind and then worked together to catch up with Carabin.
Two laps before the end it was time. They reached Carabin, leaving the tiring Belgian behind and rapidly increasing the lead. In the last lap there was a showdown between the two compatriots.
"I attacked on the first climb and then gave everything", Tempier explained as he rode to victory. “My legs were very good and it's a great start to the season, I'm very happy. The days in Cyprus were perfect for me.”
Compatriot Maxime Marotte crossed the finish line 16 seconds later. “I struggled at the beginning and then got stuck between the pursuers. But then things got better and better when I was with Stephane. I felt very good. In the end he was stronger, but after having to take antibiotics this week I can be very satisfied.", commented Marotte. He had had to take the medication because of an infection in his finger.
Carabin had reason to smile too. "I did not expect this. I felt very strong but lost a lot of energy alone in the wind. Nevertheless, I leave Cyprus with a very good feeling. I like these 'old school' routes with longer climbs", said Carabin after completing the 30,8 kilometers.
He finished second overall in the CSC behind Tempier and ahead of Jan Skarnitzl (Sram Mitas Trek), who missed the fast French train with a puncture on the first lap. Nevertheless, it was still enough for fourth place after he was able to distance Karl Markt (Haibike-Ötztal) in the penultimate lap and point to fifth place. In the overall ranking of the cup he was third.
When Lisi Osl (Ghost Factory Racing) took the lead in the women's race on the first lap, leaving Olympic Champion Julie Bresset (BH-Sr Suntour-KMC) and Anne Terpstra (Habitat MTB Team) behind to pull out a 25 second lead, there Everything seemed set for a victory for the overall World Cup winner from 2009.
Nobody expected Nathalie Schneitter (Rose-Vaujany) anymore. She was already 45 seconds behind in the second chasing group. But as the riders went into the third lap, everything started to shift.
Schneitter caught up with Janka Keseg-Stevkova (Outsiterz Cycling Team) and the slacking Bresset and passed. On the last climb of the third lap, she also caught Terpstra and also passed the Dutchwoman.
With only eight seconds behind Osl, Schneitter went into the last lap and as the pursuer had the mental advantage on her side. Just before a climb, the 2004 Junior World Champion caught up with her competitor and before entering the singletrack climb, she charged.
She touched Osl and had to go into the grass. This cleared the way for Schneitter's first win in Amathous.
"It's racing, she had her hands on the handlebars, so that's okay. I would probably have done the same in such a situation because I would have wanted to pass before the climb.", Osl took the situation sporty.
Nevertheless, Schneitter apologized when both had finished the 25,2 kilometers. “I expected it to be difficult in the start loop and the first lap because I still practiced a lot this week. You're not that fresh there. I had to be patient and then it got better and better. At the end I had real steam", explained Nathalie Schneitter.
"It's unexpected, but it's great to get a win in the second race for the new team."
Anne Terpstra also passed Lisi Osl. However, after overtaking on the final climb, the Dutch Champion made a mistake and fell on the final descent. “Lisi was able to pass again. But I didn't expect such a result because I couldn't do off-road training all week because of a cut in my hand. That's why I'm very happy with my third place.", according to Terpstra.
But the fall had another effect. As a result, Anne Terpstra lost the Cyprus Sunshine Cup standings to Nathalie Schneitter, who was donned the orange jersey among the ruins of ancient Amathous.
Lisi Osl had a scrape on her elbow, but was happy with the result. “I think I still missed the racing toughness. I've only been back on the bike for two weeks after a lot of training in the snow”, she commented on her performance. "Today my plan was not to go too far, but to keep up the pace and see how long it lasts", said the Austrian champion.
Photos: Armin Kuestenbrück