Tor des Géants 2016, day 2: Olivero Bosatelli charges forward

The start of the 2016 edition of Tor des Géants was marked by the withdrawals of three top trailers after about 32 hours of extreme racing. Those who were forced to pull out of the competition were last year’s winner Denise Zimmermann and Michele Graglia and Gianluca Galeati, two top candidates for overall victory. The Tor though poses very specific demands and there’s little point in hedging bets prior to the race as there are simply too many variables that come into play, given the competitions distance and the physical strains and complex mountain environment it covers..

"I discovered that the Tor really is one of the toughest extreme races in the world," said Michele Graglia, who lives in the USA and has already run across ice and deserts worldwide. Graglia decided to withdraw after a fall during the night. During the slip he broke his sticks against his chest, taking his breath away, but Graglia lost none of his smile: "The bruise I’ve got on my cheekbone makes me look like a Hollywood star. I’ll come back the next year. I felt good; the ambience, the people and the places are marvelous...

Gianluca Galeati was forced to withdraw at Donnas after having led the race for 150 kilometers. The 33-year-old said goodbye to the Tor 2016 due to a stomach bug he had got about three weeks ago. "I thought I was ok but I was not". Moreover he also scraped his knee after a fall, but with no serious consequences.

Meanwhile Olivero Bosatelli, the bulldozer from Bergamo, continued his race, plodding along one kilometer after the next. During an interview at half way he looked like he just left home after the afternoon break: "I don’t have a strategy, I’m just following how I feel. And what I feel is good.”

The two Spanish pursuers, Julio Cernuda Aldecoa and Oscar Perez (Tor winner in 2012), are not to be underestimated though, in particular Perez who in the past has demonstrated amazing comebacks.

The race commissioners have had their hands full and disqualified a competitor because part of the mandatory equipment was missing from the backpack. The equipment is required as it is important for the trailer's personal safety.

The first competitors have already approached the halfway point. On Wednesday morning the first arrivals are expected in Courmayeur, in the renovated and spectacular Jardin de L'Ange located in the city center. It will be a big party, while the "other" 600 athletes will still be high up on the hills and in valleys. They will have until Saturday to crown dreams and adventures.


TOR DES GEANTS 2016 - Highlights from 08 to 30