Saturday the forth and last round of the Challenge Internazionali d’Italia Membrane Respira Cup has run off: a bronze medal for Blaza Klemencic.
photo newspower
During the early morning, the Open Women race has run off and at the starting line GIANT Italia Team was present with Blaza Klemencic – who performed well at the Cross Country World Cup of Fort William getting a 7th position in the general ranking.
The biker of GIANT Italia Team has focused her performance on the strongest athletes Leboucher and Tanja Zakelj.
Lap after lap, the leading positions changed a lot of times. At the end, Annabella Stropparo controlled her opponents defeating the French Laurence Leboucher and the biker of GIANT Italia Team.
The 2008 edition of the Challenge Internazionali d’Italia has been won by the Italian Champion Annabella Stropparo. Behind her, the biker of GIANT Italia Team followed by Elena Gaddoni.
Klemencic is the second athlete of the GIANT Italia Team arriving at the 2nd position in the 208 edition of the Challenge, after her team-mate Ivan Alvarez Gutierrez.
At 4 p.m. the press conference organized by FCI has run off.
The selected athletes for the Cross Country World Championships were officially announced and during the same occasion, the bikers of the biker representing MTB Italian National Team at the 2008 Olympic Games have been also presented.
Blaza Klemencic is also the only athlete representing Slovenia in the MTB competition at the Olympic Games of Beijing.
“We are very proud and enthusiast about this double selection. It was the result, GIANT Italia Team would like to get since the beginning of the season. Yader and Blaza will perform besides the other athletes who will live such a great experience like as the Olympic Games event” has confirmed the Technical Manager Gianfranco Bechis, who has also explained “we are not surprised about the selections. During the winter training, Pallhuber announced that the results of the first 3 World Cup should have been the elements, he would consider above all. And the end of Madrid’s competition, he confirmed that Yader, Marco Aurelio and Eva should be the athletes representing Italy at the Olympic Games. I’m afraid about what TV, magazines and newspapers said considering the MTB situation in Italy. They gave a lot of space to allegations and critics. They didn’t reserve the same time and the same energy to the results and to the performances of these bikers who perform day after day for Italy and who will represent the Italian National Team at the Olympic Games of Beijing”.
At the phone, the Marketing Manager of GIANT Italia Team Massimo Bechis has given more information about several technical solutions proposed by the partners of the Team for Beijing : “We’re going to evaluate such interesting and news solutions with our partners. We will present in Beijing news products, only Blaza and Yader – like as Olympic athletes – could use. We will show up these solutions in the next weeks. We will also approach the Olympic count-down preparing interviews, reportages and some interesting news from our paddocks”.
