Roberto Usai first leader of the Sardinia Trail 2024
Roberto Usai first leader of the Sardinia Trail 2024. He preceded Porubcan and Orrù. Majer first woman. Tomorrow the second stage, with the Nuraghe Ruinas starting point, arrival point and passage from Punta La Marmora.
Cardedu (NU), 10 May 2024 – The first stage of the Sardinia trail speaks Sardinian: Roberto Usai is in fact the first leader of the trail running event in stages organized by Wild Track, scheduled from today to Sunday 12 May.
The 40-year-old from Sassari won solo in the first stage, 26.23 km and 1347 meters of positive difference in altitude between Foxi beach in the Marina di Tertenia and Museddu beach in Cardedu. Also on the podium was the Slovakian Pavol Porubcan and another Italian, Pablo Orrù. Winner in 2019 and 2023, Ewa Majer has started this year in style too, taking the lead in the women’s rankings.
These are the responses to the first, fun and hard-fought section of the 11th Sardinia Trail, a luminous embrace between sea and mountains. Tomorrow the second stage on Gennargentu, then a spectacular finale in Ulassai, for a stage event that unfolds over a total length of 100.2 km, with 4272 meters of positive difference in altitude.
The group began to break up along the challenging climb towards Monte Ferru, with around ten athletes in the lead as Coccorrocci passed. After km 15 there was an attack by Giorgio Calcaterra, one of the most anticipated runners in the race, already twice victorious at the Cagliari Urban Trail. However, the reaction from his most accredited rivals was immediate, including Roberto Usai, who confirmed his excellent feeling with this stage after the partial fourth place last year.
“I often train here – commented Usai – and I know these paths like the back of my hand. It was hot, I tried to manage my energy. We had a head-to-head race with Calcaterra and Porubcan, then with the latter we covered the long single track at a high pace, before I finally stretched out on the last climb. The second stage will be an unknown for me: Calcaterra is the favourite, both for tomorrow and for the general classification. He can recover and break away from us on both occasions.”
The Slovakian Pavol Porubcan arrived at 1’14”, with the trail runner and rugby player Pablo Orrù at almost three and a half minutes. Alessandro Massaro, exactly four minutes behind, and the Belgian David De Dobbeleer complete the Top 5.
The outgoing champion of the women’s Sardinia Trail, Ewa Majer, 42 years old, did not disappoint expectations by entering the overall Top 10 and taking the lead among women. International podium, with three athletes from different countries. Behind Majer, in fact, there are Katarina Sulikova, a 43-year-old Slovakian from Novy Smokovec (not far from the Polish border) and a regular in Sardinia, and Marie-Line Hamon, a Frenchwoman from Montlignon in Val d’Oise, category F50.
TOMORROW’S STAGE: 42 KM, DEPARTURE AND ARRIVAL AT NURAGHE RUINAS
The second stage of the Sardinia Trail 2024 is a great classic, namely the “lunar” ring on Gennargentu: the hamlet that from Nuraghe Ruinas in the municipality of Arzana leads to the territory of Desulo, to the passage to Punta La Marmora and the subsequent descent from the slope Arzanese which falls on the nuragic complex of Ruinas, one of the highest in Sardinia. There are 42 km to tackle, for 1652 meters of positive altitude difference.
ORGANIZATION AND PARTNERSHIP
The Sardinia Trail 2024 is organized by Wild Track with the support of the Sports Department of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and the Municipality of Ulassai and makes use of the collaboration of the Forestas regional agency and the other Municipalities affected by the race for the routes ( Arzana, Cardedu, Desulo, Gairo, Osini and Tertenia). The event is also supported by Use, Playcar, Birra Doppio Malto, by the technical partners Scott and Deriu Sport and by Grimaldi Lines.
RANKINGS
MEN – 1ST STAGE AND OVERALL
1. Roberto Usai (ITA) in 2h31m11s
2. Pavol Porubcan (SVK) in 2h32m25s
3. Pablo Orrù (ITA) in 2h34m35s
4. Alessandro Massaro (ITA) in 2h35m11s
5. David De Dobbeleer (BEL) in 2h44m25s
WOMEN – 1ST STAGE AND OVERALL
1. Ewa Majer (POL) in 2h53m19s
2. Katarina Sulikova (SVK) in 3h02m11s
3. Marie-Line Hamon (FRA) in 3h08m29s
4. Antonia Winkler (AUT) in 3h27m18s
5. Patrycja Mokrzycka (POL) in 3h50m37s
TOMORROW’S STAGE | SATURDAY 11 MAY
2nd stage Arzana-Desulo-Arzana | LOC. RUINAS (ARZANA)
42.00 km | difference in altitude +1652 m. | difference in altitude -1662 m.
08:00 am | DEPARTURE second stage Loc. Nuraghe Ruinas (Arzana)
12.00 – 16.00 | ARRIVAL Loc. Nuraghe Ruinas (Arzana)
