Action Blog
RACE
Day 6
After six tough days on the bike racing from the French Alps to Italian Riveria Gusti finished the race in 2nd place. Heavy Stomach problems and a big crash on the last day did not make it easy for him to maintain his position, but our Swiss team member managed it anyway.
“10,000 vm meters ascending and more than 20,000 vm of descending in only 6 days were on the schedule. A big challenge for man and machine. Therefore, we are grateful to have such wonderful partners along our side, who made this race and the podium possible. Especially a big THANK YOU goes out to CUBE, they have my back since more than 10 years, the work they put in a bike such as this one is remarkable.”
Gusti proofed his consistency in a field of 100 racers over a couple of days racing many different tracks in all kind of conditions, that’s what matters in this sport and at this level.
Thank you for reading.
Gusti and Team 🙂
Day 5
At the beginning of day five all riders had to push their bikes up to the top of the first stage more than 4 hours, but then they enjoyed a trail 1100 depth meters. Directly after this stage, another descent with 700vm was waiting for the riders. Right before the last stage they had to take a super long transfer, but at this transfer they saw the sea for the first time in this race. At the end of the last stage, all riders came together at their camp in Dolceaqua after 11 hours on the bike.
“Our Shimano XTR brakes are still in top conditions even after more than 20.000vm of descending over the past couple of days. Their point of pressure stays the same on never-ending trails, in tough terrain and while hot temperatures. Such a pleasure to ride with such an outstanding brake. – Gustav Wildhaber The last day of the Stonekingrally kicks off tomorrow, and the finish line is waiting for them at the beach.
Day 4
On day four, Gusti suffered some stomach problems at night before, which didn’t get any better during the day. Luckily on this day there were no physical stages, just high alpine trails with many rocks and roots which helped him to ride very consistent throughout the day, and so he took the win of day four.
They even rode some parts of a long historic salt road called “la via del sale”.
At this race, Gusti is trying out a new wheel set from Newmen Components with some special features, but stay tuned for more infos soon.
“After 4 days of racing them on long and tough tracks, they are running like brand new. Super stiff and straight, such a good product.” – Gusti
Day 3
Day three is in the books and times were counted.
Gusti managed to grab the day’s victory by two hundred of a second. Which means he is now second in the overall after day three. The first half of the rally is done, but there are still three more days full of effort to go.
For several years now Gusti is riding and racing on Fox Suspension, for this long and exhausting blind race he made some small changes on his shock and fork.
On blind racing in high alpine terrain he rides less pressure in his shock to bring the front a bit up which gives him more security featuring unexpected holes rocks or rocks. On the fork, a few more clicks on low-speed compression are also helpful to keep the handlebar higher.
Currently, in second with just 30 seconds off the lead, Gusti is still on the hunt for a place on the top step after day six. Anything is possible in this race, what keeps it exciting.
Day 2
The second day of the Stonekingralley is done, and it was a big day on the bike with nearly 80 km in distance and more than 2000 vm of climbing.
“At the end of the day, we had a total descent of, 4800 vm. Those numbers sound like a lot of fun, which we absolutely had.” – Claus
Tire choice and air pressure is crucial in high alpine terrain and long downhill stages.
“I chose the Magic Marry in the front and the Big Betty in the back with 1.3 and 1.6 Bar of pressure without any inserts. I didn’t have any flats so far this season, which is remarkable compared to the past. These tires provide endless grip and less rolling resistance, what gives me security, so I can focus on riding fast.” – Gustav
Stonekingrally - Day 1
“Four stages were planned today, at 7:30 our first shuttle went up the mountain. After the shuttle, we climbed 800 meters of altitude under our own steam. Shortly after midday, a heavy thunderstorm with hailstorm approached us. So the fourth and last stage of the day was cancelled, and we had to ride over the mountain pass Col Agnel (2744m) to Camp 1.” – Claus
At the end of the day, Gusti finished as 3rd (overall ranking).
A special feature of the Stonekingralley is that it is driven blind, which means that the racers do not know the course, as it would be usual in the Enduro World Series.
We use for navigation the new Edge 1040, which is equipped with a solar function. Despite the bad weather, the battery has always remained the same throughout the race day.
Actionblog
28. Juni – 3. Juli 2022
We are ready for six days of action! Ready to race!