Today the race covered the south of the island with its limestone rocks, its ravines, and its white sand beaches. Aaron Genestar and Miquel Ensenyat were the fastest, and there are no changes in the lead of the general classification.
Menorca (05/11/2022). – The second stage of the ARTIEM Epic Camí de Cavalls 360º 2022 passed through the south of Menorca, between Es Castell and Cala Galdana, through a route of the typical limestone rocks and white sand beaches, not forgetting the characteristic ravines that gives character to this area of the island. In total, 54 km and 826 m.d. (TrailRun), 56 km and 855 m.d. (MTB) and 31 km and 587 m.d. (Es Canutells – Cala Galdana, Experience).
The 350 participants of the eighth edition of the race enjoyed a perfect day in the sun. The gusts of tramontana also accompanied the runners. In the end, Aaron Genestar and Marta Torà were the winners of the stage in MTB Epic 360º, where Gerard Minoves and Marta Torà remain as leaders. In TrailRun Epic 360º, Miquel Ensenyat and Silvia Serafini win again and remain in first position overall.
Day of stones
The stage started in the football field of Es Castell for the MTB Epic 360º and TrailRun Epic 360º modalities. The first to leave, at eight in the morning, were the cyclists, who have quickly covered the first kilometers of the day, with wind in favor, until the start of today’s neutralized section, located in Punta Prima (km 9.0). In that first section, a group of four was created, formed by the leader Gerard Minoves, the second Aaron Genestar, Toni Pascual and Sönke Wegner.
The cyclists traveled with the tranquility of the neutralized time the urbanized area of Punta Prima, Binibèquer and Binissafúller, before resuming the timed march at the height of Es Caló Blanc (km 17.8). In that part, the leading group added some members, who have been hanging in with the passage of kilometers.
Again, Gerard Minoves, Aaron Genestar, Toni Pascual and Sönke Wegner once again gained distance from the rest, after passing through Son Bou and Sant Tomàs. Infront of the last section of the stage, Aaron Genestar took advantage of the passage through a technical section of ravines after Binigaus to impose a stronger pace, which only Gerard Minoves resisted.
The leader stuck to the wheel of the aspirant to Cala Galdana, where Aaron Ginestar pressed in the final sprint to subtract a couple of seconds from the advantage that Gerard Minoves gained on him in the first stage. Thus, he will continue to lead with more than a minute and a half of advantage before the last stage of tomorrow.
In the women’s category, the race kept the same story as yesterday. Marta Torà has always ridden alone and reached the finish line adding more than half an hour to her advantage in general.
Premiere of the coastal path
The race on foot had the incentive today to discover for the first time in the race a series of stretches of coastal path, located between Binigaus and Cala Mitjana. A section that left images to remember, such as seeing the runners wading with water up to their knees in Cala Trebalúger.
In sports, Miquel Ensenyat once again showed that he is the strongest of this edition of the race. The Mallorcan has been in first position from the beginning. His teammate Pep Vidal shared with him the entire course of the stage, including the hard moments of coastal path, in which they even feared getting lost, because it is not part of the Camí de Cavalls and is not signposted in the same way.
There they slowed down and about paid for it because Mikel Domènech came from behind. In the end, the two of them crossed the finish line together – with Miquel Ensenyat ahead – ahead of Mikel Domènech by one minute and twenty seconds, who maintains the second position of the general although his advantage over Pep Vidal, third, does not reach ten minutes. Miquel Ensenyat leads overall of more than an hour of difference.
Among the girls, Silvia Serafini has not given options to her rivals and once again was proclaimed winner, after finishing in the absolute top-10.
In the short distance Experience 360º, Pau Benejam was the winner after arriving together with Álex Urbina, who remains leader. Mari Allés, on the other hand, arrived again first and increases her first place advantage.
Stage 3: Camí del Pilar – Cala Galdana
The participants are resting to recover their maximum strength for the third and final stage of this ARTIEM Epic Camí de Cavalls 360º 2022, which will be held tomorrow Sunday between Camí del Pilar and Cala Galdana (TrailRun: 64 km and 772 m.d. / MTB: 63 km and 795 m.d. / Experience: Ciutadella – Cala Galdana, 31 km and 215 m.d.). This stage crosses the west of Menorca, characterized by the great contrasts between the hard rocky stretches of coastline, forest areas, and the characteristic coves of white sand of the south.
The ARTIEM Epic Camí de Cavalls 360º 2022 is an event sponsored by the Fundació Foment del Turisme de Menorca, with the collaboration of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU and the Tourism Strategy Agency of the Government of the Balearic Islands.
