CROSS-COUNTRY SKI. After his victory in 2011, Sweden’s Jerry Ahrlin is in the line-up at the start of the Moonlight Classic on Thursday 16th January to test conditions in view of the mid-season long-distance races. Contending the first place in the unique and fascinating night cross-country skiing marathon, there will also be the Italians Cristian Zorzi and Fabio Santus and the Czech Stanislav Rezac. Amongst the women, eyes will be on Laila Kveli, winner of the last Vasaloppet and Ahrlin’s partner in life. Equipped with headlamps, more than two hundred cross-country skiers will rise to the challenge on the two new 15 and 30 kilometre circuits.

It is only a few hours until the Alto Adige Moonlight Classic, the cross-country skiing race by night to be held on the Alpe di Siusi on tomorrow evening. In two days there will be the full moon and more than 200 cross-country skiers will defy the darkness in an exciting race over 15 and 30 kilometres.

The athletes who have entered include important names in international cross-country skiing like the Olympic gold medallist Cristian Zorzi and the winner of the FIS Marathon Cup Fabio Santus, whilst the foreigners on the starting line include the Swede Jerry Ahrlin, a specialist of the classic technique with three victories in the Marcialonga, and Stanislav Rezac who can boast of nine victories in the most important long-distance race of the Worldloppet (König-Ludwig-Lauf, Marcialonga, Birkebeinerrennet and Jizerská Padesátka). The cream of the crop can also be found in the women’s line-up with the Italian national skier Antonella Confortola who will have to contend with the Norwegian Laila Kveli, winner of the last Vasaloppet, and with Switzerland’s Usrina Badilatti,  a specialist in long distances.

No fewer than ten countries are represented, but the one that stands out the most is the presence of Bill Bothe, the Australian cross-country skier attracted by the fame of Alpe di Siusi as the ideal place for narrow skis. For some years now the Norwegian national cross-country skiing team have been coming to the South Tyrol destination for their summer camps (for dry-run preparation) and on winter retreats to perfect their training.

THE ROUTES
The eighth Alto Adige Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi is scheduled for Thursday 16th January 2014 at 8.00 p.m. in Compaccio. As in the past, there are two circuits of the Moonlight Classic 2014, but in this new version, the distances have been revised to simplify the event. The long route covers 30 kilometres: from the start from Compaccio, competitors will reach, after a dozen or so kilometres, the fork of Ritsch, where they will climb up towards the Giogo (where the Grand Prix of the Mountain is positioned) and from there they will descend towards Spitzbühl to join the circuit that from Ritsch goes to Compaccio where there is the finishing line. Similarly, the short route has also been reduced to 15 kilometres: when the skiers reach Ritsch they will loop to Wolfsbühl and then they will return to the route that will take them to the finishing line in Compaccio.

PROGRAMME
The meeting-place is in Compaccio, on the Alpe di Siusi, at over 1800 metres above sea level, and the Toko waxing service starts for all the entrants from 4.00 p.m.. The gates for the skiers open half an hour before the start so that the athletes can line up in the departure area. At 10.00 p.m. the winners will be awarded their prizes (they will share a total of prize money of euro 12,000!) in the marquee, which in the meantime will have filled with music and entertainment.

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Press Release
Organizing committee
Alto Adige Moonlight Classic Alpe di Siusi
39040 Alpe di Siusi (Bolzano)
Tel. 0039.0471.727.904 • Fax 0039.0471.727.828
www.moonlightclassic.info
Wed, January 15, 2014 12:57 pm