Sager and Sonntag Win TransAndes
- By Singletrack.com
- Published Jan. 29, 2011
- Updated Dec. 2, 2011 at 9:17 AM UTC
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From left: Ben Sonntag, Blake Harlan, unidentified, Andreas Hestler and Jason Sager. Photo courtesy TransAndes Challenge -
From left: Ben Sonntag, Blake Harlan, unidentified, Andreas Hestler and Jason Sager. Photo courtesy TransAndes Challenge
After six days and 450km of racing in the Andes mountain range on the Chilean Patagonia, Jason Sager and Ben Sonntag are the winners of the 2011 TransAndes Challenge.
Saturday was the final stage, and at a mere 45km was the shortest. Team Jamis’ Sager and Sontag again won the day with a time of 1 hour 28 minutes 53 seconds. The Jamis teammates won five of six stages in the race.
The win for Sonntag contiues the momentum he gained after winning one of the granddaddys of MTB stage racing — Costa Rica’s La Ruta Conquistadores in November. Although he won as a solo rider he was racing with Cannondale Factory Racing teammate Alex Grant, who finished second. Sonntag has since signed to ride with Team Jamis for 2011.
Sager and Sonntag’s total time for the six stages was 19 hours 3 minutes 43 seconds. Sager, an American, and Sonntag, German, finished the race 1 hour 4 minutes and 33 seconds ahead of the team made up of Chilean Javier Püschel and the Swiss Simon Zahnd. Third place in the Men’s Open category was the Canadian duo of Marty Lazarsky and Neal Kendree.
Team Jamis’ Blake Harlan earned first place overall in the solo category, 1 hour 16 minutes 21 seconds ahead of Andreas Hestler (Rocky Mountain).
Some how Mary McConneloug was able to keep her pearly whites pearly white. Photo courtesy TransAndes Challenge
The Open Mixed category was dominated by the Team Kenda-Seven of Mary McConneloug and Michael Broderick from the United States. Their total time was 20 hours 37 minutes and 56 seconds. They topped the chilean duo of Elisa García and Claus Plaut who for the third consecutive year took second place.
World Cup XC racers Eva Lechner of Italy and Nathalie Schneitter of Switzerland won the women’s duo category with a total time of 27 hours 23 minutes.
Open Duo Men
1 Jason Sager & Benjamin Sonntag (USA/Ger) 19:03:43
2 Javier Püschel & Simon Zahnd (Swi) 1:04:33
3 Marty Lazarsky & Neal Kindree (Can) 1:42:24
Open Duo Women
1 Eva Lechner & Nathalie Schneitter (Ita/Swi) 27:23:00
2 Anja De Decker & Elke Roage (Bel) 3:54:17
Open Mixed
1 Mary McConneloug & Michael Broderick (USA) 20:37:56
2 Elisa García & Claus Plaut (Chi) 4:52:03
Solo Open Men
1 Blake Harlan (USA) 20:49:14
2 Andreas Hestler (Can) 1:16:21
Solo Men 46+
1 William Glore (USA) 25:19:02
Duo 100+ Men
1 Jim Gibson & Shawn Gillis (USA) 27:52:15
2 Al Mickelson & Jim Forbes (Can) 14:30:59
Duo 100+ Mixed
1 John Ledington & Deb Ledington (USA) 34:20:15
FILED UNDER: News