17 Jul METALLURGICA VENETA MTB PRO TEAM Dolomiti Superbike Race
MARIA ZARANTONELLO IN TOP 5 OF DOLOMITI SUPERBIKE, OLE HEM GREAT GESTURE OF FAIR PLAY
Maria Zarantonello’s excellent result in the most legendary mountain bike race in the Dolomites is the epilogue of a long day of tension. Fear for Jacopo Billi and Ole Hem’s great gesture of fair play.
Although the finish was not what he expected, Ole Hem ended his career at the Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike, an ending that the Norwegian champion of Metallurgica Veneta MTB Professional Team wrote from the heart. Hem wanted to end with a fine result to a career that has lasted more than 15 years and managed, despite himself, following his instincts human and not the competitive one to make himself loved even more.
This is Ole Hem. In his mind it was immediately clear that the right thing to do was to stop, even if it jeopardized the career ending imagined, a lesson in fairplay, a beautiful gesture that affected the entire team losing a champion in sport and in life.
Metallurgica Veneta MTB Professional Team has went from leading the race in an epic breakaway with Jacopo Billi to despondency over a nasty crash that fortunately saw the Turin-based rider come out from the emergency room in San Candido without any injuries serious. Everything went by the wayside, even the fight for the top positions and the position at the finish line of Ole Hem, who until the the ambulance arrived remained stationary to take care of his teammate’s condition and then resume the race and arrive at the finish line together with Nicola Taffarel.
The race for Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team had gotten off to a great start, Billi and Hem attacked together after the first feed zone and managed to stretch out with a small group of ten riders chasing. After 70 kilometers, when Billi was alone and had more than a minute lead, he fell hard on a descent, fortunately the injury proved to be less serious than appearances and the whole team was able to return to focus on the wonderful race of Maria Zarantonello, closed by the rider from Vicenza in fifth place.
