Today’s 2nd stage of the Sadler’s Ultra Challenge showcased the best weather from Nenana to Healy in 5 years. The wind was light, the sun was shining, and the racing did not disappoint as incredible performances were laid down my many of the 27 athletes who competed.
Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa (Team Invacare) was confident at the start after being outsmarted in Stage 1 by Alejandro Albor and Oz Sanchez who dangled him out front before Albor blasted by in the final mile. In contrast, today’s stage saw all three riders together for 45 of the 50 mile stage. Albor, who has raced the Nenana to Healy stage 6 times previously, and knows the road well, played the race perfectly, biding his time for the steep rolling hills in the final 6 miles, where he attacked near the infamous stampede trail, forcing Van Dyk to chase. After the 2nd roller, the South African was gapped and Albor put the hammer down, taking more than a minute every mile to win by over 6 minutes in front of Van Dyk, who managed to stay ahead of Sanchez by a few minutes.
In the wheelchair race, Paul Nunnari expanded his lead to more than 2 hours over 2nd placed James Lilly. Nunnari — regarded as an excellent climber — used the second half of the stage to blast off and glide over the rolling hills and pick off some handcycles on the 1 mile final climb to the finish. Lilly has been racing well in front of Edwin Figueroa and Geoff Erickson, and is a surprise contender for 2nd overall.
The women’s race showcased 4-time finisher, Sherry Schulz, who now leads Katja Luke and Maria Luisa Morales Avila by over 20 minutes. Schulz heads in to Wednesday’s hill climb time trial in a solid position to win overall, although Luke had a much better day after losing almost 20 minutes fixing mechanical issues on Monday. Luke and Morales Avila are evenly matched on flat roads, which will make the stages later in week very interesting.
David Lee maintains a 10 minute lead over Peer Bartels in the HCB race, which makes the HCB category the race to watch, particularly in tomorrow’s hill climb time trial where Bartels can set himself up for the win, or Lee can lose the race.
Scott Davidson of Harrison Township, MI is looking solid in the HCC1 category and continues to ride strongly. His compatriot and U.S. Handcycling teammate, Joe Dowling is just 12 minutes behind, an impress margin for the 67 year old Dowling.
The weather has potential to take a turn tomorrow, with the first ever venture in to Denali National Park, where racers will tackle a 7 mile hill climb time trial, followed by a 28 mile road stage in the afternoon.
Full results from the stage, as well as overall cumulative results can be found HERE.
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