The second day of the Asics Malcesine Baldo Trail is all about trail trials. In the 50-kilometer race, Georg Piazza (Asv Gherdeina Runners) and Chiara Boggio (Durbano Gas Energy Rivarolo 77) won. In the shortest race victory for Lorenzo Beltrami (Sky Lario Runners) and Veronica Maran (Skyrunners Le Vigne Vicenza). Tomorrow the program closes with the 16-kilometer “Short” race.

The spectacle of the ASICS Malcesine Baldo Trail longer trials started from the Malcesine lakefront at 7:30 a.m. with the “Ultra” race over the distance of 50 kilometers. The “Medium” trial had its start an hour later, for athletes a 24-kilometer course with 1994 meters of positive elevation gain.

In the 50-kilometer race, competitors had to tackle 3355 meters of uphill-only elevation gain with the spectacular passes of Mount Altissimo, Mount Baldo, and the long descent to Malcesine.

Until the ninth kilometer of Bocca di Navene Georg Piazza and Francesco Lorenzi and Luca Carrara raced together, still too early for the outriders to define a race tactic. On the climb to Monte Altissimo, the day’s GPM with its 2060 meters, the Gardena athlete tried to change the pace to break away from his breakaway companions. Behind him Francesco Lorenzi and Luca Carrara try to keep Piazza in sight, just behind Marco Bellini and Michele Azzolin.

Georg Piazza’s ascent to Monte Baldo continued solo with about a 3-minute lead over his pursuers. At the top of the hill, before plunging headlong toward Malcesine, Piazza had gained a few more seconds on his rivals. The 14-kilometer descent is a long sprint to the finish line in Malcesine positioned just a few meters from the lake shore.

Piazza crossed the finish line between two wings of the crowd with a time of 5:33’55”. In second place after 3’32” is Francesco Lorenzi. Luca Carrara took the third step of the podium with a time of 5:44’06”. Marco Bellini and Michele Azzolin are fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the women’s field, Chiara Boggio always led the race, while Austrians Evelyne Lachner and Raffaella Canino fought for second place.

Boggio arrived on the Malcesine lakefront with a time of 7:07’40”, Austrica finished second with a time of 7:23’16”, while Canino was third.

In the 24-kilometer “Medium” trial Lorenzo Beltrami won with a time of 2:20’24” ahead of Sergio Bonaldi, fresh winner of Friday’s Vertical. Bonaldi reaches the finish line only 1’26” behind. On the third step of the podium goes Lukas Gasser with a time of 2:24’09”.

In the pink race Veronica Maran dominated ahead of Bianca Morvillo stopping the chrono at 3:22’01”. The runner-up charges only 1’35” behind the winner. Rossella Munari was third with a time of 3:33’04”.

The ASICS Malcesine Baldo Trail program will conclude tomorrow, Sunday, May 6 with the 16-kilometer “Short” race. The event that saw the participation of more than 700 runners along the Upper Garda trails will go on record with a spectacular and very fast race that will start and finish in the center of Malcesine. The route will be mostly on trails and dirt roads halfway up the mountainside with an ascent-only elevation gain of 1185 meters.