It had been a while since I'd raced in Abruzzo and only decided to race the Gran Sasso Marathon at the last minute. I really enjoy racing in Abruzzo, as the courses usually suit my strengths with longish, steady climbs out in the open. The Gran Sasso Marathon was very much this, with 1800m of elevation over the course of 61kms.
The race started fairly strong with not too many fireworks, as the first 5 - 10kms was uphill. On the flats there was a constant headwind as we traversed through the valley and across the plains. At the halfway mark there were three of us in the front group and I felt relatively strong and comfortable, deciding to wait until the couple selective climbs to attack. I managed to pull away and finish a few minutes in front of second for my 3rd win of the season.
It was also my first race on my new Hersh Kustom Race, absolute quality Italian made bike!
Now looking forward to short training block, with my next race being the Martani Superbike on the 15th of July.