19.03.2006 Race report from Multivan Merida Biking Team:
Dahle wins Liquigas Cup race, Hermida finishes second

At the Italian Liquigas Cup race in Maser, Sweden’s Fredrik Kessiakoff and Norway’s Gunn-Rita Dahle each mastered very strong fields. While Kessiakoff had to fight hard to the last lap to secure himself a 20-second winning margin on Spain’s José Hermida, Gunn-Rita Dahle once again set the standard impressively in the women’s race: She won by no less than five minutes, showing the best early-season form ever in her career.

Hermida in splendid shape
Despite the fierce competition, three riders put their stamp on the first race of the season: José Hermida, Fredrik Kessiakoff and Julien Absalon managed to escape early on in the race. It wasn’t until the last lap that the Swedish rider attacked so hard that only José Hermida could follow at the beginning. Alltough the Spaniard went on to lose 20 seconds to the finish line, he still celebrated his second-place finish in his typical manner.

Dahle: Even stronger than ever before
The women’s race of Maser’s Liquigas Cup gave a hint on what to expect for the upcoming season. Gunn-Rita Dahle, a multiple world champion already, went into the new season in a shape significantly better than the year before, dropping second-placed Italian rider Annabella Stropparo by more than five minutes. From Italy, Dahle will fly directly to Curaçao in order to prepare for this season’s first race of the UCI worldcup.

Ralph Näf haunted by bad luck
Ralph Näf was haunted by bad luck: After a promising start, one of the seat rails on the young Swiss rider’s bike snapped. He decided to continue the race nevertheless, all tough his saddle’s position was extremely uncomfortable. This caused him a sore back, and still he managed to finish in 15th position.
Another rider of the «Multivan Merida Biking Team» to suffer bad luck was Germany’s Nina Göhl: Not a single piece of her luggage had arrived at the airport. Riding last-season’s back-up bike and wearing her team-mate Moritz Milatz’ outfit, the promising young German still finished in sixth position. Milatz himself scored an outstanding seventh-place finish in a field that would have been worldcup-worthy.

Results Liquigas-Cup Maser, women:
1. Gunn-Rita Dahle (NOR)
2. Annabella Stropparo (ITA)
3. Jana Klemencic (SLO)
4. Nina Promovec (SLO)
5. Pia Sunsted (SWE)
6. Nina Göhl (GER)

Results Liquigas-Cup Maser, men:
1. Fredrik Kessiakoff (SWE)
2. José Hermida (ESP)
3. Julien Absalon (FRA)
4. Roel Paulissen (BEL)
5. Hubert Pallhuber (ITA)
7. Moritz Milatz (GER)
15. Ralph Näf (SUI)