August 8, 2005 — The fifth installment of the mountain bike Marathon World Cup Series was an epic one. It took men’s winner Thomas Dietsch (FRA, Bianchi-Agos) over four hours to complete the challenging 100-kilometre route from Deux Alpes to Bourg d’Oisans. Esther Suess (SUI, Ghost Racing), the winner of the women’s race, was on course for over five grueling hours.

The men’s competition was intense, with the top three riders all finishing within three seconds of one another. Dietsch pulled off victory in the sprint for the line, despite the efforts of teammates Mauro Bettin (ITA, Full Dynamix) and Dario Acquaroli (ITA, Full Dynamix), who placed second and third, respectively.

Suess won with lots of time to spare, finishing over 10 minutes ahead of second place, Daniela Louis (SUI). Two-time Olympic gold medalist Paola Pezzo (ITA, Gatorade) rolled across the finish line in third place after racing for over five-and-a-half hours.

The route took racers up 4100 vertical metres. They were treated to 5100 vertical metres of descending, as the altitude at the finish in Bourg d’Oisans is significantly lower than the start.


Results

Men

1. Thomas Dietsch (Fra) Bianchi Agos 4.11.51
2. Mauro Bettin (Ita) Full Dynamix 0.01
3. Dario Acquaroli (Ita) Full Dynamix 0.02
4. Thomas Spichtig (Swi) Stoeckli.Ch 8.04
5. Christof Bischof (Swi) Rv Althenrhein 8.08
6. Thomas Zahnd (Swi) Stoeckli.Ch 9.14
7. Alban Lakata (Aut) Specialized Factory 12.27
8. Pascal Cattin (Swi) Thomus Racing 12.39
9. Karl Markt (Aut) Peto Zams 20.12
10. Ruud Rentmeester (Ned) Beebikes Cycling 24.04

Women

1. Esther Suess (Swi) Ghost Int. Racing Tea 5.11.31
2. Daniela Louis (Swi) 11.36
3. Paula Pezzo (Ita) Specialized 23.35
4. Anna Enocsson (Swe) Ghost Int. Racing Tea 24.50
5. Jenny Mc Caulley (Irl) Bikin’Cyprus Int Mtb 27.54
6. Claudia Marsilio (Ita) Gp Racer 31.59
7. Anna Baylis-Scheiderbauer (Aus) Ghost Int. Racing Tea 35.39
8. Laura Turpijn (Ned) Mwk Licht Verzet 45.31
9. Karine Dalmais (Fra) Ac Lyon Vaise 1.19.39
10. Joceline Francois (Fra) Chauche Vtt 3.14.31