THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ITALIAN HIKE & FLY CHAMPIONSHIP
THE VERTIGINOUS TESTS OF THE ITALIAN LEAGUE, CHAMPIONSHIP ORGANIZED BY THE NATIONAL HIKE&FLY ASSOCIATION AND AKU, ARE OVER
5 stages and only one winner
The dizzying trials of the Italian League have concluded, the championship organized by the National Association Hike&Fly with the help of AKU as main sponsor. For this 2024 edition, 5 stages were scheduled, one of which had to be skipped due to weather. Who won the last trial?! But above all: Who took home the championship?!
The organization of the fifth and final stage was not easy at all. The event was scheduled for September 14th and 15th in Alagna Valsesia, in the presence of one of the most iconic mountains in Italy: Monte Rosa. As all of us lovers of outdoor activities know, this season the weather has been crazier than usual and: you can't control the weather. Especially in an activity like paragliding where the wind conditions are not easy to predict, here one of the difficulties of the Hike & Fly competitions, favorable weather is needed or at least not obviously adverse like those found in Valle d'Aosta when the wind was unthinkable.
We waited. Calm is the virtue of the strong and also of the athletes of this rapidly growing activity.
So we moved to Borso del Grappa, guests of Volo libero Montegrappa, the weekend of September 28th and 29th with a spectacular day to conclude the Hike & Fly Italian League championship in the best possible way.
What happened in the race?!
In a fantastic setting on Monte Grappa with fans from all over Italy, our athletes found themselves facing, on an autumn day, difficult weather conditions that put their skills to the test. The race theme for the PRO category included a “loop lap” with official departure and landing in the same place. The take-off was decided as free, to then face a passage in the Prosecco lands in Valdobbiadene, return to Marostica, two buoys on the plain and return. In the FUN category the same theme with reduced mileage.
A task that put all the pilots to the test, who, taking advantage of the possibility of continuing on foot, did not miss out on significant mileage.
A small group with Scalet, Centa, Iulici, Prantl and Basso immediately took the lead, taking a good lead over the others thanks to a first “full gas” climb on foot. On the way back from Valdobbiadene, after the mandatory top on Mount Cesen, the headwind created a few problems for the leading group and different strategies emerged for the five riders, guided individually by their feelings and experiences.
The rest of the race is a succession of positions but in the end the protagonist is Ionut Ulici who shows off his best cards to achieve a noteworthy halfway finish. The ranking sees the Romanian pilot first over the South Tyrolean Patrick Prantl , third the reigning champion Titta Scalet, AKU athlete winner of the championship , and fourth place for Ivan Centa .
Only four of them in the PRO will complete the course, a testament to the difficulty of the test.
In the women's PRO, Valentina Porro from Bormio won ahead of the Norwegian Gabriela Avignan and the South Tyrolean Elisabeth Kofler .
The FUN with mixed ranking sees Simone Sassudelli in first place, Andrea Magagna second and Silvia Galli on the third step of the podium.
We are proud to announce the overall winner of the Hike & Fly - Italian League championship : Titta Scalett, wearing the Flyrock by AKU and our top athlete managed to conquer the highest step of the podium. The last final stage definitively closes the 2024 circuit with positive reflections on the growth path of many PRO and FUN pilots and the female category that is becoming increasingly substantial and of a good level. The appointment is for a 2025 full of new surprises
Tita Scalet pierwsza w klasyfikacji generalnej
Z dumą ogłaszamy absolutnego zwycięzcę mistrzostw Hike & Fly – ligi włoskiej: Titta Scalett, ubrana w AKU Flyrock i nasza najlepsza sportsmenka, zdołała pokonać najwyższy stopień szczyt podium. Ostatni końcowy etap definitywnie zamyka cykl 2024 pozytywnymi refleksjami na temat ścieżki rozwoju wielu zawodników PRO i FUN oraz kategorii kobiet, która staje się coraz liczniejsza i utrzymuje się na doskonałym poziomie.
Nominacja jest na rok 2025, który chcemy, aby był pełen prądów, które zawsze będą nas pchać dalej i ku nowym lądom.