l. to r.: Melt Swanenpoels, Marc Bassingthwaighte, Mannie Heymans, Karl Platt, Ralph Näf, Thomas Frischknecht, Friedemann Schmude, Stephan Unterthurner

Gunn-Rita Dahle Fleesja

Today in Alta Pusteria, early in the morning - but in very good spirits ;-) - some of the world's best mountain bikers and good bets for the next Marathon World Champion met at the startline of the Dolomiti Superbike World Championships' course.

Mannie Heymans, on site with his compatriot Marc Bassingthwaighte (Namibia) and the South African Melt Swanepoel, is a connoisseur of the Dolomiti Superbike and so he acted as a guide for the Swiss Thomas Frischknecht (World Champion Marathon in 2003 and 2005) and Ralph Näf (World Champion Marathon 2006), as well as for the German long-distance specialist Karl Platt, all accompanied by the local biker Stephan Unterthurner.

Moments later, the multiple World Champion from Norway, Gunn-Rita Dahle Fleesja went onto the women's World Championships course. She will be staying in Alta Pusteria all along until the World Championships race kicks off on Saturday 5th, 2008. She wants to be well prepared for the race - will she become the new Marathon World Champion?