Stage 1 of the 2026 Andorra Epic showcased just how exceptional the mountain biking will be over the next four days, while also proving who the contenders for general classification victory are. In the elite men’s race, Thursday, 2 July’s 49-kilometre opening stage was won by Davide Foccoli and Stefano Goria, of Scott Racing. Massi ISB Sport’s Monica Calderon and Costanza Fasolis seized a more commanding victory in the elite women’s competition, but after their misfortune, Torpado Kenda FSA will be motivated to mount a comeback, starting on Friday.
With 1 440 metres of climbing over 49 kilometres the first day of the first day of the sixth Andorra Epic was characteristically high mountain. A start at nearly 2 000 metres above sea level, in the Pal Arinsal Bike Park, negated some of the potential elevation gain, yet nonetheless the climbs to Coll de CabĂşs at 2 327 metres and Collada Muntaner ensured that the first 23 kilometres were challenging before the reward of the Super Sispony T-Section downhill. An undulating final 10 kilometres provided the strongest teams with more terrain to launch attacks.
This is exactly what Foccoli and Goria did, taking the fight to the more fancied teams. Orbea Speed Company’s Lukas Baum and Georg Egger joined the Italian pairing at the front, as did the Spanish/Italian combination of David Valero and Samuele Porro. An attack after the Super Sispony descent allowed the Scott Racing team to create a small advantage over the chasing Klimatiza Orbea squad.
“Today was a good day for us,” Porro stated, after finishing second. “We managed to stay in the front of the race every time without any risks. The last part was a bit nervous when the Scott guys attacked, and we tried to follow, but we could not overtake them. In the end, we were second with no gap, so it means we are there, we are ready, and there are still three days to fight for it. Today’s stage was, I would say, the easiest one, with a lot of downhills, so from tomorrow we will see…”
That may sound like an ominous warning from a highly experienced campaigner, yet the first yellow jersey wearers are not intimidated. “My favourite terrain is climbing, so I think tomorrow, with the long, 30-minute climb, will be good for Stephano and me,” Foccoli predicted. “Tomorrow will be the queen stage. It will be very hard with lots of climbing. Stephano and I will try to defend the jersey, and we will try to stay at the front of the race.”
As Porro noted, the advantage Scott Racing holds over Klimatiza Orbea is just a single second. Behind the gaps are bigger, but Singer KTM Racing is comfortably in contention. Simon Stiebjahn and Martin Frey were third across the line on the opening stage and find themselves 1 minute and
59 seconds off the lead. Vitally for Klimatiza Orbea, defending champions Sebastian Gesche and Marc Stutzmann started the Andorra Epic solidly, finishing fourth on Stage 1.
“Sebastian [Gesche] and Marc [Stutzmann] will have a big role to play over the coming days,” Valero reminded. “Not only do the two teams help us tactically, but they also give us a second opportunity for stage victories. The goal for Klimatiza Orbea in coming to the Andorra Epic was to win the overall, and as many stages as possible, so all four of us will be fighting to achieve that over the next three days.”
Scott Calabandida’s Jose Maria Sanchez Ruiz and Alberto Barroso Gomez were fifth on Stage 1, just 13 seconds ahead of Massi ISB Sport’s Marti Aran Calonja and Axel Roudil-Cortinat. Despite a strong start to the stage and race, Baum and Egger ended the day in seventh, but will be pushing for stage honours over the remaining days.
Massi ISB Sport’s elite women’s team started stronger than their men’s, claiming victory and the first leaders’ jerseys of the 2026 Andorra Epic. Calderon is no stranger to stage and overall victories in the Epic Series, but her first race alongside Fasolis, the 4Islands Epic in April, did not go entirely smoothly. The work the pair put in subsequently and the experience they gained in Croatia allowed them to see off the initial challenge of Maria Zarantonello and Chrystelle Baumann in Andorra.
Misfortune for Torpado Kenda FSA’s Katazina Sosna-Pinelė and Giorgia Marchet ensured that it was Calderon, Fasolis, Zarantonello, and Baumann contesting for stage victory, however. Having led through the first aid station, atop Coll de la Botella after 20 kilometres of the stage, Sosna-Pinelė and Marchet endured a puncture which ultimately cost them over 20 minutes. This likely means that overall victory will be beyond the reach of the Torpado Kenda FSA team, but they will still challenge for stage honours.
After Sosna-PinelÄ— and Marchet’s puncture, Calderon and Fasolis seized control. They raced through Service Station 2, at the 35 kilometre mark, with Metallurgica Veneta Pro – Next Ride before exerting their dominance on the closing kilometres. Attacking with just over 10 kilometres to go in the stage, the Massi ISB Sport team was able to establish an advantage of 2 minutes and 9 seconds by the finish line.
“We came to the race with some doubts, because we haven’t raced together much,” Calderon confessed. “We expected Torpado Kenda FSA to be the team to beat, but Costanza [Fasolis] was so strong today right from the start. She was able to set a strong pace on the first climb, and although Torpado was ahead of us on that climb to Coll de Cabús, we could see them, and we saw Torpado’s puncture.”
“After the puncture, we raced with Maria [Zarantonello] and Chrystelle [Baumann] for most of the stage before we eventually were able to get a bit of a gap. Taking the leaders’ jerseys is a big confidence boost for us, but I think it will be a big fight over the next three days. The Metallurgica Veneta team is very strong, too, and Torpado will want to make a big comeback. So, we will need to race hard to keep the jerseys,” Calderon concluded.
Behind the day’s victors and the second-placed Metallurgica Veneta Pro – Next Ride combination, ISB Cyclistwork Factory’s Meritxell Figueras Garangou and Alba Teruel Ribes were third. Bauhaus Cycling were fourth, and Velo Kartell x R-Suspension MTB were fifth. Torpado Kenda FSA were seventh on Stage 1, ceding 22 minutes and 53 seconds to the stage winners.
The Queen Stage, on Stage 2, provides ample opportunity for Sosna-PinelÄ— and Marchet to make up time. The 61-kilometre-long course includes 2 200 metres of climbing and 2 300 meters of descent, and features the highest point of the 2026 race, Llac de Pessons at 2 350 metres above sea level. If Torpado Kenda FSA can claw back 10 minutes on Friday, they could conceivably ride their way back into the battle for overall victory.
To see if the comeback is possible, mountain biking fans can like the Andorra Epic Facebook page or follow @andorra_epic on Instagram. Daily highlights from the race can be viewed on the Epic Series YouTube Channel. To find out more, visit www.epic-series.com/andorra.
2026 Andorra Epic Results Stage 1 Elite Men:
- SCOTT RACING: Davide Foccoli C Stefano Goria (2:02:42)
- KLIMATIZA ORBEA: David Valero C Samuele Porro (2:02:43 | +1)
- SINGER KTM RACING: Simon Stiebjahn C Martin Frey (2:04:41 | +1:59)
- KLIMATIZA ORBEA 2: Sebastian Gesche C Marc Stutzmann (2:06:01 | +3:19)
- SCOTT CALABANDIDA: Jose Maria Sanchez Ruiz C Alberto Barroso Gomez (2:06:18 | +3:36)
Stage 1 Elite Women:
- MASSI ISB SPORT: Monica Calderon C Costanza Fasolis (2:38:40)
- METALLURGICA VENETA – NEXT RIDE: Maria Zarantonello C Chrystelle Baumann (2:40:49 | +2:09)
- ISB CYCLISTWORK FACTORY: Meritxell Figueras Garangou C Alba Teruel Ribes (2:47:35 | +8:55)
- BAUHAUS CYCLING: Linn Gustafzzon C Moa Gustafzzon (2:49:07 | +10:27)
- VELO KARTELL X R-SUSPENSION MTB: Claudia KRENN C Veronika WEISS (2:53:10 | +14:30)
