Monaco once again played host to the Longines Pro Am Cup on Friday evening, which sees an amateur and professional rider pair up to compete for the coveted title with a focus on speed and agility.
Team Sapinda wowed the crowd with a thrilling win, watched on by Sapinda Chairman Lars Windhorst, as the lights came out in the Principality.
The first team out of the tunnel to take part in the relay set the pace for the rest of the competition: Mission Enfance, made up of Dietlinde Thomel and Eric van der Vleuten had the crowd screaming as they secured the fastest in the first round and left enough in the tank to cut that time by more than four seconds to initially lead the second.
However, it was not enough to win as Flo Fulton Miller and Lucy Davis for team Sapinda stepped on the accelerator and revved into first with a dramatic win, stopping the clock for their second round at 63.88s.
Davis explained her tactics following their great result, “We were conservative in the first round but really went for it in the second as we knew it mattered more, so tried to strategise.”
Flo Fulton Miller added she was highly impressed by her pro team-mate, calling her “an idol”.
The competition, which is in its seventh year, was launched by Patron Charlotte Casiraghi in 2010, it emphasises the family spirit of the sport and its pace and relay format make it a real crowd pleaser. Despite a fast first round, team Rampoldi – Leonora Smee and Kevin Jochems – got knocked out of the second after Smee on Waltons Top Flight jumped an unintended fence.
And as the evening lights of Monte Carlo began to twinkle, the eight qualifying teams continued to battle it out for a podium finish, with Ignace Philips and Jane Richard Philips of team Longines securing third place with a rapid 66.69s finish. It was enough to push Julien Massard and Max Kühner of team Gallery 3 into fourth with a nail-bitingly close 66.7s.
Tomorrow sees the CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco Presented by Sapinda at 20:30 local time.
Edited press release: Global Champions Tour