The first gravel world championship in history will be held in Veneto on 8-9 October, organised by Pippo Pozzato with his PP Sport EventsThere was no shortage of applications, from Tuscany to the United States, but in the end the UCI has chosen the Vicenza-born projectAnd the technical inspection carried out last Monday (by bike) along the 194 kilometers of the route confirmed the soundness of the choice.
In Sandrigo at 8
This is the story of a journey to discover the path and the reasoning that led to its creation, made in early September with Pozzato and Angelo Furlan who, together with Marco Menin, was responsible for charting the courseAppointment at 8 in Sandrigo's office and then off for the day.
«The World Cup – says Pozzato – is an important opportunity to raise the barEvery year we're doing something more, so together with the whole team we decided to throw ourselves into this adventure. I have some really good guys, our strength is the energy and the desire to do well.. It will certainly be difficult, because in any case the first is always more difficult, there is no precedent to compare it toWe had to take everything with a pinch of salt. But with the work and enthusiasm, with the energy of the young people who work with us, certainly we will be able to bring him home as we want».
The start from Vicenza
We start from Vicenza, from the city centre, where the Sports Councillor Matteo Celebron passes by to say hello on a bike of the Bike sharing of the city that believes and focuses on sustainable mobilityTwo directions for race day and off we go. Piazza dei Signori and then the porticoes of Monte Berico. From up there, on a dirt road just after the sanctuary where Gilbert won the stage of the 2015 Giro, The official start will be given. The final kilometers will be 194.
«In Veneto we have a wonderful territory – says Furlan – and winning this World Cup is a source of prideWe set out to discover places we didn't know, even though they were right behind our house. To design the route, it took a month of software research (they used Komoot, ed.). But then It took about 80 hours of cycling to do it allWe start with a postcard of Vicenza. Then we move on to an environment urbanfrom the UNESCO wonders to other purely bucolic ones. And we end with the walls of Cittadella, skirting Padua.
Along the Bacchiglione
Monte Berico is the first climb on the transfer section. Then the first dirt roads, the descent and the second climb, on asphalt and about 2 kilometers long, before going down towards Lake Fimon and leave Vicenza behind.
At this point the altimetric difficulties are over, From now on the route is a continuous in and out between asphalted sectors, dirt roads and cycle paths. Although one of the unpleasant surprises was that only a few cycle paths have been paved and maintained the 80% share of dirt road It required a few more detours.
Up to Padua it runs along the Bacchiglione, a bit on the embankment and a bit on the cycle pathAnd it is precisely the little road under and over the bridges of Padua that brings the world championship into one of the most characteristic gravel sectors.
"From a travel perspective," says Furlan, "the part the cyclist will enjoy most is the central one. You leave Vicenza and then you fly into these long stretches inland, into fields that seem to never end. That, in my opinion, is the most beautiful part."
Return to Piazzola
The flat part ends at Piazzola sul Brenta, arrival of the Serenissima Gravel, where the world championship will pass along Villa Contarini and taking the route of the final circuit that will wind around Cittadella. The opportunity for a drink and a meeting with an old friend allow the conversation to deepen.
«With President Zaia and the Veneto Region – says Pozzato – the idea is to enhance the territoryWe are fortunate to have of towns and cities such as Vicenza, Cittadella and Padua who strongly believe in the cycling projectWe started last year with our races and what we want to do is to plant the flag and keep it over the years, and then grow in other parts of Italy too. But we Venetians certainly care about our territory, we care a lot about it and politics helps us."
The Carrefour de l'Arbre
Diego Galli, the Sports Councilor, awaits us in Cittadella. A quick hello, the promise of closing in the center with an aperitif and off we go to explore the circuit. And here the gravel becomes challenging.
«From a technical point of view – Furlan nods and explains – for the elite who will do the final part, Via Giovo will surely be a sort of Carrefour dell'Arbre of CittadellaNarrow road. Stones. Mud. The hump in the center and the 90-degree bend at the bottom. This one goes left, Roubaix-style to the right, but we're there. That's the best part for those who will do the complete route».
The surface is uneven, the only solution will be to turn the gear and hope to… float on the rocks. Furlan says that the choice of tires, pressures and gears will depend on the condition of the roads and whether it has rained or not.
The arrival at Cittadella
Via Giovo will make the final selection, then the group will head towards the finish line in the centre of Cittadella, in the same square where the Giro del Veneto started last year.
«Everything I criticized as a rider – says Pozzato in front of the prosecco that closes the day – I promised myself to put into practice together with my team, to seize opportunities that may not arise when you maintain the traditional approachI would like to innovate this sport as much as possible and make it become especially attractive to young people, so that they do not run away towards other disciplines".
«I think – he continues – that cycling is the most beautiful sport in the world. The thing that we may have gotten wrong over the years is how we communicated it.We're trying to do it differently to bring home young people who can be the protagonists of our events. Not just the athlete, but the spectator must also be a protagonist and feel part of the event."
There are 30 days to go until the first ever Gravel World Championship. The women will race on Saturday 8th October, the following day it will be the men's turn, divided by age group. A sort of marathon, with the elite ahead and the rest of the world behind.
The first stone has been laid, Athletes are qualifying from all over the worldWe're really curious to see how it all turns out. In this corner of Veneto between the Berici Hills and the slopes of Mount Grappa, they're really working flat out.
