After a very busy October with 4 races in 5 Sundays, the Giro d'Italia cyclocross The race, which took place in Abruzzo, confirmed the trend seen at the beginning of the season, which the organizers of the challenge, former city manager Fausto Scotti at the head, they have already highlighted: the particular structure of the Italian calendar, combined with the need for Italian riders to find points for the UCI ranking, is gradually impoverishing the national racesTeams head abroad, are forced to follow the international calendar (with a significant expenditure of resources), and this weighs on the evolution of the circuit.
Pavan stands out in the rain
With all the veterans from the European Championships in Namur absent, other protagonists found space. Here is Marco Pavan He racked up another win in a season that was taking off. The Turin native had already taken the lead after two laps, less than a quarter of the race, to complete a solo race, with Lazio's Antonio Folcarelli He remained within half a minute of the lead but was unable to close the gap. For Pavan, the pink jersey is increasingly secure: "Between the cold and the rain it wasn't easy to get over it, with this victory the conquest of the challenge is more concrete and for this I thank my family and the Cingolani team». Marco doesn't say it, but he also hopes that these performances will convince Pontoni to give him a chance.
Bulleri leaving for the East
The hunt for an Azzurri jersey is keeping many interested. Especially in the Elite category, where the coach, by his own admission, is forced to move randomly, waiting to complete the journey he began with the youth categories. Alessia is aware of this. Bulleri, the Elban standard-bearer of the Cycling Café who by winning in Ovindoli has come closer to the leadership of the absent Rebecca Gariboldi: "I hope so, but to make a significant bid I need to be seen abroad too, which is why we're now planning a triptych of races in Slovakia.». Let's go back to the initial discussion.
The Tuscan felt very comfortable on the Abruzzo course: "It was tough and with many climbs, very different from what we're used to seeing in Italy, with lots of flat sections and fast paces. Here I had to push on the pedals uphill and this helped me.».
Nostalgia for mountain biking
This start to the cyclocross season has been fruitful for Bulleri, thanks also to a forced early end to the road season: «A crash after I had regained my fitness following the long break due to Covid forced me to give up the entire final part of the season., so I started training a little earlier and the results are showing. I was disappointed because overall the road season hadn't been bad: between February and March I had even achieved two third-place finishes in the Spanish Cup, then Covid stopped everything."
The choice to continue between cyclocross and road does not deny her: «The next one will be the fifth season with theEneicat RBH Global, my Spanish team, then we'll see what to do, also because I don't hide the fact that I'm a bit nostalgic for mountain biking and I even received some good suggestions to go back to my first love.But I have a signed contract and I want to honor it in the best possible way."
Meanwhile, at the youth level, the excitement is constant and a new talent is coming to the fore: that of Alice Sabatino (Jam's Bike), third in Ovindoli and first among the juniors with a success that brings her to just one point from the leader, Nelia CabetajFor the Italian championships on January 15th, a truly white-hot challenge is expected with many protagonists trying to make themselves seen behind the two leading ladies. Crows e Venturelli.
New young people on the horizon
Interest is also emerging among their peers, and not just because of the outcome of the Ovindoli race. It's no secret that Pontoni is particularly interested in the category and was very displeased with the Azzurrini's overall poor performance in Namur, so he anticipates a profound shift in their choices for the upcoming World Cup stages.
hector Pra authoritatively puts forward his candidature after the victory in Abruzzo, at the end of a race in which he tried for a long time to detach himself from the rest of the group, also with the help of his teammate in the coloursHellas Monteforte Francesco Bertini, but the pink jersey Mattia Stenico (Gs Sorgente Pradipozzo) has always remained just a stone's throw away. The two are now separated by just one point ahead of the final in Gallipoli on December 18th, and there will certainly be no shortage of interest that day.
