VERMIGLIO (VAL DI SOLE – TRENTINO), 30 AUGUST 2016 – Seven Masters world titles will be awarded tomorrow in the first day of Cross-country races and as many will be awarded on Thursday in the races to be held on the brand new track in Vermiglio plain, in Val di Sole, in western Trentino. The Italian debut in the UCI Mtb Masters World Champs will feature a large team of Italian athletes. Ivan Degasperi (silver 2015), Silvano Janes (gold 2015), Ivan Pintarelli and Andrea Zamboni from Trentino, Hubert Pallhuber Italian team manager, and many other riders form Veneto, Lombardia and Toscana will battle it out.
Among the favourites for the podium are Oscar Lazzaroni (Lombardia - Bergamo, team 2R Bike Store, XCO Italian champion and Marathon Master3), Carlo Manfredi Zaglio (Veneto, team Racing Rosola, Italian champion XCO Master4), Fabio Zampese (Veneto, team Bike Pro Action, Italian champion XCO Master1 - 4 4 times Italian champion – bronze 2015), Mirco Balducci (Toscana, team Tondi Sport, Italian champion XCO Master2 - 9 Italian titles won in a row from 2008), Gilberto Perini (Toscana, team AVIS Pratovecchio Cicli Errepi Lee Cougan, Italian champion XCO Master5, Italian champion Marathon Master5), Maurizio Borsato (Veneto, team ASD Salese, Italian champion XCO Master6), Fabrizio Stefani (Veneto, team Rudy Project, Italian champion XCO Master7), Ivan Degasperi (Trentino, team Todesco, 1° Valdisole Marathon Master2, Italian champion Marathon Master2), Fabrizio Pezzi (Toscana, team AVIS Pratovecchio Cicli Errepi Lee Cougan, Italian champion Marathon Master4) and Leonardo Arici (Veneto, team Racing Rosola ASD, Italian champion marathon Master6).
They will have to battle it out with many protagonists of 2015 Worlds, starting with Spanish, French, British and USA athletes.
Among the women, dreams of glory involve Eloise Tresoldi (Lombardia, team SC Triangolo Lariano, 2nd Italian championships Elite Women Sport, 3rd Valdisole Marathon Classic), Chiara Selva (Friuli Venezia Giulia, team Spezzotto, Italian champion XCO Women1), Silvia Filiberti (Emilia Romagna, Lugagnano Off Road, Italian champion XCO Women2), Valentina Rocca (Veneto, Team Todesco, 10th Valdisole Marathon) and Roberta Seneci (Veneto, team Racing Rosola, 3rd Italian championships XCO Women2) and Lorena Zocca (Veneto, Sc Barbieri, 4 Italian titles). But surprises during the race are not excluded.
At the start there will be some 2015 Andorra World Champs protagonists such as Norway’s Gjertrud Bø protagonist in 50 category with French Corinne Bedard, but also Argentinian Graciela Elina Vargas, Spanish Marga Fullana and USA’s Cameron Urban. But Italian riders will not be intimidated.
Cross-country competitions will take place on the historical XCO trail used for the Internazionali d'Italia Series, with some changes: the waterfall uphill section will be longer, there will be a brand new singletrack besides the one already present, purposely redeveloped for this race. The 4.5 km-long race loop with an elevation gain of 190 m, is located in the beautiful area of the S.Leonardo and athletes will have to run the number of laps required in their category.
The Italian launch of the World Masters has already attracted the interest of about 50 journalists from Italy and abroad, who will join the one hundred who have already accredited for the UCI MTB World Championships Elite.
Alberto Penasa - Azienda Turismo Val di Sole
Viale Marconi, 7 - 3827 - Malè - (TN)
Tel. +39.0463.900863 - Fax +39.0463.901563
www.valdisole.net - penasa.a@valdisole.net
