GP GUERCIOTTI. VICTORIES OF REBECCA GARIBOLDI, ELISA FERRI, FILIPPO GRIGOLINI AND FILIPPO FONTANA

CYCLOCROSS | 01/12/2024 | 13:44
The two-day cyclocross event hosted at Vittoria Park in Brembate concluded with an equally spectacular second day with the Mamma e Papà Guerciotti Grand Prix. The international trials served as the epilogue to the event and provided great emotions and spectacle to the numerous spectators who gathered in the province of Bergamo to witness one of the most important events of the cyclocross season in Italy. A spectacular and exciting course, a wonderful sunny day, and plenty of competition and fun. Elements that suggest, even from the words of organizers Paolo, Alessandro, and Michela Guerciotti, and Vittoria CEO Stijn Vriends, that the marriage between the GP Guerciotti and Vittoria Park will likely continue next year, considering the great appreciation expressed by all the athletes. The day began with great joy for the Guerciotti family with the one-two finish among the Junior Women by Elisa Ferri and Elisa Bianchi. The other winners were Italian Champion Filippo Fontana among the Elite, Rebecca Gariboldi among the Elite Women, and Filippo Grigolini among the Juniors. Here's the account of the individual races.
JUNIOR WOMEN From the first lap, the pair formed by the two Fas Airport Service Guerciotti Premac athletes, namely the national champion Elisa Ferri and Elisa Bianchi, takes the lead. The two continue in tandem, then, during the third lap, the Italian champion Elisa Ferri pulls ahead at the head of the competition and increases her advantage. Bianchi maintains the second position, while Elisa Giangrasso (Salus Guerciotti CX) stabilizes in third place, with Giulia Zambelli (DP66) behind her. During the fourth and fifth laps, the advantage of the Tuscan Bianchi at the head of the race increases, and the other positions crystallize. Elisa Bianchi crosses the finish line alone, receiving an embrace from patron Paolo Guerciotti and team manager Alessandro Guerciotti after the finish.
Winner Elisa Bianchi commented: "Winning here was very beautiful because it was the home race for our team, and it means a lot to us. I must say I really enjoyed it because the course was very technical and therefore very suitable for me, and it was really wonderful to race and win here at Vittoria Park. Now I'll try to continue growing physically and mentally to be in top form for the Italian Championship and try to give my all to win the national jersey again."
ELITE AND UNDER 23 WOMEN Great show and emotions until the very end in the women's Open race. After the start, Piedmontese Carlotta Borello (Team Cingolani), the dominant force in the Italian cross season so far, immediately takes the lead. During the second lap, however, the Turin rider has a slight dip, and Brianza's Rebecca Gariboldi (Ale Cycling Team) takes advantage to overtake, but is immediately surpassed by Tuscan Francesca Baroni (Proximus – Cyclis) who tries to break away at the front. A new surge from Borello in the third lap rejoins Baroni, forming a new leading tandem. Gariboldi is in third position, and Lucia Bramati (Fas Airport Service Guerciotti Premac) is in fourth, the best of the Under 23 Women. But the situation is very fluid and still wide open, with the four regrouping at the head of the race at the end of the third lap when Gariboldi tries a new offensive. An attack that hits the mark, with Brianza's Gariboldi increasing her advantage at the head of the race. But Gariboldi must contend with the tenacity and return of Carlotta Borello, who rejoins the head of the race. Meanwhile, unlucky Lucia Bramati is forced to stop in the pits for a bike change at a crucial moment in the race. The finale is full of twists and remains uncertain until a few hundred meters from the finish. First, a technical problem stops Gariboldi for a moment. Then the same happens to Borello. The two reconnect, and Rebecca finds the energy for the final, decisive push that allows her to win the race. Second is Carlotta Borello. Third is Lucia Bramati, the best of the Under 23 Women.
Rebecca Gariboldi is happy with her success: "This victory comes at a moment where it was much sought after. I spent a period training hard, and the goal was to try to make a change of pace starting from the beginning of December, and beyond today's victory, it was important to know that I have an excellent condition, which means we are working in the right direction. It wasn't easy because the race, due to my mistake, became difficult right away, but I never lost concentration, and this allowed me to get back to the front. Then Borello gave me a hard time because she was riding very well, and we played it out in the last lap. I never stopped believing and found the right moment to attack. Winning was a confirmation of my condition, and I hope to continue like this and am confident of having a good month of December, which is rich with great events, and I will also participate in World Cup trials."
House favorite Lucia Bramati was also satisfied: "A really tough race from the beginning. I had a mechanical problem three laps from the end that took me out of the fight for first and second place, but I fought until the end to conquer the third step of the podium and I'm very happy because my sensations are constantly improving race after race, and I dedicate this placement to the team."
ELITE Between the first and second lap, a trio forms at the head of the race consisting of Briton Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing), Italian Champion Filippo Fontana (Cs Carabinieri Cicli Olympia), and young Samuele Scappini (Team Cingolani). During the sixth of the ten laps to be completed, Gioele Bertolini (Fas Airport Service Guerciotti Premac) makes a great move to get back to the head of the race. In the last two laps, however, the victory remains a matter between the Briton Mein and the national champion Fontana, who is at his first race of the season. The Italian Champion begins the season with a smile and ultimately manages to shake off the tenacious British rider and win the prestigious GP Guerciotti. Scappini smiles less, stopped by a problem in the last lap and overtaken by Junior World Champion Stefano Viezzi (B Team Cyclocross Project), who goes on to conquer an important podium and is classified first among the Under 23.
Filippo Fontana recounts after the victory: "I knew it would be tough because I don't have many weeks of preparation behind me, and this was my first cross race of the season. However, thanks to the very technical course, I managed to stay on the wheel and not work too hard. Then in the last lap, I fired the last bullet I had left, and it went well. Mein was going very strong, but actually, the others behind were too. I also had a bit of luck, and it went well. Happy with a good start, and now I'll continue to prepare for what will be my only goal this season, namely the Italian Championship."
JUNIORS After the initial skirmishes, a group takes control of the race. It includes: Giacomo Serangeli (DP66), Ettore Fabbro (DP66), Filippo Grigolini (Team Cingolani), Patrik Pezzo Rosola (Zanolini-Q36.5 Sudtirol), Pietro Cao (Team Bosco di Orsago), and Mattia Proietti Gagliardoni (Fas Airport Service Guerciotti Premac). About three laps from the conclusion, a quartet forms at the head of the race with Serangeli, Fabbro, Grigolini, and Pezzo Rosola, who, between a shoulder bump and an acceleration, arrive at the finale. In the last few hundred meters, the son of an artist Pezzo Rosala tries to slightly advantage himself and faces the final ramp to the finish line first. But the emotions are not over: on his right, Filippo Grigolini mounts a great comeback to win the sprint race, just in front of Patrik Pezzo Rosola, with Ettore Fabbro completing the podium.
These are the words of winner Filippo Grigolini: "A very strange race with a beautiful course. In the end, I arrived at the last corner in second position and managed to win. Now I'm thinking about the upcoming World Cup trials and then the World Championship in February."
The final words are from Luca Bramati, sports director of the home team, Fas Airport Service Guerciotti Premac: "We are very happy with the results obtained today. We were a bit lacking in the Elite category, but we were protagonists in all categories. We started great among the Junior Women. In the women's Open race, we got a nice podium for Lucia Bramati, although it's a shame she was victim of a double puncture because today she could have played for the victory."
Regarding the Vittoria Park course, Luca Bramati concludes: "Absolutely beautiful and fun course. There are certainly some critical points to fix, but the rest is perfect. It was not a simple course because it was very technical, all to be guided, but also very enjoyable."