Everything is set for the 2025 edition of the Coppi and Bartali International Week, which will kick off tomorrow with the first stage from Ferrara to Bondeno (start at 11:45 AM). 173 riders will compete, representing 25 teams, including eight World Teams.

This year's edition promises to be particularly competitive, with a high-level lineup featuring some of the most interesting names in international cycling.

FAVORITES AT THE START

Among the most anticipated protagonists is Alexey Lutsenko (Israel – Premier Tech), a Kazakh rider already a stage winner at the Vuelta a España and winner of several classics. With him, the team can also count on Jan Hirt, an experienced climber and winner of the stage with a finish in Aprica at the 2022 Giro d'Italia.

Great anticipation also surrounds the current Italian champion Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team), winner of the 2019 Tour of Flanders, his teammate Diego Ulissi, an experienced rider with eight Giro d'Italia stage wins and, among other successes, a Giro dell'Emilia and the 2013 Coppi and Bartali International Week, and the former national champion Simone Velasco.

Team Visma lines up a young and fierce formation, with Ben Tulett, second at the recent Milano – Torino, and the young Norwegian talent Jorgen Nordhagen, a multidisciplinary athlete who last year won the world title in the 20-kilometer mass start cross-country skiing at the Junior World Championships. Eyes are also on the Australian Caleb Ewan (Ineos Grenadiers), a pure sprinter capable of winning in grand tours, who will aim to conquer stages suited to fast wheels, starting from tomorrow.

UAE Team Emirates XRG can count on Jay Vine, a strong Australian climber already the best climber at the Vuelta a España, as well as the Polish rider Rafal Majka, a luxury domestique with stage wins in mountain stages at the Tour de France, and the Italian Alessandro Covi.

Attention is also on Walter Calzoni (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), who has shown great skills in stage races, and Lorenzo Finn (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe), a young Italian promise, winner of last year's world junior title.

The final stages of the first stage will be broadcast live streaming on the website www.tuttobiciweb.it, starting at 2:40 PM, and on Rai Sport from 5:40 PM.

First Stage: Ferrara - Bondeno (174.5 km), March 25

The race will start from a symbolic location: Largo Castello in Ferrara, just like in the first edition of 2001. From here, the group will face an initially flat route. The first section includes a circuit to be repeated twice, with a mountain grand prix after 33.5 km. Subsequently, they will cross the province of Ferrara, alternating long straight stretches and more winding sections, where wind could play a decisive role. After 106.7 km, the first passage at the Bondeno finish line introduces the final circuit of two laps of 33.9 km each. It is here that we will know the name of the first leader of the general classification.

Second Stage: Riccione - Sogliano al Rubicone (163.9 km), March 26

A tough and spectacular stage, with an altimetric profile typical of a classic with over 3,200 meters of total elevation gain. After an initial undulating section in the Rimini hills, the race enters the Republic of San Marino, facing the first true altitude challenges. The San Leo climb (4.7 km at 7.4%) marks the first mountain grand prix of the day, followed by a mixed section up to Passo delle Siepi. After the first passage at the Sogliano al Rubicone finish line at km 69, the four laps of the now-classic final circuit of 23.6 km begin, characterized by the "La Ciocca" climb. The finish is selective: 300 meters from the finish, a 180-degree turn introduces the extremely tough ramp of Via Giovanni Pascoli, with gradients up to 18%, decisive in determining the day's winner on the same finish line where Jonas Vingegaard, Diego Ulissi, Mikel Landa, and Bauke Mollema have triumphed in the past.

Third Stage: Riccione - Cesena (142.1 km), March 27

An insidious and animated stage, perfect for long-range attacks. After a first part similar to the previous stage, the climbs of Monte Olivo and Verucchio are faced, ideal for thinning out the group. The intermediate circuit to be repeated twice includes the Sorrivoli climb (1 km at 13%), a true wall that will make race control difficult. The final section of the race includes another circuit with the day's last climb at Diolaguardia, before a technical descent towards Cesena. The last kilometers are very technical and could favor an uncertain finish.

Fourth Stage: Brisighella - Brisighella (150.4 km), March 28

A stage that retraces the route of the previous edition, with an initial circuit to be repeated three times, characterized by the Monticino climb. The finale includes two laps of a shorter loop that adds the Rio Chiè climb, short but with a 10% section that could prove decisive. Just over 5 km from the finish, the last climb is faced, followed by a technical descent before the challenging finale: the last 400 meters are uphill and characterized by rapid successive curves, making the timing of the decisive sprint launch crucial.

Fifth Stage: Brisighella – Forlì (132.5 km), March 29

The final stage of the race, which is part of the Coppa Italia delle Regioni, starts from Brisighella; after an initial part without altitude challenges, the route moves towards the Forlì hills. The climb to Rocca delle Caminate will be faced twice, before moving to the eastern part and following a loop route including a first climb towards Polenta and a subsequent ascent, brief but very demanding, before crossing the village of Bertinoro and closing the loop. Finally, a last climb from the eastern side of Rocca delle Caminate will serve as a launch pad towards the final finish line in the central Piazza Saffi in Forlì, where the winner of the 2025 Coppi and Bartali International Week will be crowned, definitively wearing the Sidermec jersey. In Forlì, the Selle SMP jersey for the points classification, the Città di Forlì jersey for the best climber, and the Felsineo jersey for the young rider's classification will also be awarded, as well as the first leader of the Challenge Emilia Romagna – Sport Valley.

The list of participants is in the attached PDF