Today at the CONI Presidents' Hall in Rome, the 67th edition of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Tour, which will take place on April 12th, was presented.

The race will start from Bova Marina and conclude on the Falcomatà Waterfront in Reggio Calabria, after 183.3 kilometers with 1,800 meters of elevation gain. It will be a race suitable for sprinters capable of withstanding the route's challenges. The key points of the race will be Piano Maschera (959 m above sea level) and Monte Sant'Elia (544 m above sea level), before descending towards Bagnara Calabra, Scilla, and Villa San Giovanni.

The last winner of the race was Colombian Jhonatan Restrepo. 14 teams are expected at the start, including the Italian National Team, led by Olympic champion Elia Viviani. Also present are the three Italian Professional teams - VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, Polti-Kometa, and Team Solutions Tech - along with 10 Continental teams.

Among the favorites are also Sicilian Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group) and Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-Kometa).
The race will be broadcast on delay on Rai Sport.

CONI President Giovanni Malagò hosted the event, welcoming the Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Giuseppe Falcomatà, and the Sports Councilor, Giovanni Latella. The Cycling League was represented by Stefano Feltrin.

The Calabrian race represents the third stage of the Regions Cup, currently led by Christian Scaroni, while among the leading teams is VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.

Protagonists' Statements

Giovanni Malagò (CONI President):
"This is not just a sporting initiative, but a way to rediscover and enhance an ancient history, interrupted over the years also due to the pandemic. Today, organizing a cycling race is a complex challenge: between responsibilities, bureaucracy, and technical aspects, it requires great commitment. As a Southern Italy fan, I know well how much more difficult it is to do things here: logistical and transportation problems double the efforts and multiply the necessary energies. But it's precisely for this reason that events like this have added value. Everything starts from the vision of men and women who believed in a project, and today we can finally restart that tradition."

Giuseppe Falcomatà (Reggio Calabria Mayor):
"A great classic that, every time, fills us with pride. The Cycling Tour of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria represents an important sporting moment and, above all, an extraordinary showcase for the territory. From the slopes of Aspromonte to the panoramic views of the Reggio coastline, our area confirms itself among the most fascinating circuits in the Italian cycling calendar."

Giovanni Latella (Sports Councilor):
"The international cycling spotlight returns to our territory, a sign of the credibility and charm of one of the races that made Italian cycling history. The Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria Tour maintains an ancient fascination, capable of projecting the territory and the cycling movement towards the future. The right mix, in short, to experience always new and exciting emotions."

Stefano Feltrin (Cycling League):
"The Calabrian race is a beautiful cycling message for Southern Italy. An appointment that fits into the context of the Regions Cup, recently presented in Brussels at the European Committee of the Regions. It will be an opportunity for Italian riders to stand out."

Marco Selleri:
"We will have an interesting comparison between Italian Continental and Professional teams, a technical aspect of great value. I also wish that this race can be conducted with continuity, allowing constant work and improvement. There are many novelties that could already arrive next year. In the meantime, we will have the debut of CT Marco Villa with Elia Viviani and a young rider like Lorenzo Fin."

The Cycling Tour of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria marks the return of a historic event, one of the great classics of cycling in Southern Italy. Previously known as the Reggio Calabria Province Tour, it is a century-old cycling race, whose first edition, organized by Sporting Club 1917, dates back to 1920.

Over the years, the race has seen great cycling champions, including Learco Guerra, Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Gastone Nencini, Vittorio Adorni, Francesco Moser, Gianbattista Baronchelli, Moreno Argentin, Giuseppe Saronni, Davide Cassani, and Michele Bartoli, up to the last edition in 2023, won by Jhonatan Restrepo.

Among the Regions Cup partners are Castelli, Suzuki, and Novo Nordisk - Official Health Partner.
At the finish of each of the 21 stages of the men's competition, the "Novo Nordisk Health Village" will be set up. The Health Village will host various initiatives for the population such as DrivingChange Arenas, meetings with doctors, patient associations, local institution representatives to discuss health, sports, and urban well-being, and cardio-metabolic screenings, to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent chronic non-communicable diseases like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. With this partnership, Novo Nordisk continues its commitment to the territory within the Cities for Better Health program on topics that combine sports, health, quality of life, and prevention; a global project born more than 10 years ago that sees Italy as the most advanced international network in studying urban health determinants.