Australian double in the Cavaliere Liberazione Juniores, an international race that opened the second day of the Lazio Bike Days at Terme di Caracalla, as well as the first of the two days of the 78th Gran Premio della Liberazione. Under the watchful eye of the junior Italian national team coach Dino Salvoldi, former sports director of Pantani and Nibali Beppe Martinelli, Lazio Regional Cycling Federation president Maurizio Brilli and a large crowd, main sponsor Clemente Cavaliere waved the start flag and athletes from 35 teams, including 5 foreign ones, set off to tackle 15 laps and 90 total kilometers. In the first half of the race, Achille Bellato (Energy Team) attempted a solo breakaway, but in the second half, when the pace increased, the Australian ARA Skip Capital team took center stage, highlighting the event's international nature: their relentless attacks created a first breakaway group of five, but it was in the eleventh lap that the winning move materialized. Two of the youngest riders in the entire start list, Connor Wright and Ben Coates, broke away and pedaled with regular exchanges and perfect cornering lines for over twenty triumphant kilometers, during which they kept a peloton of almost fifty units at bay. Little agreement in the chase, a few tandems here and there trying to escape, but with a splendid "couple finish" Wright wins over Coates: on the awards stage the two teammates also sharing the combativeness award named after the historic former Lazio Regional Cycling Federation president Antonio Zanon. Behind them Francesco Baruzzi (Aspiratori Otelli) completes the podium, beating Riccardo Colombo (Bustese Olonia) in a sprint and Belarusian Ilya Slesarenko, carrying the colors of organizer Claudio Terenzi's Veleka team.

"An incredibly tough race, I'm happy... and relieved to have finished," jokes the winner Connor Wright, who is used to constant attacks and very technical courses, being an off-road aussie talent who today scored a major road victory in Rome, "we successfully carried out a strategy entirely focused on attacking!"

The show at Terme di Caracalla continues in the afternoon, with almost 700 athletes involved across all categories today: below is the complete finishing order of this Junior race