It was a spectacular and unpredictable 70th Coppa Montes that today, with the organizational direction of the Asd Anpi Provinciale led by President Massimo Masat and the collaboration of Ciclistica Pieris, renewed the April 25th tradition on the Friulian roads.

THE RACE REPORT - After the morning rain, the weather gave a respite to the 164 athletes who lined up at the start in Monfalcone: a very fast race, conditioned by strong winds, with the peloton proceeding compactly for the first 50 kilometers.

The breakaway was sparked by three athletes: Iaroslav Prosandeev (Baix Ebre), Tim Mervar (Adria Mobil) and Mikita Babovich (Cannibal); the escapees gained a minute on the rest of the group but due to a crash, they broke apart, and Prosandeev faced the first slopes of the Ruttars climb in the lead. The race literally exploded on the first ascent, with around fifty athletes remaining at the front. They would be the protagonists on the subsequent climbs that saw the caravan ascending to San Floriano del Collio, San Michele del Carso, and Poggio Terza Armata. During the final climb of the day, Giacomo Rosato (Team Giorgi) and Davide Frigo (Team Tiepolo) attempted to make the selection: the leading group thinned out, studied each other, and in the final kilometers, the chasers closed the gap.

Entering Monfalcone, three kilometers from the finish, a group of about thirty riders formed: a sprint finish seemed inevitable when Davide Frigo launched his attack. A perfect finisseur move by the Bassano rider from Team Tiepolo, who managed to gain ten seconds and arrived solo on the final straight of the Coppa Montes, receiving applause from the large crowd along the roadside.

Brandon Fedrizzi (Petrucci Assali Stefen) regulated the chasing group, preceding Melsan Idrizi (Autozai Contri); flowers and applause on the podium for the top three, along with congratulations from the Vice President of the Italian Cycling Federation, Stefano Bandolin, President Massimo Masat, and Michela Vovrig, President of Legacoop FVG.

VOICES AFTER THE FINISH LINE - First seasonal success for Davide Frigo, younger brother of Marco, professional with Israel Premier Tech who just last Wednesday obtained his first victory in the top category at the Tour of the Alps. "It was a very tough race, I always stayed at the front, but when the chasers caught up in the final part of the race, I thought I had no more hope. I'm not a fast athlete, so I stayed in the wheel and just before the last kilometer, I tried to break away: it worked out, and I'm extremely happy to have won such a beautiful and prestigious race" Davide Frigo said from the awards stage. "It's been a special week for our family, we'll have a lot to celebrate together in the coming days".

Satisfied with the full success of the event, Massimo Masat added: "It was a wonderful day: even the weather gave us a break and allowed us to race safely. The athletes put on a show worthy of the international prestige of the Coppa Montes, and I saw many people along the roadside. Thanks go to Ciclistica Pieris for the organizational collaboration, to all the volunteers engaged on the course, and to our sponsors, starting with BCC Venezia Giulia, Assicoop, and Legacoop".

FINAL STANDINGS
1st Davide Frigo (Team Tiepolo)
covering 115 km in 2h43'12" at an average of 42.537 km/h
2nd Brandon Fedrizzi (Petrucci Assali Stefen) at 3"
3rd Melsan Idrizi (Autozai Contri)
4th Fabio Segatta (Us Montecorona)
5th Matvei Iakovlev (Pc Baix Ebre Tortosa)
6th Matteo Piva (Gs Giovani Giussanesi)
7th Emanuele Parianotti (Gs Giovani Giussanesi)
8th Luca Vaccher (Team F.lli Giorgi)
9th Matvey Boldyrev (Pc Baix Ebre Tortosa)
10th Francesco Tessari (Petrucci Assali Stefen)