The countdown has begun for the 4th Axion Lugano Summer Ride, an event that combines high-level cycling with a festive and community spirit. The organization is curated by the Velo Club Lugano, led by President Andrea Prati. The event, sponsored by the City of Lugano and supported by Axion Swiss Bank, will take place on Sunday, June 8th, bringing some stars of the 2025 cycling season to Swiss soil.

The beautiful Casino of Lugano hosted the event's presentation. Numerous riders from the recent Giro d'Italia will participate, including Lorenzo Fortunato, winner of the blue jersey for the Mountain Grand Prix. Fortunato triumphed in a stage of the Tour de Romandie this year. The Bologna native rides for XDS-Astana, like Christian Scaroni, another protagonist of the Axion Lugano Summer Ride. Scaroni has achieved 4 victories in the first part of 2025. The cherry on top was his win in the San Valentino stage in Brentonico at the Giro d'Italia. On the long Trentino climb, Scaroni and Fortunato distanced great champions, with the Brescia rider from Botticino crossing the finish line first.

Last year, Diego Ulissi finished 3rd in the "Axion Lugano" criterium. On Sunday, we'll see Ulissi racing again along Lugano's lakefront. At the Giro d'Italia, the indestructible Tuscan wore the pink jersey for a day. XDS-Astana will also have Como's Davide Ballerini racing, a rider who has gifted himself beautiful victories in the classics and won gold at the European Games. Davide Piganzoli (Polti-VisitMalta) comes from the Giro d'Italia, which he finished 14th overall. He will certainly be cheered on by many fellow Valtellina natives in Italian-speaking Switzerland, while Sergio Meris (Unibet Tietema Rockets) will be supported by fans from Bergamo.

A sure protagonist of the "Axion" will be Filippo Baroncini, UAE Emirates rider, known for his U23 World Championship victory in Leuven and impressive performances in professional classics as a domestique for Pogacar and Ayuso. The Ticino public can cheer for the talented Norwegian Jorgen Nordhagen, a 20-year-old from Visma-Lease a Bike. He was Junior World Champion in cross-country skiing but also shines on the bicycle, especially when the road goes uphill. His palmares includes the Giro del Friuli Venezia Giulia victory for elite and U23 categories last year, along with international classics. Stefano Oldani will showcase the Cofidis jersey in the Lake Lugano setting, Mikkel Honoré the EF Education jersey, and they'll be joined by Davide De Pretto (Jayco-AlUla), Fran Miholjevic (Bahrain-Victorious), Jan Tratnik (Red Bull-Bora), Jones Kind Hoydahl (Visma-Lease a Bike Development). As always, Velo Club Lugano will include riders from Velo Club Mendrisio: Roberto Bottaro, Emanuele Albini, and Filippo Vanoni will challenge Fortunato and other professionals. In the coming days, patron Andrea Prati and technical director Patrick Calcagni will announce additional top-tier athletes participating in the professional race.

Sunday's program will start at 12:40 with the Kids Tour races for young cyclists, the cantonal challenge promoted by Ticino Cycling that covers all cycling specialties (track, road, off-road) designed to promote 360-degree cycling activity. This will be followed by races for cyclists of all ages, which this year will adopt a new and exciting elimination format with 2900-meter sprint races. These will be structured in eliminatory rounds, semifinals, and finals. A touch of history will be added with the vintage bicycle parade that will add color to the event. The Axion Lugano will also be a gathering of guests from men's and women's cycling. The professional race with a single final finish will start at 19:30. The 1450-meter circuit will be repeated 26 times, totaling 37,700 km. Due to tradition and location quality, the Axion Lugano Summer Ride attracts a large audience.