The Para-cycling World Championships in Ronse concluded with the Italian team celebrating a gold and a bronze on the final day of competition. Italy shines again in the men's tandem category: Federico Andreoli and Francesco Di Felice bring the National Team back to the top step of the podium after 11 years, triumphing in the road race at the Ronse World Championships.

There's more than just a medal in this gold: there's patience, the bet on a project, and the courageous choice to get back in the game. It's the symbol of a path that the Head Coach Pierpaolo Addesi, together with his staff, wanted and built brick by brick. The last to win the world jersey were brothers Luca and Ivano Pizzi, in 2014, with the time trial in Greenville (USA), who were also protagonists at the London 2012 Paralympics with gold in the road race. Since then, the Italian tandem had struggled to return to the top, until the sprint in Ronse, where Andreoli and Di Felice broke the wait.

Behind them, Spain's Sanso Riera and Teruel Rovira won silver, regulating the French pair De Carvalho - Guichard in a sprint finish. An intense race that certified the increasingly high level of a discipline that has returned to a central role thanks to the work of the Italian staff.

A success that is certainly not random, confirming a structured path and a clear vision. This is demonstrated by the placements of the other national tandems: fourth place for Lorenzo Bernard and Paolo Totò, as well as for Marianna Agostini and Noemi Eremita, couples formed just a few months ago and already competitive at the world level. Their performance confirms the solidity of the project and the team's ability to involve experienced guides, building a perfect couple synergy.

The world championship concludes with one last medal for the Italian delegation: bronze in the Team Relay. In the final event of the World Championships, Davide Cortini, Luca Mazzone, and Mirko Testa led the relay with precision and collaboration, keeping Italy in the race for the podium.

France set the pace from the second lap, quickly taking the lead, while the Italians remained in the group behind, ready to compete. With four laps to go, and France already in the lead, it was a fierce battle for silver between Australia and Italy. In the finale, Mirko Testa tried to respond to the opponent's sprint, but Australia prevailed. Italy thus closes the championship with a bronze, bringing its total to 14 medals (7 golds, 2 silvers, and 5 bronzes), securing third place in the world medal table.

Other Italian athletes - Among the MC5, the best result was by Andrea Tarlao, eighth, followed by Giacomo Salvalaggio in eleventh and Riccardo Stacchiotti in twelfth. In the MC4, three Italians in the top ten: Michele Pittacolo finished eighth, followed by Riccardo Cadei and Danilo Giorgio. In the women's tandem, the Colombo-Bissolati pair secured ninth place. Claudia Cretti was unable to complete the race due to a mechanical issue.

Head Coach Pierpaolo Addesi's assessment: "It was a very positive trip for our team. Giorgio Farroni won gold in both the time trial and road race: despite being a veteran in the category, he continues to bring home important results. Amadeo returned as world champion, reclaiming a jersey lost in recent years. The H3 team achieved an excellent result, with the athletes collaborating perfectly to secure a third and a second place, demonstrating great team spirit. Mazzone and Cornegliani also confirmed their competitive level. We had some bad luck: Cretti had a mechanical problem at the start, while the C5 group and the women's tandem (fourth place overall) were penalized by punctures at the decisive moment, losing medals they deserved. The men's tandems, however, shone: the Andreoli and Di Felice gold is very important, the first in 11 years, with Totò and Bernard covering the breakaway and allowing a fourth-place finish. Considering that the tandem project started in January 2023, achieving such results in such a short time is truly significant. We finished beautifully with the Time Relay, narrowly missing silver by just 3 centimeters. Regarding the C4 category, the level is very high and we'll need to work on it, similar to the C5 category, but I'm still happy because we've created a cohesive team, with a relaxed and positive atmosphere among the young athletes. Seeing these team dynamics becoming increasingly normal makes me very happy. I want to thank the entire staff that supports me because behind these results, there is a lot of work. These successes are the result of a strong team, supported by the Federation and the Paralympic movement, which I will always be grateful for."