Team Polti VisitMalta faces another week in France, this time to take on a stage race it already competed in last year: Région Pays de la Loire, which in this edition features the important upgrade from .1 to Pro category.

Compared to 2025, seven out of eight stage towns will change, with only the finish remaining the same on the Gazonfier circuit: almost 400 meters at 15% to be tackled five times, the last of which comes 8 kilometers from the final line that will decide the overall winner. What will not change is the clear division of the route: the first two days will favor the sprinters, although on typical French courses anything can happen; the other two days don’t include major climbs, but punchy efforts ideal for the spectacular attacks that will shape the GC.

The Polti VisitMalta lineup will consist of Dario Igor Belletta, Davide Bais, Andrea Pietrobon, Gabriele Bessega, Manuel Peñalver and Mirco Maestri. After seeing his twin brother Tommaso reach the podium at Coppi e Bartali, Gabriele Bessega will arrive together with Belletta and Maestri from La Roue Tourangelle, Paris-Camembert and Route Adélie de Vitré. These were his words on the eve of Région Pays de la Loire: “In the three classics, we raced as a real team! Personally I felt my condition improving race after race, now in the Loire I’m ready and motivated to contribute to strong results”.

The sports director will be Jesús Hernández: “As always around here, we’ll need to stay united and ride smart. Tomorrow and the day after we’ll work for Peñalver’s sprints; on the punchy sections and circuits of Thursday and Friday we have several options available, including Bais and Pietrobon, who arrive here well rested. I believe the standings will remain open until the end, so we’ll need to be ready to seize every opportunity.”