79TH GRAN PREMIO DELLA LIBERAZIONE: 28 TEAMS CHASING THE SPRING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

There will be 28 participating teams, of which 10 from abroad, to renew the eternal challenge among professionals on April 25th. Good news from Uae Gen Z: the "Spring Under 23 World Championship" will mark the return to racing of road-track talent Davide Stella, following a crash at the AlUla Tour and a subsequent collision with a car during training that kept him away from competition for almost three months. Speaking of multidisciplinary athletes, Christian Fantini will be the spearhead of Solme Olmo Arvedi, while Padovani presents itself with a Riccardo Lorello in great form but also with that Mirko Bozzola who won the Liberazione Juniors in 2022. Other names worth noting are Nicolò Arrighetti of General Store, Davide Basso of Beltrami TSA, Alessio Menghini of Technipes #InEmiliaRomagna and Riccardo Fabbro of Trevigiani Energiapura Marchiol. There should also be a legacy rider like Ivan Taccone of Mg.K Vis Costruzioni e Ambiente, whose grandfather Vito in the 1960s won numerous stages at the Giro d'Italia and conquered Il Lombardia.

Among the foreigners we'll see in action at the Liberazione, Italy this spring has had the opportunity to know well Andriy Zozulia of Ukraine Cycling Team, author of good placements in our country: he and his teammates are part of a group of 15 athletes who were taken away from the war in 2022, still minors, by the team coordinated by Lorenzo Carrara and by officials of GSC Villongo responding to the call of the Ukrainian "Italian by adoption" Ruslan Pidgornyy. Known to our latitudes (and member of an Italian team) is also Ilya Slesarenko, of Biesse Carrera: last year the Belarusian surprised everyone as a Junior with his performances in Claudio Terenzi's Veleka, the event organizer, who in Rome will welcome back and see in action the young man whom helped develop.

The internationality of the event is also reinforced by another devo squad, in addition to the already mentioned UAE, namely that of NSN; by Continental teams Skyline (USA), Zappi (UK, though under the Italian guidance of owner Flavio Zappi), Petrolike (Mexican, last sporting legacy of the late Gianni Savio) and the habitual Danish Airtox Carl Ras; by another habitual like Monaco (cycling expression of the Principality, directed by Piedmontese Guido Possetto), by the Irish newcomer Velo Performance Team and by the Slovenian National Team.

There will also be the development team of an Italian ProTeam: Nippo Nuovacomauto Obor, nursery of Solution Tech. Completing the roster of Italian teams, we find 9 clubs: Tripetetolo, Hopplà, Maltinti Lampadari, Aran Cucine Vejus, Pregnana, Sissio, Avezzano, Pistoiese and Good Shop.

CALEFFI LIBERAZIONE WOMEN

Fifth stage of the Women's Coppa Italia delle Regioni, the Elite category 1.1 race that will open the great April 25th in Rome will have a special guest: Uae Adq, which has dominated the last two editions and this year will pair the 2002 class Sofie Van Rooijen with a six-person squad from the Development team, in which Giada Silo stands out, who as a Junior was Italian champion and fifth at the World Championships in Rwanda. Among the rivals ready to give battle will be another Italian star: Gaia Tormena, six-time world champion in mountain bike Eliminator, the only Italian athlete of the Torelli team. It will instead be Giorgia Vettorello, returning from two seasons in the World Tour, the only Italian of the newly formed French club Devoluy Region Sud.

The other 13 teams at the start will be the Swiss Continental Nexetis, with Nika Bobnar and Jasmin Liechti who in early March won the Croatian classics of Umag and Porec, the Ukrainian National Team and the Italian teams Gauss Petrucci, Bepink Vini Fantini, Top Girls Fassa Bortolo, Zhiraf Pagliaccia, Born to Win, Horizons, Mendelspeck, Pro Cycling Team Fanini, Biesse Carrera Zambelli, Aromitalia Vaiano (with Lithuanian cyclist Rasa Leleivyte ready to measure herself once again on the Caracalla circuit at 37 years old) and, last but certainly not least, Isolmant Premac Vittoria which can count on young star Chantal Pegolo.

COATI LIBERAZIONE JUNIORS

To inaugurate Friday the 24th the entire Lazio Bike Days event will be, just as for the Under 23s the next day, 28 teams. At the starting line also the team of owner Terenzi, Veleka, aggregator of dreams and cultures; the Mexican-Sammarinese Monex, the German Rose NRW and a host of teams to compose a varied geography of Italy: from Veneto Sandrigo, Autozai Contri, Spercenigo Industrial Forniture Moro, Accademia Ciclistica Caneva and Postumia 73; from Lombardy Energy Team, Travel & Service, Bustese Olonia, Ecotek Zero24, Guerrini Senaghese, Pool Cantù, Salus Seregno and Casalese Armofer; from Romagna General System; from Tuscany Monsummanese, Neri Sottoli Lucchini Energy and Il Pirata Vangi; from Umbria Fortebraccio da Montone, from Marche Cam Futuro, from Abruzzo Team Belvedere and Vini Fantini Tralfo; from Campania CPS, from Lazio itself the Coratti team, Audax Fiormonti and Race Mountain Folcarelli.

The best youth of Italian cycling will then be on stage that day with the DPiù Liberazione Allievi and the VF Costruzioni Liberazione Esordienti. The show will continue in the late afternoon with the Liberazione Amatori and the next morning with the Giovanissimi (simultaneously with the Elite women's race) in the Liberazione Kids.

PROGRAM OF THE "LAZIO BIKE DAYS"

FRIDAY 24

 9:30 COATI LIBERAZIONE JUNIORS

12:30 DPIù LIBERAZIONE ALLIEVI

15:30 VF COSTRUZIONI LIBERAZIONE ESORDIENTI

16:30 LIBERAZIONE AMATORI

SATURDAY 25

9:00 CALEFFI LIBERAZIONE WOMEN (Elite women's race)

10:00 LIBERAZIONE KIDS (Giovanissimi)

12:00 BIKE4FUN - Donation Ride and Donors Walk + Donation Walk and Donors Walk

14:00 79TH GRAN PREMIO DELLA LIBERAZIONE (U23 men's race)

18:00 LIBERAZIONE RUN

Photo credits: Simone Lombi