The honor of opening the program falls to the oldest of the three races scheduled from Sunday, August 16th to Tuesday, August 18th: the 80th Grand Prix of the Leather and Hides Industries, founded in 1946, which will kick off the junior trilogy in Tuscany.

The opening is entrusted to the organizational capabilities of U.C. S.Croce, which this year presents a special edition given that it marks the eightieth edition of the series. The race takes place on Sunday, August 16th with a start at 2:30 PM and finish expected around 5:30 PM after 127 km that will traditionally traverse the various municipalities of the district, passing through Fucecchio before climbing towards San Miniato via Via A. Moro, descent to La Serra and passage through Montopoli in Val d'Arno, San Romano before entering Castelfranco di Sotto and continuing to S.Maria a Monte. The race will proceed through Cerretti and Montefalcone to return to S.Croce where a 15 km circuit will begin, to be repeated 4 times with the climb of Poggio Adorno and finish on Via Brunelleschi near the Palasport. A total of 165 riders are registered, representing 26 teams, of which 3 are foreign from France, Austria, and the Netherlands.

FAVORITES: The presence of Italian champion Enrico Balliana of Ecotek Zero24 stands out, and among the other main contenders are Fedrizzi with 10 victories to his name, Battistoni, Padovan (5 each), Iaconeta, Arnoldi, Deon, Bonciani, Vaglio, Marangon, Colella, Paris, Tarallo, and Agnini. The race confirms the special Challenge in memory of Piero Pratesi, the unfortunate motorcyclist who tragically lost his life in an accident during a cycling race in May 2025 at Stabbia, and the final 50 km will be viewable via YouTube and Facebook from the Toscana Sprint website and on TVL and Bike Channel.