It has been pedaling for 125 years but has the freshness of Under 23s and the desire to go far. It is the Velo Club Mendrisio, a border team with its headquarters in the Confederation and its wheels very often in Italy.

The leadership of the club is composed of three young men: Emanuele Piazza, Davide Botta and Filippo Vanoni. The first two in the team car and the third in the role of team manager have inherited the legacy of the historic coach and manager Alfredo Maranesi who passed away last year.

«We are former athletes and we continue to work with the same passion that Alfredo has always put into it», Vanoni tells tuttobiciweb.

But passion, as we know, in today's cycling must be combined with organization. «It is a very important element and it is what I mainly deal with in the team – says Filippo –. I try to carefully plan everything, from small things to more complex trips. While we cannot compete at the budget level with the big squads, we try to close the gap with  meticulous organization and attention to detail to ensure our athletes lack nothing». That's what we call Swiss precision.

The 2026 lineup consists of 18 athletes, 8 of whom are Italian. «Swiss regulations require us to have 50%+1 of registered athletes of Swiss nationality, but in our roster of Italian riders there are and will be some» states Filippo.

Velo Club Mendrisio has always animated, and continues to animate, Italian races. Trips of less than an hour such as the one to participate in the Pessano – Roncola where Melk Zumstein climbed onto the third step of the podium with Biehl and De Cassan of General Store Essegibi - F.Lli Curia, and more demanding trips such as the one to reach Capodarco.

Team cars and minivans rack up kilometers, transporting athletes, staff and equipment, but also the emblem and colors that have made history.

The minivan is precisely linked to the initiative that the leaders of Velo Club Mendrisio have launched in recent days. Vanoni explains: «For the 2027 season we would like to equip ourselves with a van more suited to our needs, which will allow us to undertake trips and also enable us to carry out dual activities. To purchase it we have organized a crowdfunding campaign online on I believe in you, a platform specific to sport. The goal is to raise 15,000 Swiss Francs, an investment for the future of the team but also a gift for the 125th anniversary of our team. We will be grateful to the entire great cycling community if they want to help us».

Much like when you're in a breakaway, with everyone's contribution it's easier to reach the finish line.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE PAGE WITH ALL THE DETAILS OF THE CROWDFUNDING https://www.ibelieveinyou.ch/it/project/4353/velo-club-mendrisio