It is the big day of the 23rd Marco Pantani Memorial: the 2026 edition will feature one of the main innovations of recent years, with the start from Riccione and the traditional finish in Cesenatico: a journey through Marco Pantani's homeland, from the Riviera to the Romagna hills and back towards the sea, along the roads that accompanied the life and career of the Romagna champion.

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Among the most anticipated riders is Australian Michael Storer, winner in Cesenatico a year ago, while Bahrain Victorious will field, among others, Slovenian Matej Mohorič and Italians Antonio Tiberi and Damiano Caruso.

The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe lineup is also of great quality, with Jai Hindley, Florian Lipowitz, Adrien Boichis and Giulio Pellizzari, while among the riders to watch will also be Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin, starting with Netcompany INEOS, and the UAE Team Emirates XRG men Jan Christen, Benoit Cosnefroy and António Morgado.

The Italian contingent can also count on riders such as Davide Ballerini, Christian Scaroni and Simone Velasco of XDS Astana Team, while among other notable international names are Alex Aranburu and Ion Izagirre of Cofidis, Ben O'Connor of Team Jayko Alula and French national champion Romain Gregoire of Groupama – FDJ United.

A ROUTE THROUGH THE HEART OF ROMAGNA

After approximately 9 kilometers of controlled-pace transfer, the race will immediately enter the Romagna hinterland with a long opening section characterized by hilly roads and continuous changes of pace.

The riders will pass through Verucchio before tackling the Passo del Grillo and the Gorolo climb, both counting towards the Mountain Classification; then, they will cross Sogliano al Rubicone to reach the technical heart of the race: the Longiano-Roncofreddo circuit.

The most spectacular and selective point will be the Via Felloniche wall, 1.6 kilometers at 9.5% average gradient, with the first 500 meters at 14% and peaks of 18%. An ascent that will be tackled four times and could represent the ideal springboard for decisive attacks.

The climb towards Roncofreddo, 2.7 kilometers at 7.1%, will make the circuit even more demanding, inserted in a continuous alternation of climbs, descents and narrow roads.

After the third complete lap, at kilometer 152.1, the race will leave the hills to head towards the sea. There will be just over twenty fast kilometers heading towards Cesenatico, where the wind could play an important role in the confrontation between potential attackers and chasers.

Then one of the most emotional and symbolic moments of the day: the passage in front of the house that was Marco Pantani's, before entering Cesenatico.

At the first crossing of the finish line will remain the traditional four laps of 5 kilometers of the city circuit, before the finish line that will crown the winner of the 23rd edition.