The 78th Trofeo Matteotti takes place today on the traditional route linking Pescara and Montesilvano and serves as a "bridge" between the Tuscan and Romagna classics and the Abruzzo region, which next week will also host four stages of the Giro.

to follow the live coverage of the entire stage starting from 12:10 CLICK HERE

From 1945 to today it has become one of the most iconic sporting events not only for Abruzzo, but for the entire national and international cycling landscape: it is the Trofeo Matteotti scheduled for Sunday, September 13 between Pescara and Montesilvano. The race, organized by the Fernando Perna Cycling Union under president Stefano Giuliani, is part of the Italian Regional Cup calendar managed by the Professional Cycling League.

The 78th edition was preceded by an exciting preview dedicated to the youngest titled "Waiting for Matteotti". In Piazza della Rinascita in Pescara, thanks to a partnership with the Highway Police to promote road safety culture, children from the Asd Moreno Di Biase, Abruzzo Cycling Team, Sangro Bike, Amici della Bici Junior and Frecce Azzurre Sambuceto clubs took part in a gymkhana to the applause of the public. Special guest was showgirl Justine Mattera, a well-known cycling enthusiast. The day was enriched by institutional greetings from Pescara Mayor Carlo Masci, Sports Assessor Patrizia Martelli and Vice President of the Abruzzo Regional FCI Committee Maurizio Formichetti.

The youth initiative paved the way for the anticipated 2026 edition which boasts a lineup of absolute prominence with 154 registered riders representing 22 teams. Among the teams at the starting line, eight UCI WorldTour squads stand out: UAE Team Emirates with Jan Christen and Benoît Cosnefroy (winner of the recent Coppa Sabatini), Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe with Jai Hindley (winner of the 2022 Giro d'Italia), Florian Lipowitz (third at the 2025 Tour de France) and Aleksandr Vlasov, XDS Astana Team with Davide Ballerini (winner of the Matteotti in 2018), Christian Scaroni and Simone Velasco (second at the Matteotti in 2023), Bahrain Victorious with Damiano Caruso, Antonio Tiberi and Matej Mohorič (winner of the 2022 Milano-Sanremo), Groupama - FDJ led by French national champion Romain Grégoire, plus Uno-X Mobility, Team Jayco AlUla and Movistar Team. The lineup will be completed by ten Professional teams (TotalEnergies, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Burgos-Burpellet-BH, Team Polti VisitMalta, Solution Tech NIPPO Rali, Equipo Kern Pharma, Bardiani CSF 7Saber, Euskaltel-Euskadi, MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort and Unibet Rose Rockets) and four UCI Continental squads (Team Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna, MG.Kvis Costruzioni e Ambiente, General Store - Essegibi - F.lli Curia and Vega - Vitalcare - Dynatek).

The route remains faithful to tradition for a total of 195 kilometers, divided into 13 laps of 15 kilometers each between Pescara and Montesilvano. Key points of the circuit will be the climbs of via Tiberi (area of the Basilica of Madonna dei Sette Dolori), Colle Scorrano and Bivio Montesilvano Colle. From the descent, approximately 7 kilometers will remain to reach the finish line at Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi. At the beginning of the final lap, the 'Safety Finish' will be awarded to the first athlete to cross the finish line, a special flying finish introduced by the Professional Cycling League within the Italian Regional Cup to promote road safety culture.

The gathering point for fans, with traditional arrosticini, will be positioned at Montesilvano Colle. From here, at 8:30 in the morning, the recreational cycling ride in memory of former professional Fabio Taborre will start, which will retrace the entire circuit before the official race with conclusion expected by 10:30, organized thanks to collaboration between the Municipality of Montesilvano, UISP and the local team Team Km Zero.

WHERE TO WATCH THE TROFEO MATTEOTTI ON TV

The race will be broadcast live on Raiplay (on the web) from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM, same time also for Eurosport's schedule and then a repeat on Raisport (channel 58 of digital terrestrial television) at 6:30 PM.

in the attached pdf, the list of starters