Coppa San Geo, the debut on Italian soil: “For our EOLO-KOMETA, an even more special race”
98º Coppa San Geo
Ponte San Marco – San Felice del Benaco (153,1 km)
It comes from the debut of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team U23 on Italian territory and it comes from the hand of a historical race, almost centenary. The Coppa San Geo is a race with a profile traditionally favourable to the art of the sprint. Although its route has been changing, the spirit of the sprint has been maintained in recent decades to the point that journalistically it is considered “The Sanremo of the diletanti”.
With Dario Andriotto at the car, the U23 team of the Contador Foundation will compete with a team made up of Spaniards David Domínguez and Antonio González and Italians Sebastiano Minoia, Andrea Montoli, Manuel Oioli and Gabriele Raccagni. A young squad, with up to four debutants in the category. The Catalan Domínguez, a fourth year U23 rider, and the Italian Andrea Montoli, a second year rider who has just competed in the Sanroma Memorial, provide the experience.
David Domínguez: “I travel to Italy with a lot of motivation and with a lot of motivation to make my debut with the colours of the Foundation. We have done a very good job during the preseason, both individually and collectively. The training camps have been very productive. It’s my first competitive experience in Italy, it’s a very exciting prospect. We are going with a young team, but with a lot of desire; between all of us, contributing, we can complete a beautiful race. Even if the decision can come at the sprint, the wear and tear and the elimination can select a lot the number of members of the group”.
Gabriele Raccagni: “The San Geo is a very popular race in Italy. It is the first of the season, it has a lot of riders at a high level and the route is hilly, with a one kilometre climb that is done several times. This San Geo is even more special for me because it is my first race in the category and in my province, in Brescia. It motivates me a lot to start the season in ‘il mio paese’ and to be able to do well. I feel good and I hope to be able to help the team a lot”.
Dario Andriotto, sport director of the U23 team: “The Coppa San Geo is a special race because of its great tradition. Its place in the calendar is awaited by the whole cycling world and the riders and teams come very motivated and prepared. This confluence of interests is a factor that makes the race tougher: the pace is very high, there is a lot of interest in the sprint and the attacks lead to situations that are not always easy to resolve. For us it is an even more special race. It is our first ‘gara’ in Italy this season, we are making our debut with several very young riders who are also making their debut in the category, eager to get the pulse of competition and with the confidence in the work that has been done in Oliva during the last training camp. The team’s performance in the Sanroma Memorial is an example of this work and we want to continue it now in the San Geo”.
