The Coppa San Geo, the U23 team’s season opener on Italian soil
Return to the Coppa San Geo. The historic Brescian race, almost a hundred years old and with a recent past in the professional category with the continental circuits sponsored by the UCI a few years ago, returns to host the competitive debut of the campaign for the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation on Italian territory for the second consecutive year.
A somewhat different debut, as the Coppa San Geo introduces some changes in its route that will bring more hardness and wear with the accumulation of the climbs to Zette, novelty, and Cisano. A race always with a lot of protagonism for fast men that increases the weight of the climbs and also its mileage with respect to 2022. The possibility of rain is high for Saturday.
The EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team goes with a quintet in which two debutants in the category, Álex García and Tommaso Bessega, will line up and that condenses speed, climbing aptitudes, good form and a lot of capacity of work. Edoardo Alleva, Gabriele Raccagni and Sebastiano Minoia, all three in their second year in the category, complete the quintet. Both Raccagni and Minoia were already present at the event a year ago.
Álex García: “The truth is that I’m really looking forward to start, as I’ve been training for a few months as U23 and I’m very happy with how I’m assimilating the increase in volume. Looking ahead to the Coppa San Geo, I’m travelling to Italy with a lot of desire to really see where I’m at. And at the same time with the double uncertainty of making my debut in the new category and to do it in another country where I have never raced. I am always motivated and ready to do whatever the directors tell me to do, giving the team as much as possible”.
Sebastiano Minoia: “I think this year will be a much better experience for me and for the team. Personally, I feel I have better numbers than I did then. This year, moreover, and this is something I like, the course is tougher and it will be a bit different. It’s raining, but that won’t be a problem. We are ready to start the season in a good way. The motivation is there, there is the desire to finally start the season and I think the team is also stronger. We have to be optimistic, we have a chance to make a good start to the season. In my case, thinking about my form, why not start dreaming of a top 10. Let’s hope there are no crashes or mishaps”.