For Easter, two world-renowned races in Veneto
The Giro del Belvedere and the Gran Premio Palio del Recioto receive in Italy between this Easter Monday and the following Tuesday the best of the international U23 category. The U23 structure of the Contador Foundation returns to the Veneto region to be present in a new edition of two of the most prestigious transalpine races worldwide. Two key races in the jump to professionalism for any rider.
On Monday, a public holiday in Italy, ‘lunedi di Pasquetta’, arrives a Giro del Belvedere of Cordinagno revamped with respect to other editions due to the inclusion of a new section in the route, baptised as the ‘giro del buon guostare’, and the location of the official start in a new enclave, monumental and ceremonious, in honour of the centenary of the birth of the race. The Giro del Belvedere is now in its 84th edition, but it was first organised in 1923. That year Alfonso Piccin won the race. At the end of the 1960s it would be held on its current date, which is why it is known as the Easter Monday Classic.
The following day is the Gran Premio Palio del Recioto of Negrar, an event that is by no means less historic and which is also linked to the formidable wine tradition of the Valpolicella. Shorter in terms of mileage, the number of riders per formation (a novelty implemented in the last edition) and the particularities of its route make it a very difficult race to control in which the hardness of the climbs is a differential factor.
For these events, both with a reduction in the number of riders to allow for a greater presence of teams, the sports management of the Foundation has called up Luca Bagnara, Ramón Fernández, Arnau Gilabert, Andrea Montoli and Fran Muñoz. These five riders will start in the Giro del Belvedere. Except for Bagnara, the other quarters will repeat the following day in a Palio del Recioto where the teams are made up of four riders.
Andrea Montoli comes from competing this Sunday in a Trofeo Piva where he finished as the best blue rider classified. “I feel very good these days,” he points out. “Now I’m close to the area where the Belvedere is held, so I’m taking advantage of these days to see the course in more detail, because it’s a bit different from other years. I have been lucky enough to do these two races in my first two years in the category. I’m looking forward to this third participation with a very good feeling and more experience. I hope to be able to replicate and improve the form I showed in the Piva Trophy”.
10th April: Giro del Belvedere: Villa di Villa – Villa di Villa (171 km).
11 April: Gran Premio Palio del Recioto: Negrar – Negrar (147,2 km).
