National celebration in Italy, a historic race and a nice opportunity for young people
75ª Coppa Caduti Nervianesi
Nerviano – Nerviano (153 km)
A holiday Monday in Italy, a cycling race. Every 25th April since 1946 is a bank holiday: the day commemorating the liberation of the country from Nazi occupation during the Second World War. In 1947, the Coppa Caduti Nervianesi began to be organised in the Lombard town of Nerviano, on the outskirts of Milan, the 75th edition of which will be the next commitment of the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation.
Edoardo Alleva, Sebastiano Minoia, Andrea Montoli, Gabriele Raccagni and Manuel Oioli make up the quintet that will take part in this race with a very favourable orographic profile in which a more or less massive volley is usually the most common resolution. The art of the sprint in the race promoted by the U. S. Nervianese.
“We have a good feeling in our legs and we are going to give everything to do a great job on Monday”, says Gabriele Raccagni, who has just competed in Monday’s Giro del Belvedere. Director Dario Andriotto praises him: “He came from a cycle without competitions and here he did a very good race, he worked like a plane. We must not lose sight of the fact that he is a first year rider, like four of the five riders with whom we competed in Nerviano. His progression, and that of all of them, is going well”.
Sebastiano Minoia is also back with a bib: “Both the form and the freshness of my legs are there. I feel ready to have a good race this Monday. Let’s see how it goes. The team is doing a great job. It’s a strong and close-knit team. Personally I feel very comfortable in every race and I am convinced that we can achieve many excellent results”.
Dario Andriotto will be the director in Nerviano, a race that Andrea Montoli could cycle to given the proximity to his home (on the way back, he smiles, I’m sure it will be like that). “I’m very happy with how the team is competing on Italian soil. In Spain we are doing very well, but there the structure has a much longer way to go. In Italy we are new and we are getting people talking about us with a very young team and with very, very strong riders, among the best in the category. Belvedere or Palio del Recioto are races where many scouts from professional teams come”, says Andriotto.
And about Monday, he predicts: “The Coppa Caduti Nervianesi is not an international race like the last ones we have done, but it is a historic race in the national calendar that will also have important names at the start. It is an easy course in terms of altitude, with no climbs, practically all flat. The normal, 99%, will be a sprint resolution after a day where the average speed will be 45 or 46 km/h. But that’s theory and then there’s practice. We have two fast men like Oioli and Raccagni and riders who can fight in the breakaway. We’ll see!”.
