The series of late-year Italian classics begins in Larciano

The final part of the season officially begins, a month and a half that will be characterized mainly by several Italian classics of varying importance. The first event will take place tomorrow in the province of Pistoia, starting and finishing in the small town of Larciano: the GP Industria & Artigianato, a UCI Pro Series fixture covering 196.3 kilometers, which has moved from its traditional spring slot to September.

In the initial part of the course, riders will tackle the Fornello wall twice. In the second half they will climb it three more times, adding three more ascents towards San Baronto. This offers a triple opportunity to make a difference, both uphill and downhill: with the last summit just 4 km from the finish, the very technical descent towards Lamporecchio could provide space for surprise moves.

To try to win this race, one needs to be very familiar with steep slopes: that’s why Team Polti Kometa will field a strong climbing group consisting of Davide Piganzoli, Matteo Fabbro and Paul Double, along with Erik Fetter, Fernando Tercero and the other two Davides, Bais and De Cassan.

Returning to racing after late July, here are Fetter’s words on this race’s eve: “I have fond memories of the GP Industria & Artigianato because two years ago I reached the reduced sprint and almost made the top-10. Like then, tomorrow’s startlist features valuable teams and opponents making it a really challenging and exciting event.”

Sports Director Giovanni Ellena: “It’s nice to race in Italy again after almost two months since the Giro dell’Appennino, with this first test of a tuscan trilogy that will continue next week with the Giro della Toscana and the Coppa Sabatini. With four World Tour squads competing heret, we’ll have to defend ourselves as best as we can to play our cards right. We hope this is the beginning of a great Italian period to close out 2024.”