News

Il Lombardia, the fifth and final monument of the year, is coming up next Saturday, but before that, we can enjoy several races on Italian soil that, although not part of the UCI WorldTour, are old and prestigious races. Coppa Bernocchi - GP Banco BPM on Monday, Tre Valli Varesine on Tuesday, and Gran Piemonte on Thursday are three interesting category 1.Pro races that will let us see how the main contenders for victory in the "classic of the falling leaves" are shaping up.

In Cycling Fantasy, these three races are part of the combined Italy 1.Pro classification, which will be completed with the Giro del Veneto and the Veneto Classic, which have been upgraded to the ProSeries this season and will take place in the week following Il Lombardia.

Coppa Bernocchi - GP Banco BPM: Route and Favorites

Of these three races, Coppa Bernocchi has the least elevation gain and is the best opportunity for sprinters. Although the central part of the race consists of 7 laps on a circuit that includes the climbs of Caramamma (1.5 km at 6.6%) and San Pancrazio (0.6 km at 7.8%), the final 35 kilometers are slightly downhill, favoring a regrouping and a sprint finish.

The start list is still in a very early stage, and it's too early to talk about favorites, but Wout Van Aert (1200) is already standing out.

Tre Valli Varesine: Route and Favorites

The Tre Valli Varesine route covers 196 km and features more than 3400 meters of climbing. First, there will be a flat section of about 37 km, and then the race enters the first of two circuits around Varese that make up the rest of the race. The first circuit, which riders must complete 9 laps of, includes the climbs of Casbeno (2.5 km at 5%) and Montello (2 km at 5.2%). The second, 20 km in length, is tackled twice and includes those two ascents as well as two additional ones: Morosolo (1.6 km at 8%) and Casciago (1.8 km at 5%).

Tadej Pogačar (1200), Primož Roglič (1200), Enric Mas (1000), Juan Ayuso (1000), Adam Yates (1000), Jai Hindley (1000), Alexandr Vlasov (1000), Simon Yates (800), Wout Van Aert (1200), Romain Bardet (800), Giulio Ciccone (1000), Lennard Kämna (600), Thibault Pinot (800), and Warren Barguil (400) are some of the main contenders for victory.

Gran Piemonte: Route and Favorites

After a couple of years with routes favoring sprinters, this edition of the race returns to a route for climbers and classics specialists, with 4 climbs concentrated in the second half of the course: Colleretto Castelnuovo (7.1 km at 3.5%), Loc. Fajallo (5.2 km at 5.5%), Alpette (5 km at 8.8%), and Prascorsano (4.4 km at 3.5%). The total distance is 152 kilometers, and the last climb is tackled 17 km from the finish.

The start list for the Gran Piemonte is also still very empty, but Wout Van Aert (1200), Marc Hirschi (600), Bauke Mollema (400), and Georg Zimmermann (400) are already some interesting names.

Photo: © Coppa Bernocchi - GP Banco BPM