News

For a cycling enthusiast, talking about spring is synonymous with Milano-Sanremo and the great cobbled classics of Flanders and Roubaix, May means the Giro, July is the month of the Tour, and after the Vuelta, the season heads towards its final stretch, which includes the World Championships and culminates in October with Il Lombardia. However, the road to the “classic of the fallen leaves”, the fifth and last Monument of the year, is fortunately long and filled with beautiful and historic Italian one-day races. Races like the Gran Premio città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini, which celebrates its 72nd edition this Thursday

Route

The race presents an ideal route for puncheurs with 6 laps of a first 25-kilometer circuit that includes the climbs of Terricioli (3.7 km at 3.1%), Montefoscoli (0.8 km at 11.3%), and the Muro di Peccioli (0.9 km at 9.7%), and a second 12 km circuit, which the cyclists must complete 3 times, with the climb to Peccioli (1.4 km at 5.6%) as the only difficulty. The finish line is situated at the top of this climb, where it is difficult to drop the rivals, so in recent years, a sprint from a small group for the victory has been the usual outcome.

Favorites

Many teams have yet to confirm their lineups, but we can already predict that UAE Team Emirates will be the team to beat, with a very strong group led by Marc Hirschi (600), Diego Ulissi (600), Jan Christen (200), and Alessandro Covi (200). Other cyclists who may fight for victory include Vincenzo Albanese (400), Clément Champoussin (400), Stefano Oldani (200), Javier Romo (200), Davide Formolo (200), and Pierre Latour (400), although we should keep an eye on the list to see if other good contenders are added.

Photo: © Gran Premio città di Peccioli - Coppa Sabatini