After a decennium of absence, the Giro del Veneto returns to the professional cycling calendar. Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert is invited to the classic, organized for the first time in 1909 and now part of a triptych with the unprecedented Serenissima Gravel and the Veneto Classic.
The Belgian team will participate for the first time in its history to a gravel race, the Serenissima Gravel (15/10). The Italian rider Riccardo Minali, Belgian Kévin Van Melsen, and the Dutchmen Taco van der Hoorn and Boy van Poppel will line up with their CUBE Nuroad C:62 for 126.8 kilometer through the provinces of Venice, Treviso and Padova. Only 5 kilometer after the start in Lido di Jesolo at the Adriatic Coast, they will be confronted with the first gravel section along the River Sile. This Greenway path towards Treviso and the old railway road towards the finish total to 88.5 kilometer of unpaved roads.The very first winner of the event will be known in front of Villa Contarini.
« I expect that this Italian adventure will please me, because races on unpaved roads such as the Tro Bro Leon are among my favorite events. For this particular race, we will race with our CUBE Nuroad C:62 equipped with Continental Terra Trail TR 40mm tires for the first time. As there will be no assistance during the race, my education as a mechanic might come in handy. I’m curious to know how the race will develop, and also to know which other participants and teams are interested in this relatively new discipline. It’s an exciting way to finish the season! »
Serenissima Gravel:
Riccardo Minali
Taco van der Hoorn
Kévin Van Melsen
Boy van Poppel
