After a decade 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.
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux will write the first pages of the Veneto Classic (1.1, 17/10), which is for the first time on the calendar this Sunday. From the start in Venice, the riders will leave the Lagoon behind to enter the Belluno province, at the feet of the Dolomites. They will have to accomplish the short climbs of La Rosina (3x) and the Mur de la Tisa (2x). At the end of 206 kilometer of racing, the peloton will arrive in Bassano del Grappa, native village of Andrea Pasqualon.
« Thanks to the return of the Giro del Veneto on the race calendar, I can relive a lot of childhood memories this week. I remember that I was at the start of the previous edition in 2012, as a neopro. Until today, that was the last pro race in my birth region. Before, the Giro d’Italia also passed in Bassano del Grappa and on La Rosina. I know each corner of that climb, it was one of the favorite climbs of my U23 team. I expect a great atmosphere and a lot of familiar faces along the roads, where I trained each day during the first six years of my pro career. I’m looking forward to the presence of my parents, who live nearby the finish of the Veneto Classic. Of course I’m really motivated to perform well in my home race. My strong performances in my previous races give me a lot of confidence to tackle the difficult parcours! »
Veneto Classic:
Jan Bakelants
Jérémy Bellicaud
Stijn Daemen
Odd Christian Eiking
Andrea Pasqualon
Simone Petilli
Lorenzo Rota
Sports Direction:
Valerio Piva
