The Liberation of the youth: Montagner, Sgherri and Antonelli win. The report

The Gran Premio della Liberazione 2023 kicked off today with the youth category races. Here are the winners: Cavaliere Liberazione Juniores (blue jersey) Andrea Montagner from Borgo Molino; DPiù Liberazione Allievi (green jersey) Giacomo Sgherri (Alma Juventus Fano); Fastweb Liberazione Esordienti (yellow jersey) Filippo Antonelli (Coratti).
In the morning, between laps on the Terme di Caracalla straight, on a lawn in front of the ancient Roman site, the Kids Race Liberazione Giovanissimi took place, a mountain bike short-track that added even more excitement to the day. For the record, Tirreno Bike from Cerveteri won. But at that age, the real winner is fun.

Among the Juniores a nervous race, as is tradition not only for this category: attacks and counterattacks, the group stretching and shrinking like a spring. In the first half, many try, but Borgo Molino and CPS control and close. So, both to save energy for the finale and to avoid risks since a few drops of rain fall, the pace slows in anticipation of the "storm" (sporting, of course). The storm tries to break out in the fourth-to-last of the 15 laps of 6 km, driven mainly by Autozai Petrucci Contri and Fratelli Giorgi, but it's a false alarm. The decisive move comes in the third-to-last lap: not by chance, a Borgo Molino and a CPS. Respectively, Andrea Montagner (who attacks again after a teammate Bessega's attempt is reeled in) and Gabriele de Fabritiis. Of the two, however, only Montagner holds the lead on the final climbs around the Terme di Caracalla. For the second consecutive year, the Juniores finish solo (in 2022 it was Bozzola).
Behind the Friulian athlete, a sprint of eight men for the podium places, with Juan David Sierra (Biringhello) ahead of Ludovico Mellano and Angelo Monister from team Giorgi. Worth noting, as an international presence in the placings, is the 10th place of Australian Nate Hadde from Czech team Veleka. And best wishes to Samuele Scappini, Italian Under 23 cyclocross champion from Fortebraccio, who celebrated coming of age by finishing in the top thirty today.
A significant detail, Montagner is a first-year junior: he thus beat several opponents a year older than him. And it's his second win of the season, after the Coppa Dondeo. But here it's an international stage. From that stage, Montagner explains how his victory came about: "After a first attempt by my teammate Bessega, once he was caught, De Fabritiis and I broke away: I accelerated on the first climb to the right and got this great emotion."
To the Treviso team, led by Cristian Pavanello, the Dario Acquaroli prize.

"An uncertain race, but whoever wins it is certainly not by chance but is definitely a strong one," said Gilberto Simoni on stage during this Juniores event. Montagner has been warned.

A close sprint instead among the Allievi, after 60 km of "elimination": Lorenzo Basso from Pool Cantù goes solo in the first laps, halfway through is joined by teammate Jordan Vignati, Gregorio Acquaviva (Madonna di Campagna), and Giacomo Sgherri (Alma Juventus Fano), to whom Riccardo Colombo and Julian Bortolami are added in the final laps. The teamwork of Pool Cantù (already just off the podium among the Juniores) does not bring victory, as on the straight Sgherri's sprint is overpowering over Basso and Acquaviva.
Touching is the dedication of Giacomo Sgherri, a fellow countryman of Valentino Rossi, to his best friend Marco Ragnetti, who passed away over a year ago in a tragic motorcycle accident: "It would have been nice to share days like this with him."

Absolutely sensational, finally, in an afternoon that had meanwhile become sunny, was the 30 km "short circuit" race of the Esordienti. From the first to the last meter, in fact, Filippo Antonelli was in the lead. And behind him, absolute dominance by his teammates: 2nd Lorenzo Ferraro, 3rd Andrea Fiacco, 4th Brian Paris. The top four places all go to Coratti! "First of the others" aka 5th Antonio Lippolis from 1D+.
Antonelli is not a regular winner, but in this "home" race (he's from near Rome) he managed to pull out an incredible performance.
Among the girls, who raced together with the Esordienti, the Roman of Colombian-Venezuelan origins Maria Lopez, from Futura Team 23, prevailed.

A more than worthy conclusion to a spectacular day "waiting for the Giro" (the event's claim) which also saw, among others, the presence, in addition to the aforementioned Simoni, of Australian professional Simon Clarke, who finished third at the Liberazione in 2007, and the president of the Italian Cycling Federation Cordiano Dagnoni, who awarded the Allievi, waved the start for the Esordienti, and will also be present tomorrow for the main day of the event.

Final mention for the photo exhibition by Tonino Giuliani, historic photographer of the Liberazione, which can be freely viewed by browsing the stands at Largo Cavalieri di Colombo.

ALL THE FINISH ORDERS HERE