On the day Italy celebrates Liberation, the heart of the Capital was invaded by two wheels. True to a tradition that has now blown out 77 candles, the Gran Premio della Liberazione cycling race took place, a historic event that over the years has seen athletes at the starting line in Rome who have gone on to write indelible pages in this sport. The names of Gianni Bugno, Matteo Trentin, and Matthew Goss remain engraved in the roll of honor of an event rightly considered the “Spring World Championship.” By the will of the Administration of Roma Capitale, this year the event, organized by Terenzi Sport Eventi, gains even more prestige because it will serve as a sort of prologue to the finale of the 107th Giro d’Italia, which will conclude in Rome on May 26. Spectacle in the races held today, which began with the women’s event and ended with the Under 23, with the Bike4Fun in between, which allowed hundreds of amateurs and citizens to ride for free among the historic vestiges of the Capital, from the Baths of Caracalla passing by the Aurelian Walls, the Pyramid of Cestius, the Circus Maximus with the Colosseum in the background. Also cycling were the youngsters from ANED Sport - National Association of Hemodialysis and Transplanted Patients and AIDO – Italian Association of Organ Donors, whose presence was strongly desired by the organizers of the GP Liberazione who support their initiatives.
THE UNDER 23 RACE - The 77th Gran Premio della Liberazione showcased the best U23 talents in the heart of Rome. The 166 participants from 34 teams started out on this windy afternoon of April 25 in a flurry of attacks and counterattacks, trying to pull off a coup on a circuit worthy of a true... Spring World Championship. Among the liveliest was the young star of the Italian track, Etienne Grimod (Biesse Carrera), but the turning point came on the fifth-to-last lap, when eleven riders broke away: Owen Colen (UAE Gen Z), Jose Ramon Muniz (Petrolike), Gianmarco Carpene (Trevigiani Marchiol), Giovanni Zordan (Zalf Euromobil Fior), Christian Bagatin (MBH Colpack Ballan), Federico Biagini and Matteo Scalco (VF Bardiani Csf Faizanè), Marco Andreaus and Thomas Capra (CTF), Davide Donati and Andrea Montoli (Biesse Carrera). On the third-to-last lap, the surge by Bagatin and Donati caused the lead group to split and the peloton to blow apart, with continuous attempts to break away. In just a few kilometers, the leading duo was joined by Andreaus, Biagini, and Montoli, so five riders were greeted by the bell for the final lap. A five-way battle for victory? No, a group of six, as Muniz rejoined and contributed to the unpredictability right up to the final meters. Biagini gave it his all to chase his first win of the season, but at the big curve from the descent of Viale Baccelli to the finishing straight, all six arrived together: Donati and Montoli dominated the sprint and finished first and second respectively, ahead of the aforementioned Biagini. In his first season as a U23, the Brescia native Davide Donati, born in 2005, Lombardy regional junior champion last year, after placing second in recent months at the Coppa San Geo and the Giro del Belvedere, found his triumph today at the Liberazione in Rome: “We raced all out and at the finish we knew we were faster - he said on the podium - Now it’s time to focus on the next goals, first and foremost the school exams! The dedication? To our teammate Francesco Galimberti, victim of a terrible crash at the Giro della Romagna.” The winner was awarded by Svetlana Celli, president of the Capitoline Assembly, who commented: “The GP Liberazione cycling race is certainly one of the most beautiful events held in our city, a sporting moment that is also an opportunity for tourism promotion and for enhancing the artistic and historical beauties of our city. This event is also an important opportunity for social gathering through sport, a fundamental tool for improving the quality of life of citizens. The GP Liberazione takes on an even more important meaning because it is held on a particularly significant historic date, especially in a difficult time like the one we are experiencing.”
Etienne Grimod, representing a Biesse Carrera team that really took this race to heart (similarly to what the UAE women’s team did in the morning), won the combativity prize named after the historic patron of the Liberazione, Eugenio Bomboni. A moment that symbolically marked the continuity between the prestigious tradition of Primavera Ciclistica and the present and future led by Terenzi Sport Eventi: "I am proud to have made such an important event a three-day festival for all tastes and categories," says Claudio Terenzi, "which lets everyone ride in a dream setting, from future professionals to the youngest, without forgetting this year’s Friday, the 26th, with amateurs and runners taking part in this great celebration. And above all, the Bike 4 Fun: a great idea from Councillor Onorato, which I had the honor of putting into practice." On this subject, Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Major Events, Sport and Fashion of Roma Capitale, stated: "The Gran Premio della Liberazione grows year by year, and in this edition there are 2,000 participants over the three days of races. I want to highlight the beauty and importance of the Bike4Fun, which will raise funds to donate to Aned and Aido. These events help bring Rome and Romans closer to sport, which is necessary to spread healthy habits every day and to encourage people to take care of themselves. With a bike ride, a run, a walk. Moreover, thanks to these events, we offer new opportunities for leisure and entertainment to citizens and especially to tourists who will arrive in Rome during this holiday period: over 1.2 million visitors are expected between April 25 and May 1. We intend to make Rome increasingly central to cycling. The conditions are all there, and in a few days we will host, for the second consecutive year, the grand finale of the Giro d’Italia." Representing the Board of Directors of Sport e Salute, the body that sponsors the winner’s blue jersey, Maria Spena: “The GP Liberazione is an event that involves everyone and embodies the true values of sport, especially cycling, which I believe is a tool we should all use for our physical well-being. The beauty of the route, in the heart of the Capital, obviously adds to the charm of this event. Of course, the Liberazione also has a strong competitive value, and it has always been a springboard to professionalism for the Under 23s who were the stars here in Rome today.” THE EVENTS OF FRIDAY 26 AND SATURDAY 27 APRIL- As already mentioned, this year the GP Liberazione will not end on April 25. Until Saturday the 27th, the Village will be open (free entry – from 10 am to 8 pm) where you can meet the protagonists of the races, visit the stands, and take part in various side events on the theme of sustainable mobility. On Friday 26 and Saturday 27 April, there will be side events that will make this 77th edition go down in history as a festival rich in content, sport, and solidarity. On Friday, April 26, at 3 pm, the amateur race, the “Urbis et Orbis Cup,” on a 5-kilometer course to be repeated 12 times; on Saturday the 27th, the Junior Men’s race is scheduled (9:30 am) and the Men’s races for the Allievi (12:30 pm) and Esordienti (3:30 pm) categories. To round off the two-wheel festival, on Friday the 26th, on the same course as the cycling race, there will be space for amateur runners with a running event, organized by Appia Run, starting at 6:30 pm.
PHOTO STEFANO SPALLETTA
HERE the complete results