An “all-Italian” challenge for Team Polti VisitMalta in Reggio Calabria

At the end of a week that saw its athletes and staff engaged at opposite ends of the world, from Hainan to the Loire, Team Polti VisitMalta will take part tomorrow in a very Italian race: the Giro della Città Metropolitana di Reggio Calabria, which will feature only Italian teams. All three Professional ones, all ten Continental, and an Italian national squad will be on the start line. Riders will have to endure the long but manageable ascent to Piano Maschera and the climb of Monte Sant’Elia (summit 44 km from the finish) before heading for a sprint on the seafront of the Calabrian capital, a.k.a. “the most beautiful kilometre in Italy.”

To take on this counterclockwise loop through the Reggio area, Polti VisitMalta will field a lineup suited to uphills, breakaways and small group finishes — perfectly balanced in nationality with three Italian men, three Spaniards and the Maltese champion. Flying in from France will be Aidan Buttigieg and Davide Bais; fresh from last week’s GP Miguel Indurain are Alex Martín and Fernando Tercero; Davide De Cassan comes from the Settimana Coppi e Bartali at the end of March. And there are two big comebacks: Javier Serrano (a strong finisher in reduced sprints) after his injury at Strade Bianche, and young Ludovico Crescioli who had been sidelined since January.

Serrano: “Considering it was a fracture (radial head) I’m really happy I was only out for a month. I did intense rehab and trained hard on the rollers, really focusing on maintaining good shape. I’m super motivated to fight and try to stay up front until the end.”

Sports director Stefano Zanatta: “With no World Tour teams on the start list, the Azzurri will certainly be the reference point but we’ll have to seize every opportunity to go for the win. We made the podium here in 2023 (the last edition so far, with Maestri finishing third) and now we aim to turn our frequent top-10s into something more.”