Team Polti VisitMalta debuts with three “one day races” in the Valencia region

Coinciding with the training camp in Oliva Nova, Team Polti VisitMalta will be from Friday to Sunday in the three classics that are disputed in the Valencian region and that open the professional cycling season.

It will be the competition debut of the Gsport jersey in the 2025 season, with the Clàssica Camp de Morvedre in Estivella (Valencia), the Gran Premio Castellón and the Clàssica CV with the finish in La Nucia (Alicante). All the races will have demanding routes where the first successes of the year will be sought.

On Friday, the Clàssica Camp de Morvedre, an event that was held in the 80s and which has a list of prestigious winners, will be held again. With a total distance of 178 kilometres, the two final climbs of the Garbí (1st category, with almost 9km and gradients of over 20%) will decide the winner in Estivella.

The team line-up for this debut is formed by Davide De Cassan, Ludovico Crescioli in his first race with Team Polti VisitMalta, Pablo Garcia making his debut in the professional category, Fran Muñoz, Mirco Maestri, Gabriele Raccagni and climber Fernando Tercero.

On Saturday it will be the turn of the Gran Premio Castellón-Ruta de la Cerámica, a race that debuted last season and repeats the formula with 171 kilometres of route and the ascent to the Collado de Ayódar to decide the race. An uphill finish, with 300 metres above 10%, will look for an explosive winner in the town of Onda.

Davide Piganzoli, in an early debut for him looking for the big objectives of the season, Davide Bais, Davide De Cassan, Fran Muñoz, Javi Serrano, Diego Sevilla and Samuele Zoccarato, the latter debuting his new colours, will compete in the race.

This triptych will be closed by the Clàssica CV, which in its alternating route will face in this 2025 a total of 181 kilometres that chains the climbs to Rates and Turrón Duro in search of the finish line in La Nucía. Once again, another day in which the breakaways will also be looking for their chance against the big names.

Javi Serrano, Ludovico Crescioli, Pablo García, Samuele Zoccarato, Davide Piganzoli, Diego Sevilla and Fernando Tercero have been called up for this race that closes the first block of competition.

It will be a very special moment for Pablo García ‘Garchu’, who will compete in two of the races in his professional debut. The Spaniard is looking forward to it: ‘They will help me to gauge where I am and what the next steps have to be. During the winter I’ve been able to train well and I think I’m strong. Friday’s race will be a more open one because of the variety of teams that take the start and although it will presumably be resolved on the Garbí ramps, it’s important to keep an eye out for any groups that occur beforehand. On Sunday, with 9 WorldTeam teams in contention, we will see a more controlled and blocked race, with everything at stake in the final part. The team’s mission will be to be at the front in both races, work well and get results’.

Crescioli will also be making his debut with the team: ‘This is the week when my adventure as a professional with Team Polti VisitMalta officially starts in Spain, and I’m about to race my first two races and take part in the training camp, which will prepare me in the best way for the first part of the season. I’m very happy and I can’t wait to get started!’

Jesús Hernández will be the director in Estivella, a particular race because it belongs to the 1.2 category and has no team radio, which means that a road captain like Mirco Maestri has to guide his team-mates during the race: ‘The communication is non-existent between the car and the riders once the start is given, and many times the fatigue or the dynamics of the race cause that details explained in the team meeting are forgotten. The guarantee of having Mirco and also Fran Muñoz is very important for the team’s objectives, which in this race is victory. I think that Fernando Tercero and Pablo García are very good cyclists for the route and the final hardness, with that double pass through Garbí that will dictate sentence’.

Giovanni Ellena will be the director in Castellón and in the Clàssica CV, two races ‘with a demanding course, and although the riders arrive prepared, they don’t know how their bodies will respond. The level is high with 7-8 WorldTeam, but we have Piganzoli as the leader. I also think that Javi Serrano can have a good chance in Castellón, while in the Clàssica CV the option will be clearer for the climbers’.