There will be three extraordinary days in Nalles for the Sunshine Cup because the third stage of the Italia Bike Cup will bring great names to compete on the South Tyrolean trails, confirming how the event is now one of the international classics on the calendar. The right prologue to the start of the World Cup exactly as the two previous stages of the circuit were, in Verona and Albenga.
At the start in Nals there will be first of all Pauline Ferrand Prevot (Ineos Grenadiers), the reigning world champion in cross country as well as in short track and marathon, who will continue her journey towards the great goal of the season in Alto Adige , the conquest of Olympic gold. Against her are the Germans Leonie Daubermann and Nina Benz, the Austrians Katrin Embacher and Eva Herzog, the Swiss Gina Caluori. In the men’s field, the spotlight is on the British Cameron Orr (Wilier Vittoria), fresh from last Saturday’s victory in Esanatoglia in the stage of the Internazionali d’Italia. The Frenchman Mathis Azzaro (Decathlon Ford), U23 world vice champion in 2022, will challenge him. And then the best of national MTB with former U23 world champion Simone Avondetto, Daniele Braidot, Giada Specia, Giorgia Marchet, Sara Cortinovis and many others.
This year’s edition is a special event because tomorrow will present the big news of the short track race on Friday. At 5.30pm the girls will compete on a short course which will serve to test the terrain and their respective fitness conditions. Men competing at 6pm. These will be races that will award points for the UCI ranking, which is fundamental in assigning participation fees for the Paris Olympic challenge.
A second novelty, which applies to Nalles as well as to all international UCI Hors Category trials, is that on Saturday the men’s and women’s U23 races will be separate from the Elite ones. The Saturday races will begin at 9:00 with the Junior test for which Mirko Celestino has decided to present the Italian national team with 6 elements, including Tommaso Bosio, winner also on Saturday in Esanatoglia and the cyclocross world champion Stefano Viezzi. At 10.45am the U23 men’s test, at 12.30pm the Elite women’s test followed two minutes later by the U23s and 5 minutes later by the juniors. Finally at 2.30pm the men’s Elite race.
Sunday last day of the Sunshine Cup dedicated to the youth categories competing in the stage of the Italian Club Championship. At 9.30am the women’s Beginners and Students categories will start, at 10.30am it will be the turn of the 1st year Beginners, at 11.30 it will be the turn of the 2nd year Beginners. At 12.30 pm the 1st year students test starts and at 1.30 pm the event closes with the 2nd year students.
The race route remains the classic Nalles route, which has always created a great selection and provided a spectacle, with its 4.2 km for a difference in altitude of 180 metres. There is a lot of anticipation and already tomorrow there will be a fantastic appetizer to enjoy. For information: Sunshine Racers Nals, http://www.sunshineracers-nals.it/
