Team NOB – Selle Italia’s riders at the Parco delle Colombare to discover the racing ground of Internazionali d’Italia MTB stage 1
We are just three weeks away from the opening of the 2017 Internazionali d’Italia Series, with the absolut debut of the Verona International race on March 4th, and the riders are champing at the bit. On Sunday February 12th, the Team Nob – Selle Italia riders, led by Andrea Tiberi and Gioele Bertolini, was in Verona to test the ground of the Parco delle Colombare, just minutes away of the city downtown, where the first stage of the main Italian MTB circuit – coordinated by CM Outdoor Events under the aegis of the Italian Cycling Federation and the International Cycling Union – will take place.
The two Italian riders focused on the most technical junctures of the route, trying to figure out what to expect from the race of Saturday March 4th, when the Verona’s event will be staged for the very first time. Back from a tricky year, Andrea Tiberi will restart a new season from Verona, with the new jersey of Team NOB – Selle Italia, with the goal of returning to the level he showed he belongs to. “The Verona route will kick hard from the start. Some steep climbs will really be felt in the legs, particularly as they come so early in the season,” the experienced rider said.
Gioele Bertolini is on the same page: the youngster has recently concluded a solid cyclocross season, also clinching a World Cup win in the Under 23 ranks. “The route features several counter sloping stretches, and this means we will have to relaunch the pace often: this will make for a hard race. The parcours can be divided in two parts: the external area of the park is very fast, while in the inside part there is a lot of grass and some steep climbs.”
While the technical show has to be expected, Verona also looks forward to a significant influx of public: after the spectacular return of MTB in Milan last year, another big city opens its doors to the Internazionali d’Italia, that keep pursuing the strategy of bringing cross country close to the big public. “Who is already into mountain biking will follow us even in more remote locations – Tiberi explained – but cities give us a major opportunity to involve those people who could possibly never get to know our sport. That’s why I wish to invite everybody – either from Verona or not – to join us on March 4th, because the show will be really worth it.”
Verona, February 13th, 2017
