Cycling: Italy returns to the world, Imola will be world champion

On 27 September the magic of the world cycling championship will be assigned to Imola. Emilia-Romagna, in fact, managed to convince the International Cycling Union, after Switzerland had decided just a few days ago that the world championship, scheduled in Aigle-Martigny, could not be done due to the emergency Covid. It will be an edition of the world championship to be organized in record time and without the youth races: in fact, only the elite, women and men will race: on the 24th and 25th there will be time trials, on the 26th the women's world championship and on the 27th the race that assigns the rainbow jersey among professionals and for those who win it it can be worth a career. The UCI had asked potential candidates for two requirements: the first was strict compliance with anti-contagion regulations. The spaces of the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack where the circuit will start and finish ensure distances and logistical support. A fact that was instrumental in beating the competition of the other candidate, the French track with the rise of the Plance des Belles Filles. The second was that of a hard course, like that of Martigny: the organizers responded with an extremely selective 28-kilometer circuit with two climbs: that of Mazzolano, 2.4 kilometers with slopes above 10%, which follows the descent towards Riolo Terme, and then that of Gallisterna, with a gradient of more than 11%. It is therefore easy to assume that the candidates for the final victory will be the great protagonists of the stage races, also because, in the very close calendar redesigned after the lockdown, the world championship will take place one week after the arrival of the Tour de France and one week before. of the start of the Giro. The coach of the Italian national team, Davide Cassani from Romagna, whose influence in the rooms of international cycling certainly was not secondary in the assignment of the world championship to Imola, will point all his cards on Vincenzo Nibali: for the Sicilian champion he will probably be the last chance of his career to add a precious icing to an already incredibly rich list of victories. Also hoping for a triumph for the Shark is the winner of the other world championship held in Imola, namely Vittorio Adorni, who in 1968 reached the finish line alone, trailing the second by almost ten minutes. "I hope Vincenzo Nibali arrives with his arms raised as I did in 1968", he commented with ANSA. "I think it is important in a year so that Italy can host such an event. It would be nice if an Italian triumphed in Italy". In the meantime, the Emilia-Romagna Region who can sing victory is the Region of Emilia-Romagna which, after the double round of the World Championship in Misano on 13 and 20 September and the return of the Formula One Grand Prix, also in Imola, on 1 November, can celebrate another international event, organized in record time, but which enriches the sports schedule of the Region.