ZURICH – All is set for the start of the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, beginning tomorrow with the paracycling relay. Italy, fresh off a silver medal finish behind France at the recent Paralympics, will look to build on their success with a team featuring Luca Mazzone, Federico Mestroni, and Mirko Testa.
On Sunday, alongside the paracycling time trial for women, the highly anticipated Elite men’s and women’s individual time trials will take place. These events will mark the beginning of the 97th edition of the Road World Championships, which returns to Switzerland for the first time in 15 years (last held in Mendrisio in 2009). Italy’s hopes rest on Edoardo Affini, fresh from his European title, and Filippo Ganna, Olympic silver medalist in Paris 2024 and current world record holder for the hour on track (56.792 kilometers).
The men’s time trial will kick off in Oerlikon, home to the historic velodrome built in 1912. Riders will head towards Gossau (the starting point for the women’s race) before making their way to Sechselaeutenplatz, Zurich’s largest city square. Among the favorites for the gold medal are defending champion Remco Evenepoel from Belgium and Australian rider Grace Brown, who took silver last year. In the women’s race, American Chloe Dygert, who suffered a crash during the Olympic time trial, will be aiming for her third world title in the discipline after winning in 2019 and 2023. Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky, the reigning world road race champion, also poses a serious threat, having showcased her time trialing skills at the European Championships. Italy will be represented by Vittoria Guazzini and Gaia Masetti in the women’s event.
The Road Race Main Event
The highlight of the World Championships remains the road race, with the men’s event scheduled for Sunday, September 29, and the women’s race set for Saturday, September 28. Covering a grueling 273 kilometers, all eyes will be on Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar and reigning champion Mathieu Van der Poel from the Netherlands. Pogacar, 25, from Ljubljana, who secured a World Championship bronze in 2023, is the top favorite, having dominated both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia this season. A win in Zurich would make him only the third cyclist in history, after Stephen Roche (1987) and Eddy Merckx (1974), to win the Giro, Tour, and World Championship in the same year.
Italy is hoping to break its long gold medal drought in the men’s road race, with the last victory coming in 2008 when Alessandro Ballan triumphed in Varese. The most recent podium finish was in 2019 when Matteo Trentin was narrowly beaten by Denmark’s Mads Pedersen in a photo finish at the World Championships in Great Britain.
Italy’s Lineup for the World Championships
Time Trials:
- Junior Men: Andrea Donati, Lorenzo Mark Finn
- Junior Women: Elena De Laurentiis, Misia Belotti
- Under 23: Bryan Olivo, Andrea Noviero Raccagni
- Elite Women: Vittoria Guazzini, Gaia Masetti
- Elite Men: Edoardo Affini, Filippo Ganna
- Team Mixed Relay: Edoardo Affini, Mattia Cattaneo, Filippo Ganna, Elisa Longo Borghini, Gaia Realini, Soraya Paladin
Road Race:
- Junior Women: Eleonora La Bella, Silvia Milesi, Chantal Pegolo, Giada Silo
- Junior Men: Andrea Bessega, Leonardo Consolidani, Lorenzo Mark Finn, Cristian Remelli, Enea Sambinello
- Under 23: Davide De Pretto, Francesco Busatto, Pietro Mattio, Giulio Pellizzari, Florian Samuel Kajamini
- Elite Men: Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, Giulio Ciccone, Marco Frigo, Lorenzo Rota, Antonio Tiberi, Diego Ulissi, Edoardo Zambanini, Filippo Zana
- Elite Women: Alice Arzuffi, Elisa Balsamo, Elisa Longo Borghini, Barbara Malcotti, Erica Magnaldi, Soraya Paladin, Gaia Realini
Paracycling: Marianna Agostini, Roberta Amadeo, Federico Andreoli, Lorenzo Bernard, Manuele Caddeo, Fabrizio Cornegliani, Davide Cortini, Giorgio Farroni, Alice Gasparini, Luca Mazzone, Federico Mestroni, Luisa Pasini, Martino Pini, Giulia Ruffato, Andrea Tarlao, Mirko Testa, Paolo Toto, Ana Maria Vitelaru.
With such a strong lineup across all categories, Italy will be aiming to bring home several medals from Zurich, in what promises to be an exciting World Championships.
