The 40th Giro del Trentino Melinda will end with stage 4 on April 22 from Malè and Cles (160.9km). The stage will run between Val di Sole and Val di Non. The stage was used as last year's finale that saw Paolo Tiralongo win the day and Richie Porte win the overall title.
“The final stage is the high-quality brand over this established international event, popular among riders and fans," said Michele Odorizzi, President of Consortium Melinda. "The organizers have shown impressive know-how and experience, and look set to guarantee a shining future to the event, based on passion, entrepreneurial spirit and bond with our territory."
During the final stage, riders will race over a demanding course, with the tough ascent of Forcella di Brez, which is seven kilometres and rises up to 1,395 metres, and has a gradient of 10 per cent. The race will also include climbs over Fondo and Marcena di Rumo.
The Giro del Trentino will begin on April 19 with a 12.1km prologue. It will continue with stage 1 on April 20 with a 220km race from Arco to Anras. Stage 2, on April 21 will be a 204.6km race from Sillian to Mezzolombardo.
Terpstra returns to Dwars door Vlaanderen, Gaviria to contest cobbles for the first time
Etixx-QuickStep's Niki Terpstra will lead their eight-man team at the upcoming Dwars door Vlaanderen on March 23. The former two-time winner of the race will have a strong team that includes Tony Martin and Fernando Gaviria, who will compete on the cobbles for the first time in his career.
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“We have a very strong and experienced team. Most of the guys have already done a classic this season. For Fernando it will be a whole new experience, but we saw that he can adapt quickly to different circumstances, so we are confident in him. All of our riders are in good condition and we’ll line up at the start with the goal of getting an important result. Depending on the weather, it can be an open race. It could very well end up in a bunch sprint or with a solo win. What pleases me is that we have different riders for all kind of scenarios," said sport director Tom Steels in a team press release.
The team will also include Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Nikolas Maes, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck and Lukasz Wisniowski. It is a team more than capable of handling the climbs over Nieuwe Kwaremont, Kattenberg, Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Eikenberg, Taaienberg, Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Vossenhol, Holstraat and Nokereberg, and the three cobbled sections.
Cunego to start Coppi e Bartali after recovering from Strade Bianche crash
“I’m really happy to come back in an official competition just two weeks after my fall," Cunego said in a team press release. "My strong determination to come back gives me the chance to be there. I was training hard last week and I realized that my handle is good enough to race.”
The team will also include Grega Bole, Daniele Colli, Alessandro Bisolti, Kazushige Kuboki, Genki Yamamoto, Giacomo Berlato and Antonio NIbali.
Synergy Baku to Coppi e Bartali
The Synergy Baku Cycling Project has received a last-minute invitation to the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. The Azerbaidjan-based team will be led by Matej Mugerli, who has two wins on the season and recently finished third in the Istrian Spring Trophy, and Matija Kvasina, who in 2015 finished third overall in the race.
They will be supported by Maksym Averin, Kirill Pozdnyakov, Elchin Asadov, Alex Surutkovych and Ioannis Tamouridis.
"For the first time we take to the start of Coppi e Bartali, a race with a long list of illustrious winners. The path to the race has been promising with already two victories to our name and a strong team spirit and bond shining through, of which I am proud," team manager David McQuaid told Cyclingnews.
