Three years later Lanzada (Sondrio) and Valmalenco return to wearing the tricolor. The first round of the Italian Absolute, Promesse and Junior Mountain Running Championships (also valid as the first stage of the Italian Absolute and Junior Society Championships) will be staged with the organization of Sportiva Lanzada on Sunday 5 May, constituting a fundamental test bed for the hunt for a blue jersey in the uphill and downhill race of the European Championships, scheduled for Annecy (France) on June 2nd.
The winner of the Malencan test will automatically go to the National Team at the European Championships. In the men’s field, Xavier Chevrier and Cesare Maestri have already pre-qualified: if the Aosta Valley native is absent as a precaution (in recent months he was held back by a muscle problem), the reigning champion (Italian king for five seasons) will regularly start with the colors of Atletica Valli Bergamasche Leffe, opposed to Isacco Costa (La Recastello Radici Group), to the winner of the European test in Prelà (Imperia) Andrea Elia (La Recastello Radici Group), to the duo of Società Atletica Valchiese composed of Alberto Vender and Marco Filosi, by Daniel Pattis (Bozen Raiffeisen) and Alex Baldaccini (GS Orobie); Also worth keeping an eye on is Henri Aymonod (US Malonno), called to play in defense in the first round and then try to vehemently climb up the rankings in the second uphill test in Casnigo (Bergamo) on 15 September. The cast of the Under 23s was also of a high standard with the 2023 gold and silver medalists Simone Giolitti and Elia Mattio, both registered for the Valle Varaita Podistica, Devid Caresani (SA Valchiese), Francesco Bongio from Valtellina (La Recastello Radici Group), with a red circle on the “landlord” Matteo Bardea, a member of Atletica Valle Brembana, who has grown exponentially on the track and over shorter distances.
Among the women, the Recastello Radici Group could make a slew of prestigious placings: Vivien Bonzi will present herself as reigning champion, but Alice Gaggi (photo by Marco Gulberti), born in 1987, demonstrated that she is in excellent condition by winning in Morbegno ( Sondrio) in the Colmen Trail, the Italian short trail title and Beatrice Bianchi has shown off notable technical growth in her latest outings. Elisa Sortini (Atl. Alta Valtellina) will try to fit in among them with excellent credentials, winner on Wednesday in the Vertical Fenis, in Valle d’Aosta, the second indicative test in the uphill format towards the next European Championships. In addition to them, attention also goes to Alessia Scaini (SA Valchiese) and Cecilia Basso (Orecchiella Garfagnana), bronze in the short trail tricolors. At the Promises level, curiosity about the return to a tricolor of Axelle Vicari (CUS Pro Patria Milano), in 2022 Under 20 world championship bronze in this specialty: there will also be Luna Giovanetti (Atl. Valle di Cembra), Matilde Bonino (Atl. Saluzzo ) and Irene Aschieris (Atl. Susa Adriano Aschieris).
Speaking of Junior World bronze medals, in the Under 20 event (the Junior races will guarantee the first three classified a blue jersey for the continental event) in Lanzada Lucia Arnoldo (Atl. Dolomiti Belluno) will be at the start, who came third in the world event in 2023: a good challenge awaits with the reigning champion Anna Hofer (Sportclub Merano), in a cast that also awaits the outgoing bronze Elisa Peverelli (AG Media Sport) and the Italians of the 2023 Youth Cup Silvia Boscacci (Pol. Albosaggia) and Federica Borromini (Atl. Cascina). In the Junior men’s race only one veteran of the 2023 Under 20 World Championship will start: Francesco Mazza (Atl. Saluzzo) appears in the front row in the group of favorites with Luca Curioni (GP Valchiavenna), without forgetting Andrea Zenoni (US Malonno) and Mauro Gianola ( AS Premana).
The Junior men’s and women’s categories will start at 9:00 and 9:10 respectively, Seniors and Promesse one hour later: one lap for the Under 20s and two for the Absolutes for a total of 13 kilometers and a difference in altitude of 600 meters . The route follows that of the 2021 race, with start and finish in Pradasc: you run on the cycle path to face the first climb, up to the town of Ganda, and then cross the characteristic streets, moving to the opposite orographic bank of the Lanterna stream and continue along a steep path until you reach the locality of Temen, from where you return towards the Moizi district on a slightly downhill mule track. Then you reach Vassalini, in the municipality of Chiesa in Valmalenco, and then return towards Lanzada, by road, with the route becoming faster, up to the finish line. The awards ceremony will take place at 2.30 pm.
The two days of Lanzada will also propose, on the afternoon of Saturday 4 May, the Italian Individual and Cadet Society Championships, the Italian Individual and Cadet Society Championship and the Italian Cadet Region Championship with around 500 participants: in the tomorrow, Friday 3 May, the preview of the youth event.