Ivrea-Mombarone It is a historical record

The classic mountain race will be back on 18 September L’eporediese Chini dusts off the old route

IVREA

The return of a tradition, but above all a new step towards the restoration of the normality we all aim for: on Sunday 18 September (the canonical “third Sunday of September”) Ivrea-Mombarone will return, a classic mountain race dear to all Eporediesi and Canavesani, after two years of forced stop, due to the pandemic.

A particularly significant return, because this year marks the centenary of the first edition of the race, which in its original version included the outward and return journey from Colma di Mombarone. Only three editions were held, on a track worthy of a marathon (around 42 km, with 2000 meters of elevation gain), then it was set aside until 1977, when Giuseppe Nicolotti, together with a group of friends, decided to organize the first re-edition, transforming it into a “only up” race, with the finish line at the top.

On Sunday 31 July, to warm up the engines and recall the first edition of 1922, the young athlete from Ivory Coast Samuele Chini ventured into an attempt (successful) to beat the record of the first edition, starting from piazza Ottinetti, reaching Colma and returning to the center Ivrea. «Gli Amici del Mombarone, the organizing company of the race and for which I am registered – spiga Samuele – had thought of a non-competitive event aimed at retracing the path of the first edition. Then it was not possible to realize the idea, but I decided to try it alone, with the support of some friends and also involving Matteo Gamerro, a disabled boy from Canavese who was accompanied on his k-bike by a support team dedicated to him, because sport is for everyone ».

Chini’s attempt was fully successful: his time set in July (four and a half hours) is significantly lower than that of Rinaldo Bovo, who won the first edition of 1922 in 5 hours 35 ‘. To support Samuele there were some friends who escorted him alternating along the route: Simone Eusebio Bergò, Andrea Vitale and Davide Barattini. The team that assisted Matteo Gamerro was also fed, obviously unable to reach Colma, but had to stop where the track was no longer suitable for him. In addition to his parents Roberto and Teresina, Ivan Giacomini, Cristina Amato, Marzia Vernetti, Alfredo Vanoni, Antonio Zoppo, Silvano Tori and Andrea Gianasso alternated: “It was a good experience, also because I was able to see how Mombarone is loved by people: both on the way out and on the way back I met many tourists and many athletes who are training for the September appointment. After two years of forced abstinence, the charm of this race has not diminished at all, on the contrary: the board of the Amici del Mombarone, which in the meantime has been renewed, aims to increasingly enhance the Momba as an event. And what better occasion than the centenary of its history? ».

Samuele Chini, 23, has a past as a competitive cyclist and in recent years has converted to running, dedicating himself in particular to mountain races, with a preference for sky running tests that often reach 50-70 km. At Mombarone he boasts only one presence, in 2019, with an excellent result for a rookie: 37th in 2h 41 ’38 “, position and time that definitely aims to improve in the 2022 edition, for which he has been preparing for some time. –

Federico Bona