The departure from Piazza dei Martiri
The athlete from Bormiese wins in front of Chiminello and Mazzucco from Longaron. In the female test, Laura Simenc’s undisputed success on Maraldi and Moro
Unmissable. And sorry for the typo. Andrea Prandi wins with his arms raised on the Nevegal square in 3.45.55, with an average of 31.34 and wears the jersey of the first winner of the Gran Fondo del Dragone. Fire and flames on the asphalt and dirt roads of Belluno, Alpago, Limana and Ponte nelle Alpi and almost a minute ahead of Andrea Chiminello. Who tried to resist up to five kilometers from the finish line and was also able to overtake the Brescia rider of Darfo Boario, on a downhill stretch, but without being able to break away. At the last attack, the engine with more horsepower of the athlete from Bormio prevailed. Third place for the Longaronese Andrea Mazzucco, who was delayed by more than five and a half minutes. A podium entirely by Andrea, in the award ceremony, at the Pian Longhi sports center.
Race in blissful solitude in the women’s field for the Slovenian Laura Simenc, who arrived like an arrow in 4.17.05. The De Rosa Santini athlete recorded an average of 27.53, giving Cinzia Maraldi a 16 and a half minute gap and a good half hour to Maria Cristina Moro. Simenc left several men in the rear-view mirrors, who compared to her arrived exhausted at the end of the 117-kilometer track with 2,700 meters of elevation gain. A fairly short route, but very demanding and equally impressive from a landscape point of view. Almost a shame to have to bend over the handlebars.
After all, the gran fondo organized by Dolomiti Psg and Decathlon had and will also have a tourist value, of relaunching for the area involved and above all for the city hill, where ten years ago the Spaniard Alberto Contador had triumphed in the Belluno – Nevegal time trial of the Tour of Italy. Cycling could become a winning choice, after Covid-19, in the absence of snow. Yesterday the sky opened and gave way to the sun, just as the first runners were arriving, after a late morning with fog lights. cool temperature and recommended sweatshirt.
Departure at 7.30 from Piazza dei Martiri for the 140 members (not all of them have yet to leave) and off to the Vena d’Oro, then the lake of Santa Croce and the Alpago. At the first intermediate of Malga Cate (Chies d’Alpago), there are fifteen of them in the space of a few seconds. In front there is Casagrande, then Cionfoli, Prandi, Costantini, Cossettini, Seber, Chiminello, Mazzucco, Bonesso, Bortoli, Pizzolato, Da Canal, Cecchet, Zardello and De Cesero. Kilometer after kilometer, only the best remain in the lead. In Valmorel, the hierarchies are clearly delineated, with Prandi, Chiminello (at 30 ”) and Mazzucco (at 1’41 ”), who, according to Radiocorsa, seem to have something more than the others, even if Casagrande does not give up and Sogne do everything possible to stay with the first.
The most credible candidate for the final victory seems to be Prandi, who however does not risk anything along the last descent to the Roncie and ends up first being caught up and then momentarily overtaken by a Chiminello, who however no longer has the strength to leave and will eventually succumb, when the road will rise again. Andrea Prandi takes back the scepter and there is no more room for anyone else: the 31-year-old former ski mountaineering and mountain running specialist lands as a winner at the Nevegal finish line and can greet the public. Casagrande, who perhaps had spent too much in the first part of the track, must smile in fifth place, behind Chiminello, Mazzucco and Zardello as well. Ninth place for Gabriele Cossettini of Cicli Agordina and tenth for Nicola Cecchet of Dama Cycling.
In the female test, a monologue for Simenc, who even with all respect for the others has never had competition and, indeed, has made it to the males.
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