ROCCA CANAVESE
Rocca at the center of attention of world cycling. On Monday evening in the small Canavese town there was the presentation of the 105th edition of the Gran Piemonte, which will start on Thursday from Rocca Canavese.
The evening, in the municipal gym of Rocca, was attended by the mayor of Rocca Alessandro Lajolo, the former professional racer Franco Balmamion and the honorary citizen of Rocca Colonel Carlo Calcagni, as well as the journalist Franco Bocca and the young cyclists of the Young bikers team Franco Balmamion.
Mayor Lajolo recalled in his speech how the start of the Gran Piemonte was brought to Rocca. The intervention of the regional councilor Claudio Leone (present at the evening) was fundamental, who carried out the candidacy as a starting point at the regional administration.
It will be an important opportunity to make the territory known. The Ciriacese Franco Balmamion, winner of two professional tours of Italy in 1962 and 1963, briefly recalled his participation in the Piedmont tour but also wanted to remember two runners from Rocca who had raced with him at an amateur level Aldo Molinar and Gianni Peracchione . There was a telephone connection with Giovanni Ellena, the Canavese sporting director of Androni toys Sidermec, who talked about the route, which was not very demanding, and almost certainly in the end there will be a sprint finish.
Franco Bocca recalled the Piedmontese who triumphed in this race starting from Giovanni Brunero to go from Angelo Conterno, Nino Defilippis up to Italo Zilioli winner in 1970. But he also recalled that in the last edition held the one in 2019 he won a Canavese d adoption in Oropa, the Colombian Egan Bernal who grew up in Buasca. He recalled how three Rocca’s riders got to professionalism; in the twenties Egidio Picchiottino only one victory in Turin Bordighiera, in the thirties Edoardo Molinar the first Italian to win a stage of the Vuelta in Spain in 1935 and finally in the fifties Angelo Davitto became pro in Carpano Coppi with the champion. –