From the triumph of Pecco Bagnaia to the invasion of bicycles. A week after the Ducati’s red tide, the Misano Adriatico circuit named after Marco Simoncelli was the scene of the three days of the Italian Bike Festival, another great party in the name of two wheels. Over 500 brands from all over the world that filled the exhibition area behind the paddock, with over 1000 models of bikes to be tested on the track that usually sees the centaurs speed by. Another point in common was represented by the presence of some companies that come from the world of engines, just like Ducati, which made its flaming red electric model available to the curious, or Yamaha, also very launched in the world of e- bike.
Parade of world champions with the Australian Cadel Evans and the blue Alessandro Ballan, who led some customers to try the new BMCs, while Mario Cipollini also wandered among the stands and who boasts two world championships like Paolo Bettini , in addition to the Athens 2004 Olympic one. Stars of the past, but also of the present such as Sonny Colbrelli, who can’t wait to go back to speed and drive fans crazy like last year when he became king of the cobblestones in the Roubaix mud.
Among the most applauded was Rachele Barbieri, a great protagonist last month at the European Championships in Munich with two golds and one silver on the track, to which was added the bronze on the road. The off-road wizard is Simone Avondetto, the very recent Under 23 world champion in XCO mountain bike (Olympic cross country), who this year won the Italian, European and world titles with Italian bikes and tires (Wilier and Pirelli).
In addition to trying the bikes, you could test all the accessories, admiring among others the world-class helmet made by the Bergamo-based company Kask for the Filippo Ganna locomotive, with the hope of being able to renew it next year in the event of a triumph for the Italian ace. in the coming days at the World Cup in Australia. A trio in which the coach of the Italian national team Daniele Bennati also confides, as he confirmed last night from the stage of the Jova Beach Party in Bresso (in the province of Milan), from which he announced the long list of 13 riders chosen for the test in line, which will drop to 10 on Monday.
The Italia Bike Festival in Misano Adriatico was a success with the public with over 20 thousand visitors already on Friday, which grew on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday with the grand finale represented by the La Gialla Cycling granfondo, taken right from the racetrack this morning at 7.30 and in which another two-time world champion as Gianni Bugno and the former Italian national team coach Davide Cassani took part. An event also valid as a European contest (European Cycling Media Contest) for sector communication operators, who in recent days have been able to discover the beauties of the Romagna territories and taste the first fruits at the table, filling up their energy in view of the over 100 km faced today with 1800 meters of difference in altitude between Emilia Romagna and Marche. Italy is still the beating heart of cycling.