At the starting line of the Trinacria Race, on the Letojanni seafront, there are all the best marathon specialists. The only major absentee is the reigning winner Diego Rosa, due to physical problems he has had in recent weeks.
In the 76 km and 2700 meters of overall altitude difference of the route, divided into a more demanding first part and a decidedly smoother second part, the South Tyrolean rider took control of the reins of the race from the first pedal strokes, demonstrating once again that he is capable of great condition. Rabensteiner was in fact fresh from the success in the first World Cup test in Nove Mesto and, galvanized, he brought the same verve to Sicily, a few steps from Taormina.
In the end, the expert athlete from Wilier-Vittoria managed to beat Gioele De Cosmo with 1'33" and 1'39" from his teammate Samuele Porro, who replicates the podium obtained in the Czech Republic and confirms himself once again as excellent squire and stopper when there is a need to protect an attacking companion.
WOMEN RACE
Among the women it is a three-way challenge with Peretti (Olympia), Mairhofer (Soudal LeeCougan), and Fumagalli (KTM), with the former in the lead, alone, right from the start of the race, and the two colleagues behind chasing a few seconds away.
After Mount Kalfa, most of the difficulties are overcome, but on the subsequent climbs those who have spent too much pay the price. Among the women, Claudia Peretti regains the tricolor jersey. Second is Mairhofer who gets the better of Fumagalli in the sprint.
For Rabensteiner, this is the third Italian title, for a career (and a season) that is becoming increasingly full of laurels. “After a year of absence I am really happy to be back to win this beautiful Tricolore shirt – he said -. The heat was a factor. In the early stages of the race Ragnoli tried to make the difference uphill, I kept a few meters away and then downhill I managed to catch him twice. Then, when I managed to create a small gap, I no longer turned around and continued straight ahead. At the end, with a lead of over two minutes, I was also able to slow down a bit and enjoy the last pedal strokes. It was a great day."
“At the beginning we were good at not letting Ragnoli go away, then when in the second descent Fabian managed to take advantage, at that point, I had nothing left but to remain passive and let De Cosmo take the burden of pursuit – said Porro, who has won 5 Italian championships -. With Fabian gaining second after second, for me the race practically ended there. The condition, however, remains more than good."
MEN'S ELITE RANKING
| 1 | RABENSTEINER Fabian | 03. 14. 07 | WILIER-VITTORIA FACTORY TEAM MX |
| 2 | DE COSMO Joel | 03. 15. 40 | SCOTT RACING TEAM |
| 3 | LEEK Samuel | 03. 15. 46 | WILIER-VITTORIA FACTORY TEAM MX |
| 4 | SIFFREDI Andrea | 03. 15. 57 | SCOTT RACING TEAM |
| 5 | CERCHI Dario | 03. 18. 06 | SOUDAL LEECOUGAN INTERNATIONAL TEAM |
| 6 | DORIGONI Jakob | 03. 18. 26 | TORPADO KENDA FACTORY |
| 7 | BILLI Jacopo | 03. 21. 25 | METALLURGICA VENETA MTB PRO TEAM |
| 8 | FOCCOLI Davide | 03. 22. 28 | OLYMPIA FACTORY TEAM |
| 9 | SAITTA Vincenzo | 03. 22. 29 | ROLLING BIKE RACING TEAM |
| 10 | FICARA Pierpaolo | 03. 22. 37 | ROLLING BIKE RACING TEAM |
FEMALE ELITE RANKING
| 1 | PERETTI Claudia | 03. 58. 44 | OLYMPIA FACTORY TEAM |
| 2 | MAIRHOFER Sandra | 04. 00. 55 | SOUDAL LEECOUGAN INTERNATIONAL TEAM |
| 3 | FUMAGALLI Mara | 04. 00. 56 | KTM ALCHEMIST POWERED BRENTA BRAKES |
| 4 | PIANA Debora | 04. 11. 11 | TRACK TEAM |
| 5 | FASOLIS Constance | 04. 13. 25 | MINDBODY CYCLES DRIGANI PRO TEAM |
