The debut of the 2022 season of the Internazionali d'Italia Series will have the unmistakable backdrop of Lake Garda and Monte Baldo.
Source: press release
On Sunday 6 March, the stars of international Cross Country will find the mild microclimate of Lake Garda and trails already known to many enthusiasts to welcome them in San Zeno di Montagna (VR) for Pineta Sperane XCO, the first round of the most important Italian circuit of the Olympic specialty of Mountain Bike.
On the first edition of the event there is the signature of CM Outdoor Events, the organizing company of the Internazionali d'Italia Series, together with five local sports realities. Dedicated to the memory of Giorgio 'Jimmy' Fontana, an amateur who passed away a year ago, who contributed to the development of the MTB movement in this area, Pineta Sperane XCO makes its debut on the international scene as a category C.1 event.
Taking advantage of the unique characteristics of the slope, which lends itself well to Cross Country activities, the organizers and the technical consultant Enrico Martello have set up a 4 km ring that develops in the Parco Pineta Sperane, in areas almost completely closed to ordinary traffic, capable therefore of becoming an open-air gym for all MTB enthusiasts.
The track alternates technical sections both uphill and downhill totally natural, where the courage and driving skills of the athletes can make the difference, single track sections in which the public can follow the race for long stretches with very few movements, and passages wider to allow overtaking in the race.
“For some time we had been planning to organize a competition in the area where we have cultivated our passion for MTB,” said Michele Mondini of CM Outdoor Events. - “The Municipality of San Zeno di Montagna and the whole territory of Lake Garda and Monte Baldo have shown that they believe in our sport: we have found numerous companies willing to collaborate and very present interlocutors at the local level. With the new stages of San Zeno and Trento-Bondone we are following the path already undertaken with La Thuile and Capoliveri: setting up events in areas that intend to invest in MTB, which can provide a contribution to local realities and tourist bodies also in a logic of service, with the creation of structures and maintenance activities of the path network ".
“Furthermore - continued Mondini - Pineta Sperane XCO is a race that perfectly meets the needs of bikers in the first months of the season thanks to the microclimate of Lake Garda”.
It is no coincidence that this is one of the favorite areas of the two-time Olympic champion Paola Pezzo and that Pineta Sperane XCO has already aroused the interest of international riders and teams. Team Scott-SRAM with the European Champion Lars Forster, the phenomenal Austrian Mona Mitterwallner, U23 Cross Country World Champion and winner of the 2021 Marathon World Championship, Team Trinity Racing and the new Rockrider Racing Team led by the expert French athlete Stephane Tempier, in addition to the best of Italian MTB, have already confirmed their presence.
Pineta Sperane XCO will give away the first leader jerseys of the Internazionali d'Italia Series designed and produced by GSG. At 10.30 the athletes of the Junior male category will start, followed at 12.30 by the women's competitions (Open and Juniores) and at 14.30 by the Men Open test.
