The news had been in the air for a few months, but everyone was just waiting for it to be made official.
For years, Canazei and the Val di Fassa have positioned themselves as one of the best destinations on the international enduro scene. He began his rise in 2019 with a stage of what for several years was the reference circuit, the Superenduro. Since then it has been a succession of high-level events in the EWS first and last year in the EDR.
Awarded as one of the best stages ever and also much appreciated by riders for the variety of its routes, which have in the iconic Tutti Frutti the flagship of every enduro rider.
We believe that the award of this first world championship is a more than deserved recognition for the work carried out, which highlights how our country is central in the off road panorama.
It is no coincidence that while we are writing this article, not far from Canazei, in Val Sole, one of the most representative stages of the MTB World Cup is taking place
We reached William Basilico by telephone, a friend of 365 MTB but above all responsible for the Val di Fassa MTB project and enduro for the Italian cycling federation.
Hi Willy, happy with this result?
Yes, certainly, hosting the first enduro world championship in history is the culmination of a project that started 10 years ago with the organization of the Italian championship.
What is the difference between organizing a World Cup race and a world championship?
There are still some aspects to outline, but in broad terms I would say that from a sporting point of view they are very similar, the differences are more of a formal nature, the national teams participate in the world championship, an opening ceremony must be organized and probably also the awards will be more institutional.
In your opinion, what significance can organizing the first enduro world championship have for the Italian movement?
It is a strong recognition for a movement that over the years has been able to produce events of the highest caliber, not only in Val di Fassa. Since its birth, international enduro has stopped in Italy several times, Finale Ligure is one of the most recognized locations, the same goes for us but also for La Thuile and Punta Ala, which have been part of the growth of this system.
All locations that started in the Superenduro years
Certainly the presence of a format like the one organized by Enrico Guala gave a strong boost to the entire movement. The hope is that this world championship can be an element capable of activating new energy and that will allow us to return to having a high profile circuit that can launch new locations and contribute once again to the growth of the enduro system.
In your opinion, what will the presence of the World Cup change in the federal dynamics with respect to this discipline?
The rainbow jersey becomes an important goal for every athlete and can ignite new ambitions. It is still early to define what the changes could be, certainly also at a federal level when the discipline grows, reaching the point of having a rainbow jersey, it will be easier to foresee the organization of internships for both high-level athletes and the youth sector, all elements that can contribute to increasing the professionalism of the competitive part of this discipline.
What can you reveal to us about the world championship route?
What I can say is that it will be a world championship that will retrace the most iconic moments of these years. every year we have tried to introduce new elements into our proposal, for this special event we will try to recover part of the history of our races.
From a competitive point of view, this world championship comes at a special moment for national enduro. With Vendemmia and Francardo having become competitive at an absolute level it is not strange to think that they can compete for the victory.
This would be the icing on the cake! These two guys have certainly made an important growth journey which now sees them firmly in the top positions. If in the women's field at the moment I feel like I can say that the Courdurier has a solidity that places it a step above the others, among the men I think the victory is more contestable.
Now we just have to wait for September 14th and 15th and come to Canazei to be part of this historic event.
