In the prestigious location of Nencini Sport with a brilliant and entertaining press conference in which the mission, history and results obtained in previous seasons were highlighted, the Abetone Gravity Team revealed what will be the name, the programme, the sponsors, official bikes and riders for the 2024 season.
Source: press release
Conducted by a dazzling Claudio Giosfatto in splendid form, the press conference saw the drivers sitting at the protagonists' table, led by the very confirmed Tommaso Francardo and Nadine Ellecosta, who in the season just ended brought home excellent results during of the UCI Enduro Mountain Bike Series, culminating in Tommaso's seventh place in Pietra Ligure and Nadine's twelfth in Loudenveille.
The EWS team has been joined by the homegrown scion Simone Falcini, promoted from the internal Junior Team thanks to his peremptory victories in the final ranking of the Italian Enduro Series, and the new arrival Tommaso Calonaci, left by the Pistoia-based TSI team thanks to an agreement between the “pres” Francesco Gelli and Stefano “Il Cino” Cinotti, for the council of the TSI on one side and Rolando Galli and Davide Demin for Abetone on the other. This agreement has once again established the friendship and collaboration between the 2 teams, with a sporting perspective of raising the level of the boys who come from their respective nurseries, in this case represented by the strong Tuscan athlete, called up next season to make the leap in quality from victories on the national level to gaining experience and results on the international level. Another new arrival who will complete the women's category is that of Giorgia Fiocchi, also like Matteo Falcini at her first international experiences, but who has already widely highlighted herself during the national competitions in which she participated in the season just ended. The team led by President Giorgio Vannini, composed as follows, will participate in all the UCI Enduro Mountain Bike Series races, in the first edition of the newly created Enduro World Championship, as well as all the most important national races.
Also confirmed are the excellent Nicola "Fogaccino" Grotti and Vittorio "Vittorino" Palmieri who last season dominated the length and breadth of the Tes, taking home many stage victories as well as the overall victory. Victories that we hope to repeat during the next season, in which both will dedicate themselves more to Italian races, without, however, disdaining some trips abroad.
Having said the riders, let's move on to the bikes, which will once again be the highly confirmed Ancillotti Scarab 29, with which the boys from Abetone had a great increase in performance during the last season thanks to the commitment of the manufacturer Tomaso Ancillotti who, thanks to his great competence, has once again highlighted how Italian artisan technique, if well coordinated, fears no comparison. Coordination that combined the Ancillotti frames with the Formula suspensions, brakes and rims, as well as the Vittoria tires and the Switch components, for a bike that thus becomes almost 100% Italian.
And after the bikes we come to the name which, in honor of the main technical supporters, will be Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team, which in a world panorama which sees many enduro teams withdrawing their commitment represents a great effort but also at the same time a great satisfaction for the Team that will be the only Italian team to participate on a permanent basis in the enduro world circuit, followed by the Federal Technician Matteo Giuliano.
Such an important commitment would not have been possible without the support of the sponsors, starting with Vittoria, which will provide both the material and the technical assistance to equip the riders with the best performing tires on the market. Performance that will certainly not be lacking in the clothing and racing protections that will be supplied by Ufo plast, a historic manufacturer, which after being among the first to enter the gravity mountain bike market has now completely renewed its range and is back in great shape with products that bring it back to the forefront in terms of style, practicality and technology. Other technical partners will be O-Chain, which will supply the chain decoupling systems, HT pedals, Switch components for handlebars and seat posts, Officine Parolin and clearly, the host of the evening Nencini Sport which vice versa will provide all the coordination necessary to be able to make everything work as best as possible, as well as a series of agreements for team members. As regards technical assistance, Paolo Martelli from Prato Freeride will follow the athletes on the competition fields. Another important partner will be Sedoni, which, being the largest van rental center in Tuscany, will equip the team with the means necessary to move around the entire world circuit.
Other sponsors will also be the Botteghino restaurant, a meeting place for bikers in the Lucca area and Fratelli Conforti Tessuti of Prato.
Having said all this, Abetone Ancillotti Vittoria Factory Team is not only World Cup, but also a team that brings together over 60 riders, especially young people from the Student and Rookie categories but also Elite and Master who in recent years have confirmed themselves as the largest presence in the paddock of each competition field, with an introductory program to Mountain Bike coordinated by the Federal Technician Enrico Durval who coordinates both the school for children aged 8 to 14 and the highly confirmed summer camps which will take place again in Abetone in the months of July and August.
At this point, the period that separates the boys from the first races of the season will be dedicated to an intense series of tests which will help the confirmed riders to further refine their bikes and the new riders to gain confidence with both the team and the bikes.
