The countdown towards Internazionali d'Italia Series MTB 2024 in the season enriched by the Olympic Games in July has officially started.
Source: press release
The most important season of every four-year period is about to start, some riders have changed their uniform and bike, and CT Mirko Celestino has already called the representatives of the national XCO to report for the first seasonal retreat. While waiting to define the exact names of the 2024 version of the teams, the path towards Paris 2024 is taking shape in the calendars of the top riders with an essential reference to the Internazionali d'Italia Series events. Up to a maximum of two Olympic passes for men and two for women are up for grabs for each National Olympic Committee. The IOC has in fact reduced the contingent planned for Paris 2024 by one.

A total of 72 athletes will be able to compete, of which two passes are entitled to France and another two to the so-called "universality places" assigned by the specific Commission. The quotas will be drawn up by adding the points of the three best classified cyclists of each national Olympic Committee during the period of qualification started on 7 May 2022 and will end on 26 May 2024.
The Internazionali d'Italia Series calendar represents an ideal opportunity to test the fitness of the contenders to wear the blue jersey, taking into account the events valid for Olympic qualification. The four events on the calendar are strategic: the debut in San Zeno di Montagna (Verona) on 16 March then stops in Esanatoglia (Macerata) on 30 March and in Nervesa della Battaglia – Rive degli Angeli (Treviso) on 4 May to close in Chies d'Alpago (Belluno) on 29 June.

The winner of the 2023 general classification, Daniele Braidot of CS Carabinieri Olympia Vittoria (3rd Pineta Sperane, 3rd Esanatoglia, 1st in La Thuile, 3rd Alpago) has a clear vision of the season, returning to racing for the leader's jersey: “I have put IIS among my objectives, two tests will already be before the races in Brazil and we will already have to go strong there”, tests which could already be useful for the selection by coach Mirko Celestino. “The objective is to aim for the ranking again this year”.
Another of the most anticipated men is the twin Luca Braidot (Santa Cruz RockShox Pro Team), winner of two Internazionali d'Italia Series races in 2023, the national team's top athlete who began his 2024 with the Italian retreat. His tricolor jersey will be seen competing for the first time in the Middle East in a direct challenge against Peter Sagan.

The young guns, less and less young and more reference athletes. Simone Avondetto (Wilier Vittoria Factory Team) after the forced stop in 2023 wants redemption, in Esanatoglia he demonstrated his talent and he will want to play for a place in Paris. Andreas Vittone (KTM Protek Elettrosystem) and Filippo Fontana (CS Carabinieri Olympia Vittoria): high-calibre outsiders ready for the big leap.
In the women's field there will be exciting and unpredictable challenges.
Wilier Vittoria Factory Team will be the female team to beat, Giada Specia and Sofie Pedersen are young athletes but with powerful displacements who have already put Martina Berta (Santa Cruz RockShox Pro Team), the reigning Italian champion, in check.
“For me, international competitions have always been useful for understanding my state of form given the participation of important foreign athletes and it is a way to compete with high-level athletes. For me it is the Italian circuit of reference. We are still defining the race program but I plan to participate in some of the competitions in the series” he comments Giada Specia.

Chiara Teocchi (who joined the Orbea Factory Team) has already included in her calendar some international events that are congenial to her, including Lamosano.
Elian Paccagnella, silver at the 2023 Junior World Championship, will make the big leap and will be a reference among the U23s, leaving the field open in the junior category to Diego Milan (Rock Bike Team).
Similarly, Valentina Corvi, reigning European Junior champion, will seek confirmation among the U23s, handing over to Elisa Lanfranchi (KTM Protek Elettrosystem), already leader of the Internazionali d'Italia Series among the Juniors in 2023.
THE 2024 INTERNATIONALI D'ITALIA SERIES CALENDAR:
- 16 MARCH: San Zeno di Montagna (Verona);
- 30 MARCH: Esanatoglia (Macerata);
- 4 MAY: Nervesa della Battaglia – Rive degli Angeli (Treviso);
- JUNE 29: Chies d'Alpago (Belluno).
