Italian E-bike 2023 results: Garibbo and Marcellini Tricolori

On 11 June 2023, the most coveted national competition of the year for the e-MTB enduro specialty took place on the paths of the Bike Park Alta Langa, which saw the awarding of the FCI tricolor titles. Andrea Garibbo and Alia Marcellini (both from Team Haibike) are the 2023 Italian champions. Alia Marcellini confirms the title for the second consecutive year.

Source: press release

It is the second year that the absolute FCI championship for the e-MTB enduro specialty is held in Italy. The Federation assigns the organization of this important test to the localities that have demonstrated organizational skills and quality of the routes worthy of the prestige of this event. Not surprisingly, federal councilor Giancarlo Masini was present at the tender.

The work carried out by the municipality of Castino and the neighboring Rocchetta Belbo and Cossano Belbo was impeccable: thanks to the commitment and participation of the locals, the "tricolor weekend" took place in an atmosphere of seriousness and joy which transformed the competition in a party. But for the success of a race, the main ingredient is in any case the quality of the courses, which must be the right compromise between difficulty, fun and safety.

The unstable weather conditions, with evening thunderstorms, meant that some stages were rather slippery. The choice of tires proved to be decisive: Andrea Garibbo and Alia Marcellini both won with mud knobs, also given the almost total absence of roots and rocky sections.
The clayey soil of the Alta Langa is particularly suitable for the cultivation of vineyards and hazelnuts: since very muddy conditions would have jeopardized the success and safety of the race, after the heavy downpour on Saturday afternoon, some volunteers went to dry - with a blower - the more compromised traits. This is just one example of how the event was felt and attended by the locals.

The race

The race was hard-fought: several riders took turns leading the five special stages. With three victories, and a total time of 23 minutes and 22 seconds, Andrea Garibbo (Team Haibike) has accumulated a gap of 27 seconds on the second classified Martino Lani (Team Fristads Merida CO.ME.S). Third for the Elite category, just a few tenths away, is Erwin Ronzon (Fiamme Alte ASD).
Given the concurrence of the date of the Italian Championship with other races (definitely a problem to deal with for future editions), there were 73 members. For women, this low participation meant that for the assignment of titles, the category Elite and Master were merged.
With a time of 27'04.85, Alia Marcellini (Team Haibike) proved to be the undisputed leader, with 4 victories in special stages and a gap of 25 seconds over Laura Rossin (Bike&CO ASD), very prepared but not very accustomed to electric bike racing.

The Italian titles for the Master categories have been assigned to:
• Pot 1 Male (19-29 years): Mattia Rovere (Exept Factory Team), 25' 08.82''
• Group 2 Male (30-39 years): Andrea Lucchini (Bike Gunner), 24'41.87
• Group 3 Male (40-49 years): Marco Melandri (Weride Fulgur Factory Team), 25'01.89
• Pot 4 Male (over 50): Bruno Zanchi (Team Firstads Merida Co.Me.S), 25' 21.72 The women's master titles were not assigned due to the presence of only two entries.

The complete results can be downloaded from the site Genoa Races; while the competition albums, the work of the photographer Mario Pierguidi, are published on the flickr page of the Alta Langa Bike Park.

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