Of the 5 overall tests of the Italian Cup, three were held in Lombardy with the stages of Borno, Madesimo and Bormio which recorded a full house in the accommodation facilities in the area, also triggering a positive trend towards this discipline which continued well beyond race days, with bike parks always open and frequented by athletes for the entire season.
Source: press release
A reconfirmation of how much sport can drive tourism, with a doubling of attendance in the areas.
“Throughout the territory of the Province of Sondrio – explains Gigi Neri, representative of the Province for cycle tourism and Director of the Tourist Consortium of Tirano – tourism linked to cycling, in its various specific areas such as road cycling, mtb, gravel, DH and cycle tourism, sees a significant increase in the number of enthusiasts who choose to spend their holidays along the roads, passes, paths and numerous cycle paths in the valley from year to year. Also thanks to effective promotional and communication activities, such as the hosting of stages of the Giro d'Italia, international races, demonstrations and events, specialized fairs, implemented by the public and private tourism sector, Valtellina represents an unmissable destination for tourists bike lovers.”
“As regards the Lombard stages of Downhill of 2023 – adds Riccardo Tagliabue, organizer of DownHill Italy, which manages the Italian Cup and organizes the Italian Championship for the Italian Cycling Federation - a total of 1200 athletes took part in the races, coming from various nationalities and aged between 13 and 60. The podium of the Italian Cup was conquered by Lombardy, with the athlete Martina Fumagalli who placed first in the Master.
The season that has just ended also recorded the highest number of debutants in this discipline.
A great season still promises to be in 2024, with the confirmation of the Bormio and Madesimo tests, while the Borno stage will not be carried out due to work on the ski lifts. There are also different prospects for the Lombardy region and especially for Valtellina where the creation of new slopes for the Downhill".
“However, the news that we are most proud to communicate today – explains Riccardo Tagliabue – is that the 2025 Italian Championship of Downhill, which represents the most important test of the discipline, finally returns after 4 years to be held in our Region and more precisely in Madesimo. Indeed, precisely on the advice of President Fontana, in 2022 we participated in the tender for the Italian Championship, nominating Lombardy and then the choice fell on Madesimo, which with its Made Bike Park, now a point of reference for enthusiasts, represents the perfect location to host an event of this magnitude. The candidacy, which was accepted by the Italian Cycling Federation, has become definitive with the official confirmation confirmed in recent days. In 2022 and 2023 the Italian Championship was hosted in Piedmont, first in Sestriere and then in Prali, while in 2024 it will be held in Cortina".
“Il Downhill – adds Lara Magoni, Undersecretary to the Presidency with responsibility for Sport and Youth of the Lombardy Region – it is an adrenaline-filled and exciting discipline. Today we are here to say thank you to all the little great champions who represent the present and future of the discipline and who with their performances are the true Ambassadors of the downhill. In fact, they have the task of giving their all to win but above all to grow the movement and bring in many new fans.
For the Lombardy Region, every sport is fundamental, as well as for the importance of physical activity and the training of our young people, disciplines such as Downhill they offer an extraordinary opportunity to promote the beautiful Lombardy area.”
“Our Lombard mountains – concludes Massimo Sertori, Regional Councilor for Local Authorities and Mountains – are increasingly becoming tourist destinations on the one hand in the search for quality of life, on the other in the search for emotions that are developed through competitive sporting activities.
There is therefore ever greater attention to sporting events that highlight the beauty of the territories and increase their attractiveness. And the downhill, which has bikes as its protagonist, contributes significantly to a tourism that aims to deseasonalize the tourist offer.
There is great coherence between this sport and the strategy implemented by the Region for the development of the mountains. And this is why it makes us proud that in 2025 Madesimo, in Valle Spluga, will host the Italian Championship, offering a great opportunity for this area.
Let's all move forward together towards the goal."
For the occasion, the new photographic book was also presented, which demonstrates through unpublished shots the passion, fun and participation that this sport manages to transfer not only to the competing athletes but also to the public present.
