Granfondo Alé la Merckx: great success for the first edition in Livigno, in 800 on the climbs of Pogacar

(String: <span id="hs_cos_wrapper_post_body" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_rich_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="rich_text" ><p>Unforgettable day in Little Tibet, including breathtaking scenery, the iconic climbs of the Giro d'Italia and a day of great participation and sport</p> <p><!--more--></p> <p>Livigno, 06/29/2024 - It was an intense and spectacular day that animated Livigno on this magnificent<br>weekend at the end of June. Sunny weather and clement temperatures, in fact, welcomed the more<br>than 800 participants at the start, ready to tame the hairpin bends of some of the most iconic passes of tricolor cycling, for a Granfondo with important sporting content and a great value bearing. A unique spectacle, which also attracted to Livigno a group of special competitors, led by <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Sonny Colbrelli, Andrea Pusateri, Antonio Rossi, Gilberto Neirotti and Cristian Zorzi.</span></p> <p><br>The two variants of the route, both starting at Aquagranda, Livigno's Olympic Preparation Center, the flagship of the resort's sports and tourism offerings, tested the athlete's; endurance, thanks to the presence of some technically challenging, though very rideable, peaks, such as <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Forcola, Bernina,</span><br><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">Umbrail and Foscagno: </span>small feats, to be accomplished surrounded <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">by the beauty of breathtaking scenery.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="https://3506980.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3506980/Al%C3%A8%20la%20Merckx-16.jpg" width="745" height="497" loading="lazy" alt="Alè la Merckx-16" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 745px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Among men, victory went to <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Mattia Gaffuri,</span> in force at ASD Swatt Club, who finished the <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">167 </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">kilometers</span> of exertion, embellished by more than <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">4300 meters </span>of elevation gain, in 5 hours, 6 minutes<br>and 52 seconds, clearly preceding <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Michele Negri and Paolo Castelnovo</span> (both ASD Team MP Filtri),<br>respectively second and third at the finish line. For Gaffuri, the authentic ruler of the Granfondo, the<br>lunge on the Passo del Foscagno was decisive, digging a chasm between him and the small group of<br>pursuers and allowing him a solo finish.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="https://3506980.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3506980/podio-maschile.png" width="745" height="497" loading="lazy" alt="podio-maschile" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 745px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;"></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Among the women, again in the long race, an overwhelming victory for an emotional <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Carlotta </span><span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif;">Uber, </span>who is deeply attached to Little Tibet, a place she frequented as a child for cross-country skiing and has rediscovered as an adult athlete thanks to mountain running and cycling, a testament to the overall richness of Livigno's offerings. <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Gioia Chiodi and Lisa Westner</span>, authors of an excellent race, although distant from the winner, complete the podium.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>In the<span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;"> Medio Fondo, the short course of 106 kilometers and 2050 meters of elevation gain,</span> success went to <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Thomas Bergamini</span> (ASD Bike and Fun Team) among men and <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Luisa Isonni</span> (Boario ASD) among women. Isonni's victory was clear-cut, trimming more than six minutes off <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Anna Cadorin</span>, second, and almost ten off <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Caterina Canclini</span>, who was still excellent and third. The finish of the men's race was more tightly contested, with Bergamini securing victory over Christian Martinelli only thanks to a decisive sprint on the Passo d'Eira.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Third was <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Stefan Kirchmair</span>, who, in addition to the satisfaction of the podium, also goes home with a<br>Pinarello bike, partner of Alé la Merckx, for winning the<span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;"> Pogacar challenge,</span> a special ranking dedicated to the athletes; <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">time between Passo d'Eira and Mottolino</span>, organized to celebrate the Slovenian champion's sporting feat at the last <span style="font-family: Livigno, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 500;">Giro d'Italia,</span> when he arrived solo on the toughest finish line of the 2024 pink race, squeezed between two wings of the crowd. A stage finish that immediately became an instant classic</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span><img src="https://3506980.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/3506980/Al%C3%A8-vincitrice.png" width="745" height="497" loading="lazy" alt="Alè-vincitrice" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%; width: 745px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; display: block;"></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>{{ include_custom_fonts({"Livigno":["Regular","Medium","Light","Bold Italic","Bold","Black","Thin","Medium Italic"]}) }}</span>)