Nervesa della Battaglia (TV). The weekend of top-level mountain biking at the scenic Podere Rive degli Angeli opened with the Italian Team Relay Championship, which was won by C.S. Carabinieri Cicli Olympia, ahead of Trinx Factory Team and Team Sogno Veneto.
Right from the start on the fast and fun Montello course, three teams broke away: Emanuele Huez (C.S. Carabinieri Cicli Olympia), Giovanni Zago (Team Sogno Veneto), and Pietro Cao (Trinx Factory Team) finished the first lap with a decent gap over the chasing group. The race was decided in the fourth leg, when Daniele Braidot (C.S. Carabinieri Cicli Olympia) made a decisive move, gaining significant ground over Lucia Bramati and Nicole Canzian, and propelling his team back into the lead. In the final leg, Filippo Fontana expertly managed the advantage, crossing the finish line 25 seconds ahead of Cristian Bernardi and over three minutes ahead of Martino Zavan, sealing the victory for C.S. Carabinieri Cicli Olympia.
Emanuele Huez, the first rider for the winning team, stated: “I had a good start and tried to give it my all. I think I managed a strong personal performance, handing over to Nicole in first place. I’m really happy — it’s not every day you get to wear the tricolour jersey. I’m proud of the whole team; we’re a close-knit group this year, and this result boosts morale and brings us together”. Nicole Pesse added: “I knew I’d be racing against a lot of guys, so I focused on limiting the gap as much as possible to help Giada, who would go after me. I felt great out there, which is a good sign for tomorrow’s race too. I haven’t worn the tricolour jersey in several years — it represents the great teamwork among us riders and the support of all our sponsors. I’m truly very happy”. Daniele Braidot also expressed satisfaction: “I had two minutes to make up on Lucia. I pushed as hard as I could until I caught her, and I knew we had Filippo, who’s in incredible shape, to close things out. So I just managed the gap. I’m really happy with how it went — especially for the team”.
