Male Team 22 - 25 Mar
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
423 Kilometers 5 Stages
For the first time in the so-called ‘Movistar era’, Eusebio Unzué’s will line up at the 33rd Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, a traditional March stagerace in Italy held by the Adriatic sea in the Emilia-Romagna region, home of Adriano Amici’s organising group GS Emilia.
The 2018 race offers a truly well-balance course, with chances for all types of competitors. The first day of racing (Thursday 22nd March) will see riders take on a double sector in the town of Gatteo, with a 97.8km road race in the morning -featuring three climbs of the ‘muro’ of Longiano- followed by a 13.3km team time trial in the afternoon. The latter won’t be held, as it was custom in the last few years, with four-man teams (squads divided in half), because the UCI regulations now state teams cannot be bigger than seven – which makes impossible to have rosters with even numbers.
Friday 23rd March will bring the toughest road stage: 130 intense kilometers with a final circuit in Sogliano, including the ascent to the Monte Tiffi. Saturday 24th will be the day for sprinters, with yet another loop – a completely flat one – around Crevalcore (171km). And to finish things off, a demanding ITT is scheduled for Sunday 25th: 12.5km starting at Fiorano Modenese and finishing atop the castle of Montegibbio, in Sassuolo, with final slopes up to 12%.