Elia Viviani will race again in Italy, less than four weeks after completing an unforgettable Giro d'Italia.
Last stage race of the month, Adriatica Ionica will start on Wednesday with a 23.3km team time trial in Lido di Jesolo, a town which had played host to several Giro d'Italia stages on several occasions, first time in 1955, and continue with a hilly day that should end in a bunch gallop, that is if a rider won't make a late move to foil the sprinters' plans on the undulating terrain around Maser, the small town located 50 kilometers northwest of Venice.
Friday will schedule the queen stage of the stage, one packing three classified climbs: Passo Rolle (20.5km, 5.9%), Passo Valles (4.1km, 8.6%) and Passo Giau (9.8km, 9.3%), the famous Dolomites climb that commands respect. One day later, the peloton will embark on the longest stage of the week and pass through the ancient city of Aquileia on their way to the seaside resort of Grado, with Trieste – the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region – set to welcome the bunch on the final day, when the riders will fight for victory in a bunch sprint.
Elia Viviani, who so far this season has amassed ten victories, four of which came on home turf, at the Giro d'Italia, will be at the start of the inaugural edition, less than a week after riding to an impressive second at Dwars door het Hageland. The 29-year-old will be joined by Ronde van Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke champion Niki Terpstra, countryman Davide Martinelli, and neo-pros Kasper Asgreen, Alvaro Hodeg, James Knox and Jhonatan Narvaez, the champion of Ecuador.
"We are going there with a strong squad, despite being a young one with four neo-pros, a squad motivated to fight for a stage win and enhance our 2018 tally. Adriatica Ionica is a new but beautiful race, which will be decided by the opening team time trial and the brutal mountain stage to Passo Giau, former Cima Coppi at the Giro d'Italia, and we hope to be a protagonist on every stage – especially on the ones finishing in a bunch sprint – from day one", said sports director Davide Bramati, who'll follow the team from the car.
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