The 199.7km one-day race is scheduled next Tuesday.
One of the oldest events on the Italian scene, created in 1909 – the year that saw also the Giro d’Italia come to life – the Giro dell’Emilia will once again be decided on the iconic San Luca hill. Lying just outside Bologna and averaging a brutal 10% over just 2.1 kilometers, but featuring some insane sections close to 20%, the climb that was used on the inaugural stage of last year’s Giro d’Italia will be tackled five times next week, at the 103rd edition of the race.
Deceuninck – Quick-Step will come at the start in Casalecchio Di Reno with a mix of youth and experience, a six-man team comprising Portuguese all-rounder João Almeida – one of the revelations of the season – Tour de l’Ain stage winner Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, US National ITT Champion Ian Garrison, Mikkel Honoré and Pieter Serry.
“Giro dell’Emilia is a beautiful but at the same time very hard and relentless race. You can see that just by looking over the profile: almost 200 kilometers, a total of nine climbs, including San Luca five times – all these elements will make for a leg-sapping day in the saddle, and this is without taking into account the hot temperatures. We travel there with a good team, six guys motivated to give their all and show that the Wolfpack spirit can’t be broken”, said sports director Davide Bramati.
