50TH GIRO DELLA LUNIGIANA: THE RACE OF THE FUTURE CHAMPIONS BEGINS TOMORROW

Less than 24 hours remain until the start of the 50th Giro della Lunigiana, which will get underway tomorrow from La Spezia and finish on Saturday 12 September in Casano di Luni, after five stages and 399 kilometres of racing.

The Race of the Future Champions will bring together some of the very best riders in the Junior category. Leading the field is Seff Van Kerckhove, winner of the 2025 edition and aiming to become the first rider in the race’s 50-year history to win back-to-back editions.

Among the Belgian’s main rivals will be Norwegian Kristian Haugetun, winner in Vezzano Ligure at last year’s edition. Also worth watching is Patrik Pezzo Rosola, winner of the Peace Race, as well as Germany’s Karl Herzog, national champion and winner of seven races this season.

Among the outsiders to watch are Sindre Orholm-Lonseth (Norway), Marek Stiblik (Czech Republic), Michael Hettegger (Austria), Emilio Rodriguez (Mexico) and Vic De Smet (Belgium).

On the Italian side, particular attention will be on national champion Enrico Balliana, Alessandro Battistoni and Luca Gugnino, while Brandon Fedrizzi, Nicola Padovan and Paolo Graziano Marangon will be looking to target stage victories.

Among the fastest riders in the field are also Owen Kings (Germany) and Sander Willems (Belgium).