17 Mar Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team Monteriggioni
The Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team leaves Monteriggioni with a bitter taste in its mouth
The podium slips away by a second: the Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team leaves Monteriggioni with a bitter taste in its mouth.
The team finishes with results below its ambitions in the Tuscan gran fondo. Three men in the Top 10, Jacopo Billi finishes fourth, just below third, but the podium eludes him. Maria Zarantonello makes the day less bitter with a third place in the women’s competition.
March 17, 2025, Monteriggioni (SI) – Races come one after another, but they’re not always similar. Sadly, the formidable performance of the Metallurgica Veneta professional MTB team at last year’s Granfondo Castello di Monteriggioni was not repeated this year.
Despite several excellent finishes, including Maria Zarantonello’s third place on the women’s podium and three men in the Top 10, the final result fell short of the team’s ambitions.
Close to podium finish
The race, contested on a demanding 50km course with 1,300 metres of elevation gain, made more difficult by the muddy track conditions, saw Stefano Goria take victory, while last year’s winner, Jacopo Billi, came close to a podium finish, placing fourth overall, just one second behind third, battling in the leading group until the final kilometre, but was overtaken by Goria in the final sprint.
Bili was quite disappointed, stating that, as a team, they deserved a podium spot, but couldn’t complete the task. “I’m happy to have fought until the end in the leading group, but Gloria surprised us in the last kilometer, making a strong comeback on the final climb. It’s a shame, it looked like I was finished. I felt in great shape and expected more. Above all, fourth and fifth places don’t reflect our potential. I’ll put this disappointment behind me and seek redemption at the next race in Alassio,” said Bili.
Nicola Taffarel, fifth overall, managed the race well in the second group, but couldn’t counter Goria’s final attack. It was a somewhat bitter fifth place finish.
The start was immediately intense, with a high pace that tested the riders. Diego Arias, who finished in eighth place, struggled with the pace on the first climb, falling away from the leading group. I tried to make up ground on the descent, but the gap was already too great. In the final stretch, with my strength somewhat limited, I struggled to recover. The pace was very high all day; perhaps my legs were a little weak. Closing the gap in the final kilometers of such a fast race was difficult, but I’m happy to have fought until the end,” Arias commented.
For Massimo Rosa, 18th, the race was a struggle against less-than-optimal conditions. “I’m going slowly, I’m not in shape yet, I need to do more, I’m working to improve,” he admitted.
Andrea Candeago, 21st, showed improvement compared to the last race, but a technical problem with the telescopic frame forced him to stop, causing him to lose several positions. “I was in the chasing group with Taffarel and Diego, who was fighting for fourth place, but the mechanical problem slowed me down. However, I’m satisfied with the progress,” he explained.
The Metallurgica Veneta MTB Pro Team now looks ahead to the Alassio stage, aiming to find their best form and reaffirm themselves among the leading figures on the national scene.
