Cycling: Young Vesco wins Gran Premio Città di Pontedera

Pontedera, 17 May 2025 – Tuscany and in particular the province of Pisa bring good luck to the not yet twenty-year-old from Brianza Leonardo Vesco of the MBHBank Ballan CSB Colpack who won with a sprint 4 km from the finish line the ninth edition (record for number of participants with 183 starters) of the City of Pontedera Grand Prix.

The athlete of Besana Brianza He had obtained his first success as an under 23 in July last year in Marciana di Cascina in the Giro delle Due Province, this time the victory in the national race in Pontedera thanks also to his two teammates, the Tuscan Cipollini, who took third place and Bracalente who were part of the group of nine attackers who gained the lead of the race on the fifth and final passage on the Montacchita climb.

But let's proceed in order, remembering that before the start was given by Rossano Signorini of Ecofor Service (main sponsor of the race) and Mattia Belli, councillor for sport of the Municipality of Pontedera, a minute's silence was observed to remember Piero Pratesi, the technical escort motorcycle relay of the Pistoiese Motorcycle Group who died during the Stabbia race on May 4th. Of the race that Mauro Sardelli (director with Signorini of the organization) has set up with the US Juventus Lari, to remember the escape started at kilometer 87 by Chemelli, Cordioli (winner of the intermediate sprint) and by Baseggio first in the two mountain grand prix in memory of Luigi Giannoni and Flaminio Giusti, caught after a maximum advantage of two minutes and 10 seconds at the start of the last lap of 29 km.

The climb 15 kilometers from the end saw a group of 60 riders in the lead from which Lock of the General Store Essegibi F.lli Curia, who celebrated his birthday today, came out with a nice move. Eight of them returned to the escapee along the descent and it was the decisive escape despite the slight margin of advantage over the pursuers. At minus 5 Cipollini tried the force action and when the Tuscan was reached his teammate Vesco took off and went to take the victory while the good Tuscan Under 23 champion Lorello clearly won the sprint of the eight pursuers over Cipollini and Arrighetti.

ORDER OF ARRIVAL: 1)Leonardo Vesco (MBHBank Ballan CSB Colpack) km 166, in 3h50'06”, average km 43,286; 2)Riccardo Lorello (Team Hopplà) at 7”; 3)Edoardo Cipollini (MBHBank Ballan CSB Colpack); 4)Nicolò Arrighetti (Biesse Carrera Premac); 5)Tommaso Bosio (General Store Essegibi F.lli Curia); 6)Luca Bagnara (Team Technipes InEmiliaRomagna); 7)Diego Bracalente (MHBBank Ballan CSB Colpack); 8)Dennis Lock (General Store Essegibi F.lli Curia); 9)Matteo Regnanti (Team Hopplà); 10)Matteo Baseggio (SC Padovani).