The European Championships opened in a magnificent setting. Maniago is the place where Alex Zanardi left an unforgettable legacy. Everyone talks about him: every café, every shop window and every local resident. To mark the occasion, an exhibition dedicated to him was also inaugurated during the Championships. Three days of intense racing were accompanied by beautiful weather.
The competition got underway on Friday with the individual time trial in Montereale. The course was approximately 9 km long, featuring a few long but gentle climbs and several tight corners. Both the start and finish lines were located at the local athletics stadium.
The Italian National Team, competing at full strength, included several Team Equa athletes: Martino Pini, Fabrizio Cornegliani and the tandem pair Manuel Lama and Emanuele Caddeo. Representing Romania was our own Eduard Moescu.
Ana Maria Vitelaru was forced to miss the event after suffering from severe back problems in the days leading up to the Championships.
The men’s tandem of Manuel Lama and Emanuele Caddeo delivered an excellent performance, finishing less than two minutes behind the winners. It is a gap that can certainly be closed, especially considering that this partnership is still developing its racing chemistry. An eighth-place finish is therefore a very encouraging result.
In the Men’s H1 category, Fabrizio Cornegliani dominated the race, finishing around three and a half minutes ahead of the runner-up. His determination and consistency continue to reward an athlete who has been the benchmark in his class for several years.
Competing in the H3 category, Martino Pini recorded the fourth-fastest time, less than twelve seconds behind the winner. Such narrow margins highlight just how competitive the category has become: one slightly off day can completely change the outcome. There is no clear dominant rider, making every race extremely competitive.
In the MC2 category, Eduard Moescu finished 14th while representing Romania.
The following two days moved to Maniago for the road races and the Team Relay.
Some riders inevitably felt the effects of the time trial, while others had deliberately conserved energy for the road race. This was the case for Mirko Testa, Martino Pini’s friendly rival, who, after being beaten in the time trial, went on to finish second in the road race.
Martino, clearly still feeling the effort of the previous day’s race, managed to secure eighth place after a spectacular sprint finish. Tactically, however, he rode an outstanding race. Having been dropped by the leading group midway through the race, he fought his way back before launching an attack to take the lead on the penultimate lap, eventually finishing in the final sprint.
The men’s tandem race was equally competitive, with Manuel Lama and Emanuele Caddeo finishing sixth, just four seconds behind the winners after a race contested at an exceptionally high pace from start to finish.
Fabrizio Cornegliani, meanwhile, remained in control throughout his race, claiming victory in dominant fashion. In the MC2 category, Eduard Moescu finished 12th, once again racing for Romania.
At these European Championships, the Italian National Team confirmed its position among the leading nations in European paracycling by winning an impressive ten gold medals and finishing first in the overall nations’ standings.
The next major event will be the UCI Para-Cycling World Championships in Alabama, followed, for those who choose to compete, by the Italian National Championships, once again taking place near Pordenone.
