VEROLA PARACYCLING CUP 2026
Spring has been a very intense period for Team Equa, marked by several structural changes.
After the event in Villaverla, the team moved to Verola Nuova to continue its preparation for the upcoming World Cup round in Montesilvano and the European Championships in Maniago.
On April 25 and 26, the international event Verola Paracycling Cup 2026 took place.
Eight athletes represented Team Equa: Riccardo Cadei, Andrea Casadei, Fabio Coratella, Manuel Lama, Eduard Moescu, Martino Pini, Michele Tassi and Ana Maria Vitelaru.
An outstanding performance came from Martino Pini, who won the individual time trial with an impressive average speed of 42 km/h. Michele Tassi continued his long and demanding journey, earning two second-place finishes.
Ana Maria Vitelaru also secured a comfortable first-place finish.
In the MC2 category, Team Equa achieved a complete podium sweep, with Andrea Casadei, Fabio Coratella and Eduard Moescu finishing first, second and third respectively.
Manuel Lama and Emanuele Caddeo dominated the tandem category, while Riccardo Cadei was involved in a crash that fortunately resulted in no serious consequences.
WORLD CUP MONTESILVANO 2026
The Montesilvano World Cup unfortunately opened under the shadow of the recent passing of the great Alex Zanardi. He was not only a champion with an almost unmatched record of achievements, but also a man whose strength and message brought new energy and visibility to the Paralympic movement.
If Paralympic sport has reached such prominence today, it is thanks to people like Alex, who used their charisma to raise awareness among both the media and the general public.
A large stage dedicated to Alex’s memory stood in the awards area, alongside a Dallara racing car on display. It is worth remembering that Alex Zanardi and Dallara worked extensively on research and development in para-cycling, designing handbikes of the highest technical level.
Seven Team Equa athletes took part in the event. Five competed for the Italian National Team, Eduard Moescu represented Romania, while Riccardo Cadei raced in Team Equa colours.
Fabrizio Cornegliani comfortably won the time trial, while Ana Maria claimed third place behind Chantal Haenen and China’s Sun.
The story was different for the other athletes: Martino Pini finished ninth in an increasingly competitive category, the tandem crew placed thirteenth, Riccardo Cadei fifteenth and Eduard Moescu twenty-first.
The weekend was dedicated to the road races, held over two days in almost summer-like temperatures.
Fabrizio Cornegliani and Ana Maria Vitelaru repeated their time-trial results. Unfortunately, Martino Pini was involved in a crash triggered by Russia’s Parfeliuk and Switzerland’s Wafler.
As the tandem race began, a light rain started to fall, making the road surface particularly slippery. Manuel Lama and Emanuele Caddeo delivered an excellent performance, finishing in seventh place. In a competition of this level, such a result effectively means seventh place on the European stage.
Riccardo Cadei and Eduard Moescu finished 12th and 20th respectively.
The next major event will be the European Championships in Maniago, an important stepping stone towards the World Championships later this summer.
