The “Due giorni del mare” (Two Days of the Sea), an international handbike competition, took place on April 11th and 12th in Marina di Massa.
After a one-year hiatus, this fascinating competition returned to the beautiful setting of Marina di Massa, where the air already smells of summer this time of year. This race marks the first major appointment of the new season on Italian soil. Athletes from various countries battled it out primarily to test their fitness levels ahead of the European Championships and the World Cup, which will be held in Maniago (Friuli) and Montesilvano (Abruzzo)—the latter having already hosted the Italian Championships two years ago.
Team Equa lined up across several categories:
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Manuel Lama (Tandem): Won the 70 km road race hands down, averaging 43 km/h.
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Anamaria Vitelaru (WH5): The sole competitor in her category, she “cruised” at an average of 31 km/h mainly to check her current form.
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Martino Pini (MH3): Unable to break away from the pack, he finished fifth in a sprint finish, just two seconds behind winner Mirko Testa.
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Michele Tassi (MH5): Finished third. Still in the early stages with this vehicle and seeking the best ergonomics, his physical prowess suggests significant room for improvement.
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Eduard Moescu (MC2): Fourth place, missing the podium by a tenth of a second with a 36 km/h average.
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Riccardo Cadei (MC4): Placed third, only 0.8 seconds behind the winner, Pittacolo.
On the second day, athletes faced the time trial. While the course remained the same, the distances were shorter:
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Pini secured third place, still feeling the soreness from the previous day’s race.
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Michele Tassi again finished third out of three. To highlight that he is still finding his ideal riding position and peak form: he covered 50 km at 34 km/h in the road race, yet finished Sunday’s 15 km time trial at a lower average of 29 km/h. There is plenty of margin; with the previous day’s pace, he would have secured a strong second place.
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Ana Maria Vitelaru again raced solo, while Eduard Moescu and Michele Coratella took 4th and 5th place respectively.
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Top spot on the podium went to the tandem of Manuel Lama and to Riccardo Cadei in the MC4 category.
In conclusion, the Due Giorni del Mare remains an excellent testing ground. We will be able to gauge the progress of our athletes at the upcoming competitions in Villaverla and Verola Nuova.
