Tour of the Alps shows its cards: the Euroregional show is ready

Lopez, Landa, Froome, Geoghegan Hart, Porte, Pinot, Bardet, Kelderman, Bilbao, Carthy, and Sivakov…many top calibre cyclists are preparing to head to the Euroregion for the 45^th edition of the Tour of the Alps, April 18 to 22. The race stays faithful to its "clichéd" distinction as an exciting and spectacular race, thanks to its challenging and short stages.

The roads of the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euregion will host a five-day challenge without borders, thus opening stage racing season after the northern classics’ spring campaign.

It will be a guaranteed show, both on the Euregional roads and on television screens worldwide. The Tour of the Alps was presented today, Tuesday, April 5th, in Trento, at the headquarters of Trentino Marketing, which is managing media coverage for the 2022 edition as well as the new leader jerseys designed by Alé Cycling.

With Trentino Marketing CEO, Maurizio Rossini, doing the honours, the event was attended by numerous authorities, starting with the Tourism Councillor of the Autonomous Province of Trento Roberto Failoni, as well as Alessia Piccolo, CEO for APG, the group that owns the Alé Cycling brand, among others, and representatives of Trentino's 2022 #TotA stages, Cles and Primiero/San Martino di Castrozza.

MORE THAN 100 COUNTRIES BROADCASTING ON TV AND WEB

In the wake of past editions, the Tour of the Alps has confirmed substantial media coverage, which will bring the Euregion images to the world. This is an initiative made possible thanks to production and international distribution by PMG Sport, a company specialising in multimedia.

The Euro-regional event will serve two hours of live coverage each day. Cycling fans will be able to follow the race live on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport Player, which will broadcast in Europe, East Asia, USA, Canada, South America, Central America, the Pacific Region, and the Indian Subcontinent, as well as on RaiSport (Italy), L'Equipe TV (France), and TV2 (Denmark).

In addition to Eurosport Player and the Global Cycling Network, the Euroregional stage race will also be available on other online platforms, starting with PMG Sport's Facebook page and Youtube channel.

ALÉ CYCLING OUTFITS THE 2022 #TOTA LEADERS

Together with Alé Cycling, a leading Italian brand in the clothing sector with more than 30 years to its name, GS Alto Garda unveiled the new leaders' jerseys for the Euroregional stage race at the headquarters of Trentino Marketing, regional partner of the #TotA along with IDM Südtirol and Tirol Werbung.

Alé Cycling’s style can be seen in the jerseys from the PR-R line, which is defined by its fabrics, stitching, and fit.

The green Melinda jersey of the General Classification leader, the blue Gruppo Cassa Centrale jersey of the King of the Mountain classification, the white Würth Modyf jersey for the Best Young rider, and the red PMG Sport jersey for Intermediate Sprints will all sport the Alé Cycling name.

TRENTINO'S ROOTS AND SOUL AT THE 2022 #TOTA

After hosting the finale in the last edition of the Euroregional race, Trentino is back to welcome the Tour of the Alps’ peloton for the grand start in Cles. Following preliminary operations and teams presentation (5pm) on Sunday, April 17th, on the next day, Monday the 18^th, the race will start from the main town of Val di Non for a stage contained entirely in Trentino with the finish in Primiero/San Martino di Castrozza.

Cles and Val di Non have a strong bond with the Tour of the Alps and the history of Trentino cycling. In fact, it was in Val di Non that the prestigious Trofeo Melinda, the race of the late patron, Marco Brentari, took place. It then became part of the Giro del Trentino in 2016, just prior to the start of the new #TotA project.

Cles is also the birthplace of Maurizio Fondriest, one of Trentino cycling’s most iconic athletes – 1988 World Champion in Renaix, and more recently of outstanding athletes such as Gianni Moscon and Letizia Paternoster.

Val di Non is also the home of Melinda, a brand of excellence in apple production (and not only apples) on a national and international level, whose great passion for cycling is evidenced once again this year. It’s no coincidence that Melinda is the brand that distinguishes the Tour of the Alps' green leader’s jersey.

Among the Tour of the Alps’ premium sponsors, Gruppo Cassa Centrale is another leading partner with solid roots in Trentino. It is a business of note in the Italian cooperative credit sector, and is a vital travel companion for the Tour of the Alps. Once again this year, the blue jersey for the best climber in the Tour of the Alps will endorse the Gruppo Cassa Centrale brand.

Unlike Cles, which has already been a stage venue several times in recent years, Primiero/San Martino di Castrozza will host the Tour of the Alps for the first time. Following the finish on Monday, April 18, the race will start from here for the second stage with the finish in Lana. In the stage’s Trentino section, the athletes will climb this edition’s highest peak, the Passo Rolle, just under 2000 metres.

10 WORLD TOUR TEAMS OUT OF 18 AT THE START

Of the 18 teams that will start from Cles on Monday April 18th, 10 belong to the UCI World Tour category, which distinguishes yet another edition with a significant technical profile. The Russian Gazprom-Rusvelo team will not be part of the peloton, due to the revocation of its licence by the UCI.

The stage race favourites, who will be on the hunt for the Giro d'Italia’s pink jersey in May, have shown that they’ve marked the Tour of the Alps as a prestigious objective. As the most challenging and accurate prelude to the Giro, the #TotA2022 is preparing to welcome some of the world's greatest champions.

Among the confirmed top-notch athletes, Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Qazaqstan), Frenchmen Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM), Basque racers Mikel Landa and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious), Brits Chris Froome (Israel-Premier Tech) and Hugh Carthy (EF-Education-EasyPost), Dutchman Wilco Kelderman (Bora-Hansgrohe), and the ambitious INEOS-Grenadiers trio of Richie Porte, Pavel Sivakov, and Tao Geoghegan Hart will be at the start. However, with the latest announcements yet to come, confirmation of other big names cannot be ruled out.

Among the local riders, hopes lie with Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain-Victorious), Davide Bais (Eolo-Kometa), Mattia Bais (Drone Hopper-Androni), Felix Gall (Ag2r La Mondiale), Hermann Pernsteiner (Bahrain-Victorious), Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe), and the youngsters from the Tirol KTM Cycling Team, the only Continental team representing Tyrol.

IN MICHELE'S MEMORY

The Tour of the Alps will end in Lienz on Friday, April 22nd. This is a poignant date for all cycling fans, and certainly for the Tour of the Alps.

Just five years ago, as soon as he returned home from the Tour of the Alps, where he made a successful return after almost two years, Michele Scarponi tragically lost his life in a car accident.

The memory of this beloved champion from the Marche region will once again be celebrated at the start on Friday the 22nd in Lienz, where Michele's parents and brother will also be present for the final stage.

On this occasion, the Tour of the Alps further strengthens the bond with the Michele Scarponi Foundation, which perpetuates the memory of this champion in the name of road safety.

As demonstrated by the innovative dynamic safety project – a theme particularly dear to the Euroregional stage race, and developed in collaboration with Liski and Claseventi, it was presented at the press conference in Bozen/Bolzano at the end of March. This project will make its debut at the 2022 #TotA.

QUOTES:

Roberto Failoni, Trentino’s Tourism Assessor: "The two Trentino stages of the Tour of the Alps will showcase divverent areas of Trentino all over the the World: not only Val di Non and Primiero, but also Trento, Valsugana and Val di Fiemme. The great outcome of the last European Championships in Trento encouraged our province to further believe and invest in cycling as the perfect vehicle for territorial marketing, even more so for an area like ours that is perfectly suited for this activity.

Maurizio Rossini, CEO Trentino Marketing: "Thanks to the cooperation among Trentino, South Tyrol and Tirol, the Tour of the Alps has grown year after year, enhancing the value of our territories in an international context. There is no better sport than cycling to promote the beauty of the Euroregion, which, thanks to the extensive TV coverage, can reach fans all over the World".

Paola Mora, Italian National Olympic Committee – Trentino Committee President: "The 'Euregio Experience' claim enhances the meaning of the Tour of the Alps, because this event is so much more than a race. It is a global experience, as sport represents the vehicle of many principles, starting with safety".

Giovannina Collanega, Italian Cycling Federation – Trentino Committee President: "The Tour of the Alps is a wonderful race because it allows the younger generations of our territory to see the champions of today champions racing on their same roads, and therefore to dream of being among them of the future".

Giacomo Santini, GS Alto Garda President: "The Tour of the Alps is a real example of how virtuous ideas in the sports' world can give life to projects that cross borders and interests: the Euregio is a model of uniting diversity, where we are all connected by a common goal and destiny".

Alessandro Migliorini, Alé Cycling Marketing Manager: "We decided to join the Tour of the Alps for different reasons: their attention for safety, the beauty of territories that are so cherished by cycling enthusiasts, and the professionalism of the organizing group. In short we have created a great understanding with them, that is sure to produce great results.”

Maurizio Evangelista, Tour of the Alps General Manager : "The ten World Tour teams and a significant number of top athletes are once again a guarantee of a top-level show, along with the race format that provides thrills from the very first kilometre. Over the years this race has helped to reveal many new talents: we expect a lot not only from the established protagonists, but also from those we have yet to discover."

Amanda Casula, Cles’ Sports Assessor: "This year we will be home to the great start of the Tour of the Alps. It is a great honour for us to kick off the competition, also by hosting the presentation of the teams on the race eve. This will also represent a happy moment for the people and fans, something we have been sorely missed in recent years.”

Antonio Stompanato, San Martino di Castrozza, Passo Rolle, Primiero e Vanoi Tourist Board President: "For us, hosting the finish on Easter Monday will be a feast from every point of view. The Tour of the Alps represents a unique opportunity to promote our territory. We are sure to offer a unique landscape spectacle to those attending live and to the fans watching it on tv".