Mapei, Sagan and Italy light up Bergen 2017

This year it was Norway’s turn to host the UCI (International Cycling Union) Cycling Road World Championships and the Group is a long-term sponsor of the event. Mapei’s communication campaign shone brightly in a nation famous for its fjords and brightly coloured Mapei banners, inflatable arches and flags were located all around the striking city of Bergen and its surroundings during the eight days’ worldwide television coverage. As usual it was a great television success for Mapei. The Mapei brand was also clearly visible on the official prize-giving stage, on the rear panels during interviews and press conferences and, of course, on all the event’s paper, Web and video material.

Trond Hagerud, General Manager of Mapei AS (the Group’s subsidiary for Norway) and Mapei operations in the Nordic and Baltic countries, was in attendance at UCI World Championships in Bergen, together with other executives, business partners and members of the sales team. The Mapei Group was also represented by some members of the mother company such as Lorenzo Pastore and Anna Calcaterra.

Mapei has a very close relationship with cycling that goes way back into the past and the Mapei professional cycling team won the world championships four times, thanks to the Spanish rider Abraham Olano (1995), the Belgian star Johan Museeuw (1996), the Swiss cyclist Oscar Camenzind (1998) and the Spanish champion Oscar Freire (2001).

MAPEI HOSPITALITY

Throughout the various days’ racing and at the weekend in particular, hospitality was provided for Mapei guests from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark (and even some from Belgium and Italy). As they arrived, the guests were welcomed into the Mapei bus parked in the hospitality area near the finish line, where they were given rainbow-coloured T-shirts with “Mapei Main Sponsor UCI Road World Championships” written on them and a special armband for entering the reserved zone. A special area for Mapei guests only was set up inside the lounge accommodating UCI sponsors, directly opposite the finishing straight, where the Company’s guests got to watch the races on a giant screen and enjoy the special catering service. The Mapei area also hosted the former world champion, Thor Hushovd, who was interviewed by the well-known TV reporter, Davy Wahne, and chatted with clients, autographing their T-shirts. A seminar was also organised on Saturday morning at the Radisson Hotel in the old part of Bergen to introduce clients and customers to the Mapei Group, its Norwegian subsidiary, its organisation and corporate values; the meeting also included Thor Hushovd’s own presentation of the World Cycling Championships.

On the same evening, guests were taken by boat to a small island, where they were offered an exclusive meal - after enjoying an outdoor aperitif - at a striking restaurant that was the only building on the island.

TEAM TIME TRIALS  

The UCI Men’s and Women’s Team Time Trial titles were awarded on the first day of competitive racing over a distance of 42.5 km. The men’s race was won by Sunweb, a Dutch-based team that also included Tom Dumoulin born in 1990, the winner of this year’s Tour of Italy. The Sunweb team also included Lennard Kamna, Wilco Kelderman, Soren Andersen, Michael Matthews and Sam Oomen. The team cover the distance at an average speed of 53.302 km/h, beating the BMC team by 8”29/100 that include the outstanding Daniel Oss in its ranks. BMC lost most of that time over the final stretch, when the team fell apart slightly. The cyclists from Team Sky came third, 22”35/100 behind the winners.

The Sky team included Chris Froome, who won 4 editions of Tour of France, Gianni Moscon from Northern Italy, Vasil Kiryienka, Michal Kwiatkowski, Geraint Thomas and Owain Doull. Thomas was dropped on the final climb, which slowed the team down, but thanks to the pace set by the relentless Chris Froome and Moscon, the black-and-blues held on to third place.

The first day’s racing was a real triumph for Sunweb, which also won the women’s race with Lucinda Brand, Coryn Rivera, Floortje Mackaij, Sabrina Stultiens, Leah Kirchmann and Ellen Van Dijk, covering the distance at an average speed of 45.786 km/h. So much for being the weaker sex! Sunweb finished 12” ahead of the girls from Boels Dolmans, with Cervelo Bigla coming home third 28” behind the winners.       

GOLDEN AND SILVER JUNIORS 

Once the time trials for Elite teams were over, the Junior Individual Time Trial races began. Italy won the gold medal in the Women Junior Individual Time Trial thanks to Elena Pirrone with the silver medal going to Alessia Vigilia. Pirrone finished 6”38/100 ahead of her team mate in second place. Madeleine Fasnacht (Australia) came third in the 16-km race, 42”32/100 behind the winner. Pirrone also won the European title in the same event in 2017. “I felt good - so the Italian rider told us -. I really liked the course, I gave it everything I had and was exhausted at the finish. I am really happy and pleased for Alessia too, we are friends and it was great to be on the podium together”.

The Italian team manager, Dino Savoldi, mentioned just how much work has been done to develop the women’s cycling movement in Italy: “This result is only surprising for people who do not know us: I picked three athletes today and all three were capable of winning. Elena proved once again what she can do. She was really in race-mode and could draw strength from the fact she had trained and prepared so well for this race”.

The U23 World Championship time trial over 37 km was won by the Norwegian rider Mikkel Bjerg, who finished 1’05”92/100 ahead of the American Brandon McNulty.

Corentin Ermenault, whose father was also a professional cyclist, came third 1’16”65/100 behind the winner. Bjerg won at an average speed of 47.380 km/h: a great performance, particularly considering the course was not entirely flat.

A GOLD MINE OF JUNIOR TALENT

Italy won an array of medals in junior races. Antonio Puppio, aged 18, came second in the Men Junior Individual Time Trial. The Italian champion in this event was only beaten by the phenomenally talented young rider Thomas Pidcock, who also won the gold medal in the 2017 World Cyclocross Championships. The British rider covered the 21.1 km in a time of 28’02”, 11 seconds ahead of the Italian.

The Polish rider Filip Maciejuk took third spot on the podium, 13” behind the winner. The pre-race favourite, the Norwegian rider Andreas Leknessund, only came eighth after starting off too fast cheered on by the fanatical crowds. After recording the fastest intermediate time, he faded at the end of the race.

The Women Elite Individual Time Trial (21.1 km) did not go very well for Italy with Elisa Longo Borghini, aged 26, only finishing 17th, 2’07” behind the winner Annemiek Van Vleuten.

The Dutch rider, famous for her terrible fall in the final descent of the Olympic race in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, finished ahead of another Dutch rider, Anna Van Der Breggen, who was 12” slower, with the Australian rider Katrin Garfoot winning the bronze 19” behind the winner.

MAGICAL TOM

First Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), second Primoz Roglic (Slovenia), third Chris Froome (Great Britain): that was the podium for the World Championships Men Elite Individual Time Trial.

The race was over a shorter distance than usual for a world time trial, just 31.1 km, but there was a big difference at the end of the race compared to previous editions: the last part was virtually an uphill time trial.

To complete his magical year, Dumoulin finished 57” ahead of Roglic and 1’21” ahead of Froome, mainly due to his performance over the final 3000 m, the steepest. The Italian rider Moscon came sixth, 1’ 29” behind the winner.

ELENA, QUEEN OF BERGEN 2017 

Elena Pirrone was in magnificent form in winning the 76.4 km Women Junior Road Race, breaking away from the pack with 28 km to go on Salmon Hill. Having just won the Women Junior Individual Time Trial championship, she again soloed to victory around the final 19.1-km lap.

The Danish rider Emma Norsgaard Jorgensen won the silver medal 12” behind the winner. Bronze went to Letizia Paternoster, completing a wonderful day for the Italian team.

Pirrone is now one of only four girls, and the only Italian, who have won the gold medal in both the time trial and road race at the same world championships. Italy had to settle for Vincenzo Albanese’s fifth place in the Men Under 23 Road Race (191 km).

The gold medal went to the French rider Benoit Cosnefroy, ahead of Lennard Kamna (Germany) and Michael Svendgaard (Denmark).  

SILVER AND BRONZE

The Danish rider Julius Johansen won the Men Junior Road Race (135.5 km) after soloing to victory, eventually finishing 51” ahead of the Italian riders Luca Rastelli and Michele Gazzoli. As expected the Women Elite Road Race (152.8 km) was dominated by the powerful Dutch team with Chantal Blaak winning the gold medal 28” ahead of Katrin Garfoot (Australia) and the Danish rider Amalie Dideriksen.

SAGAN, THREE IN A ROW

The fabulously talented Slovakian rider, Peter Sagan aged 27, won the Men Elite Road World Championships for the third year running. He is the only person in history to achieve this: champions of the calibre of Eddie Merckx and Alfredo Binda have won the world title three times, but not consecutively.

Moscon and French rider Julian Alaphilippe made a powerful attack towards the end of the race (over a total distance of 267.5 km), but they were caught by the pack just before the final kilometre.

In the final sprint, superstar Sagan got the better of the European champion Alexander Kristoff (Norway) and the Australian rider Michael Matthews, with Matteo Trentin finishing a respectable fourth for Italy. “I want to dedicate this victory to Michele Scarponi, who was a very close friend of mine”, so Peter said after the new President of the UCI, David Lappartient, pulled the world champion’s jersey over his shoulders. Moscon performed magnificently in the world championships in Bergen, confirming he is a rider of the highest order: “I had to make a real effort to re-join the group - so the rider born in 1994 explained at the end of the race in Bergen - I tried to recover over the penultimate lap, so that I could give it everything again on the final lap. Julian Alaphilippe and I broke away on the climb, but then Julian dropped me for some reason I cannot understand: together we could have got to the finish alone and fought it out for the world champion’s rainbow jersey in the final sprint. He gained some ground around a tight bend, where I decided not to take any unnecessary risks, then he sprinted away on the cobbles leaving me a few metres behind, but he paid for that too because we were caught just before the final kilometre. We knew we were in great shape and I think we raced really well, without wasting energy. It’s a pity I had some bad luck and fell, I banged my elbow against the guardrails and all the energy I spent to catch up cost me in the end. I had to cycle flat out all my own for 6 km to re-join the main pack. My job at the end of the race was to cover any attacks, so I chased down Alaphilippe when he attacked and then gave it everything. I think the team raced brilliantly”.