The fourth 2024 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship qualifying event started in Varese, Italy on Saturday at Granfondo Tre Valli Varesine, with 250 riders participating in the individual time trial race and another 2000 preparing to start the fondo road races on Sunday.

Riders finishing in the top 25% of their age/gender category automatically qualify for the world championships taking place in Denmark next September/October.

At noon, competitors took to the start house in Varese for the 22.2 kilometers long individual time trial race. For the second year in a row 2023 Time Trial Champion ITT Michele Paonne (RV-MAUREN) of Liechtensteiner posted the fastest time, stopping the clock in 27:54, almost 47 seconds faster than his 2022 winning time. Tommaso Donei (28:39) and Vincent Bonora (28:51) posted the next best times.

In the men’s 45-49 year-old category, Guido Paulo Dracone returned to competition with a strong performance after serving a four-year NADO Italia anti-doping ban that expired in July. He won with a time of 29:23 and finished seventh overall.

Carola Skarabela (TEAM ALÉ DEUTSCHLAND) of Germany was the fastest women, improving on her fourth place ride last year she won in 33:32. Fresh off winning Riderman last weekend, Alina Mylka (33:41) finished in second place, with Kerstin Brachtendorf (33:48) third.

On Sunday 26 year-old Belgian Lars Van Coppenolle (WIELERTEAM DECOCK-VAN ECYK-VAN MOSSEL DEVOS-CAPOEN) won the 126km gran fondo from an elite front group containing seventeen top riders. He finished in 3:16:38, three seconds ahead of Giovannu Loiscio and eleven seconds up on Federico Pozzetto, with all of the riders in the front group finishing a few seconds later. 2022 UCI Gran Fondo World Champion Stefan Kirchmair finished 22nd overall.

Italian Roberta Bussone (RODMAN AZIMUT SQUADRA CORSE) won the women’s gran fondo in 3:54:07, with Maria Elena Palmisano and Nele Ohmann finishing in second and third place respectively.

Samuele Oliveto and Dalila Ivana Sasso won the 99km men’s and women’s medio fondo respectively.

Over 2000 riders participated in the 7th Tre Valli Varesine.

Photos: Instagram/@paonnemichele