The Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) has issued a landmark ruling that will require all gran fondo participants on Italian soil to consume a minimum of two shots of espresso before the starting gun fires, in what officials are calling “the most important development in Italian cycling since Tullio Campagnolo invented the quick-release skewer 100 years ago.”
The ruling, details of which run to 47 pages, mandates that riders present a stamped receipt to officials from a certified café or, in remote start locations, queue at officially sanctioned espresso stations staffed by licensed baristas. Capsule machine receipts will not be accepted. Decaf will be met with immediate disqualification.
“This is not about enhancing rider performance,” said FCI spokesperson Lorenzo Abbiati at a press conference in Bologna. “We are protecting who we are as a people. You cannot ride an Italian gran fondo on mineral water and chocolate chip cookie dough protein bars. It is not right. It is not legal. It is not Italian.”
Riders who fail to comply face a 15-minute time penalty and mandatory re-education in the form of a one-hour seminar on Italian coffee culture at the Italian Barista School in the Lombardy region.
The ruling, which goes into effect 1 April 2026, has drawn widespread praise from café owners along the Italian Gran Fondo Circuit, several of whom have already applied for official FCI certification and are reportedly hiring additional staff.
Photo Credit: Glenn Cooper
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