Officine Mattio Cycling Club (OM.CC), founded in 2021 with a mission to become a dominant force on the granfondo circuit in Italy and abroad, made that ambition look effortless on Sunday by sweeping all four categories at the 37th International Granfondo La Fausto Coppi in Cuneo, Italy.
Federico Borella, from Bordighera in Liguria, claimed the men’s granfondo title over 172 kilometres and more than 4,300 metres of climbing in 05:38:05, with Giacomo Giordano finishing 7 minutes 37 seconds behind and Marco Arnaudo a further 15 minutes 24 seconds adrift.
The result surprised no one who has followed Borella’s 2026 season. The 36-year-old raced professionally from 2006 to 2016, with stage results at the Giro Ciclistico d’Italia among the highlights of his career. After a decade away from the professional peloton, he has found a second wind at OM.CC that rivals anything from his first career. In May, he won the GFNY World Championship in New York City, successfully defending his title after outgunning Mexican former professionals Luis Lemus and Flavio De Luna in the closing miles. Sunday’s Fausto Coppi victory is his third major win in less than three months.
In the women’s granfondo, Annalisa Prato of OM.CC defended her title on the same punishing Alpine route, finishing in 06:22:33, more than 27 minutes clear of runner-up Sarah Palfrader. Born in 1998 and a native of Cuneo, Prato holds degrees in Medical Radiology Technology and Sports Science and works as a personal trainer. Cycling is not her profession, making the scale of her dominance all the more remarkable.
Her 2026 form coming into Sunday’s race was formidable. At the inaugural L’Étape Piemonte by Tour de France in June, she won the women’s granfondo in 04:30:08, finishing more than 32 minutes ahead of Iride Bertone. Back-to-back Fausto Coppi titles in her home city, on roads she has known since childhood, add a dimension that the results sheet alone cannot capture.
OM.CC’s dominance extended to the 111-kilometre mediofondo as well. Massimiliano Barbero Piantino claimed the men’s title in 03:39:59, while Anna Ceoloni won the women’s race in 04:11:04, completing a clean sweep of all four categories across the event’s two distances.
The granfondo route through the Cottian Alps is among Italy’s most demanding, incorporating the Colle di Sampeyre, the brutal Colle Fauniera and the Madonna del Colletto, where gradients reach a maximum of 13 percent. Now in its 37th edition, La Fausto Coppi attracts up to 2,800 participants each year, honouring the Campionissimo on roads he helped make legendary.
For OM.CC, Sunday was not just a good day – it was a statement.
Photo Credit: La Stampa
© 2026 Copyright Gran Fondo Daily News – All Rights Reserved