Alessandro Frangioni retained his Blockhaus Marathon title on Sunday 12 July 2026, dominating the 140-kilometre Gran Fondo through the Maiella National Park in Abruzzo to repeat his 2025 victory.
Frangioni, 30, from Teramo, crossed the line in 04:11:24, opening a decisive gap over the field. He previously raced as a trainee with UCI development teams including Sangemini Trevigiani MG.K Vis before settling into the amateur ranks with Team Go Fast, Abruzzo’s dominant masters outfit.
Finishing 7 minutes 47 seconds behind was teammate Danilo Celano, the race’s most recognisable name. Celano, 37, raced professionally between 2010 and 2022, claiming overall victory at the Tour de Langkawi and winning the Giro dell’Appennino among the highlights of his career. Marco Lolli (Unitec Cycling Team) completed the podium, 8 minutes behind.
Fresh off victories at Nove Colli and Città di Subiaco in May, Federica Cancellieri (Bike Racing Gioppy) added the Blockhaus Marathon women’s Gran Fondo title to her palmarès with the only sub-five-hour finish, crossing the line in 04:53:20. Eva Liz Mognon finished second, 42 minutes 12 seconds back, with Roberta Conti third at 43 minutes 37 seconds.
In the Medio Fondo (87.4km), Federico Colone edged Rossano Mauti by 1 second in 02:21:12, while Paola Garinei won the women’s race in 02:44:01.
The route retraced the Blockhaus climb used for the Giro d’Italia’s Stage 7 finish in May, where Jonas Vingegaard took victory. The mountain entered cycling folklore on 31 May 1967, when a 21-year-old Eddy Merckx—then regarded primarily as a sprinter—launched a late attack to win his first Giro stage, a performance widely credited with announcing the arrival of the rider who would become “The Cannibal”. Since then, the climb has crowned champions including José Manuel Fuente, Moreno Argentin, Nairo Quintana and Jai Hindley. On Sunday, amateur riders tackled the same 13.6-kilometre ascent, with gradients reaching 14 percent, that Vingegaard mastered to seize the maglia rosa just two months earlier.
Blockhaus Marathon results HERE
Photo Credit: Blockhaus Marathon
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