Today the UCI Road World Championship is heating up! The Junior Women’s road race opened the circuit to fans, who could finally appreciate the technical difficulties of the it. The circuit had been described as tough, and it proved to be so: the winner of Toscana2013 will have to be a strong, resistant cyclist.
Tomorrow, there will be two more road races: Junior Men’s in the morning and Elite Women’s in the afternoon.
The first Junior Championships was held in 1975 in Switzerland. The winner, Roberto Visentini became a strong professional rider afterwards. Ever since, many successful cyclists won their first races in this category: from Greg Lemond, Pavel Tonkov, to Marco Serpellini, Damiano Cunego, Roman Kreusiger, Ivan Rovny, but also Diego Ulissi and Giuseppe Palumbo, the only riders to win two consecutive medals in the category.
The race starts at 8:30 in Montecatini Terme and finishes in Florence – Mandela Forum, after 5 laps of the circuit. The total distance is 140,5km.
At 14:15, the Elite Women will race on the same course. The first Elite Women’s race, won by Elsy Jacobs, took place in Reims (1958). The most important rider so far in this category is Jeannie Longo, who won a total of 14 medals between World Championships (on road and on track) and Olympic medals.
Talking with some Florentine friends today …Florence is bursting with enthusiasm for the cycling competition going on right in the heart of the city ! A delightful experience for locals and visitors!
Journeys Viaggio 
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