GFNY Toscana-Pistoia offered proper Italian bike racing

The Tuscan town of Pistoia, just 20 minutes from Florence, hosted the first edition of GFNY Toscana – Pistoia this past Sunday. The tough racecourse spanned 127 kilometers, with a total elevation gain of 1,389 meters, offering true Italian bike racing

After a neutralized start on the Piazza del Duomo and through the old town, the peloton hit the opening flat country roads with speeds over 50 km/h. Riders from 26 countries received an early taste of granfondo racing in the country the sport was born.

When the peloton hit the tough climbs and highly technical descents on and around Montalbano, the fireworks started and a group of elven riders formed. Despite various attempts of breaking up the group, it came down to a sprint on the cobbles up to the Piazza del Duomo. There, Alessio Finocchi (ASD Team Stefan) outgunned Albania’s Mikel Demiri (Team MG K-VIS) and Emanuele Labate (ASD Team Stefan) in a time of 3:18:37.

With his win, Finocchi punched his ticket to race the UCI professional race Gran Premio New York City on May 18 as part of Team GFNY. 100 pros will race the GFNY NYC course just 10 minutes ahead of the amateurs. And the champions of several GFNYs this year get a taste of racing pro as part of the GFNY Pro team.

In the women’s race, Michela Gorini (Team Santini Squadra Force) won with a time of 3:33:58, finishing five minutes ahead of second-place finisher Michela Santini (ASD Team Stefan), who had previously finished third at GFNY Cannes. Federica Baldassatici completed the all-Italian podium in third place, further solidifying the dominance of Italian cyclists in the event.

Next up on the GFNY calendar is the second edition of GFNY Miami which will take place Sunday, April 13, 2025.