The week after Milan-Sanremo offers the stage race contenders plenty of opportunities to chase success. While most of the biggest stars are gathered in Catalonia or Corsica for the Volta a Catalunya and Criterium International, many Italian riders follow an alternative path at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali which has developed into a key build-up event for the local teams ahead of the Giro d’Italia.

 

Racing in Italy has always been more about one-day racing than stage racing but there have always been a few multi-day events on the menu. The economic crisis has taken its toll on both types of races and the Italian scene is no longer what it once was. One of the few stage races to have survived is the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.

 

The race was first held in 1984 and took place in Sicily until 1994. After two years in Sardinia, it moved to the hilly Emilia-Romagna region in 1999 and has been held under its current name since 2001. After a few years with different formats, it has now found a fixed formula that turns it into a solid test for stage race riders. Previously held over five days, the economic situation has forced the organizers to reduce it to four days which usually includes two hilly stages, one completely flat stage and an opening day with a morning stage for the strong sprinters and an afternoon team time trial with special rules that see teams getting split into two. This turns it into a solid test that has a bit of everything.

 

The race is held at the same time as the Volta a Catalunya, the Criterium International and the cobbled classics and this has made it difficult for the event to get much international attention. Occasionally, it has managed to attract some big names as it did when Cadel Evans won the race during his heydays. However, it is a key preparation event for the Giro d’Italia for many Italian riders and a chance for riders to do some solid racing in less stressful conditions than they find at the Spanish race. This year the race will even get extra attention due to the fact that it will mark Mikel Landa’s belated debut in Sky colours as the Basque continues to seek for the form that he hopes will allow him to finish on the top step of the podium in May.

 

Last year’s race was won by Louis Meintjes who confirmed his huge potential by denying an impressive Ben Swift the overall victory by just two seconds after having won the queen stage on the final day.

 

The course

As said, the organizers have found a fixed format for their four-day race. In the past, it sometimes had a time trial but now there is no individual test. Instead, the riders will tackle a moderately hilly stage for strong sprinters and a team time trial on the first day, a flat stage on Saturday and two hilly stages on Friday and Sunday. The race has got some attention as it has had very special rules for the team time trial in the last three editions. Instead of riding as one team, the 8-rider teams are split into two 4-rider teams that do separate races, forcing the sports directors to carefully weigh up their options for stage wins and time gains on GC when they put together their teams.

 

The two stages on the first day and the flat stage have been unchanged for the last few years and the finish of Friday’s stage is always the same. This year Saturday’s flat stage has been changed slightly and the same goes for the opening half-stage. The final stage always change from year to year.

 

Stage 1a

The race starts with the usual 95.9km stage around the city of Gatteo. First the riders do two laps of a flat 18.3km circuit before they head into the hills where they do three laps of a 13.7km circuit with the Longiano climb that includes sections of 10%. They will reach the top for the final time with 17.7km to go and they will descend back to Gatteo. In the end, they will do one lap of a flat 8.7km circuit. In the finale, the riders will follow a straight road until they take a right-hand turn 250m from the line.

 

Compared to the course that has been used in recent years, the climbs are shorter but they come much closer to the finish. It’s hard to get much information about the climb but on paper the shorter distance to the finish will make it more selective. The most likely scenario is a reduced bunch sprint but it won’t be impossible for a small group to get clear in the finale.

 

In recent years, the stage has been won by Manuel Belletti (2015), Ben Swift (2014), Fabio Felline (2013) and Elia Viviani (2012) in reduced bunch sprints.

 

 

 

 

Stage 1b

The first real battle for the GC comes in the 13.3km team time trial in Gatteo which will be held on the same course as in 2014 and 2015 and will have the same special rules that has been applied since 2013. This means that the teams will be split into two 4-rider groups that do separate races. The course has a relatively technical start and then gets much more straightforward. The first half is flat while the second half is very slightly uphill.

 

In a race that is often decided by small margins, the time gains in the team time trial can be very important. As it is relatively flat, it is suited to the big specialists but the technical nature means that cohesiveness is important. With the special rules, it can be difficult to decide which riders have to ride in which teams but most teams make an A team with their biggest specialists and their GC riders even though the latter may slow down the pace.

 

CCC won last year’s team time trial. Sky were fastest in 2014, Katusha won in 2013 and NetApp took the victory in 2012.

 

 

 

 

Stage 2

The first battle between the climbs comes on stage 2 which always finishes with a few laps on a hilly circuit around the city of Sogliano al Rubicone. The154.7km stage takes the riders from the coastal city of Riccione to Sogliano al Rubicone. After a flat start, the riders face an early climb after 35.7km of racing and from there the terrain is lumpy, with two more climbs coming at the 68.3km and 75.1km respectively.

 

Then they will arrive at the 22.1km circuit where they will do almost a complete lap before crossing the line for the first time and then there are two full laps on the menu. It is a tough circuit that can be split into three parts. First there is a long descent that leads to the bottom of the Monte Tiffi (4km, 7%, max. 16%). The top comes with 8.7km to go. The final part is mainly descending, with a small little climb to break the legs. However, the finale is very difficult as it’s on a 280m narrow cobbled climb with gradients from 6% to 17%.

 

This stage always goes a long way in determining the overall winner. Monte Tiffi is a tough climb and it comes so close to the finish that the bunch is usually split to pieces when the riders arrive in the finishing city. The cobbled climb in the finale makes it perfectly suited to Ardennes specialists which have dominated the race in the past. At the end of this stage, we will know a lot more about who’s going to win the race.

 

Last year Ben Swift proved that he is much more than a sprinter by winning the stage. In 2014 Peter Kennaugh took the win while Diego Ulissi was strongest in 2013.

 

 

 

 

Stage 3

The pure sprinters will get their only chance in stage 3 which is a flat, straightforward circuit race. The 169.1km stage brings the riders from Caldera di Reno to Crevalcore. First they will cover the 50.0km from the start to the finish along slightly descending and flat roads. The race will be decided on the 10 laps of the flat 12.2km finishing circuit. It doesn’t have any major technical challenges, with the final turn coming 400m from the finish.

 

Compared to last year, the stage has been slightly changed as the opening section is new. However, the circuit is the same and there is no doubt that this will be a very fast circuit race that will be decided in a bunch sprint.

 

The previous winners are Francesco Chicchi (2015) and Elia Viviani (2014) which says a lot about which riders will come to the fore in this stage.

 

 

 

 

Stage 4

The race will be decided in the difficult fourth stage which will see the riders cover 163.6km in the hilly terrain around Parvullo. First they will do three laps of a flat 4.3km circuit in the starting city before they head into the hills along mainly descending roads. After an uncategorized warm-up climb, they will tackle the first difficult challenge, a climb that leads back to Pavullo and summits at the 70.4km mark. They will reach the finish after 74.7km of racing and then head back into the hills to do one lap of a 47.7km circuit that includes another categorized climb that leads back to Pavullo. After another passage of the finish line, they end the race by doing a lap of a 41.2km circuit. It has a descending first part before a flat sections leads to the bottom of the Galato climb (5km, 10%, max. 17-18%). The summit is located 8.8km from the finish and then it’s a fast descent leading to the final four kilometres which are flat. It’s a straight road for more than a kilometre after the riders have taken a U-turn just before the flamme rouge.

 

This is a new finale so it is a bit of an unknown. However, the roadbook indicates that the Galato climb is very tough and it comes so close to the finish that it will be possible for the best climber to ride to a solo win. Last year the race was turned on its heads on the final day and this could easily be the case again in what seems to be the hardest stage of the race.

 

Climbers always come to the fore in Pavullo which has hosted finishes in 2012, 2010 and 2004. The stages were won by Diego Ulissi, Przemyslaw Niemiec and Michele Scarponi repectively.

 

 

 

 

The favourites

Settimana Coppi e Bartali has usually been a race for promising talents to show themselves and it has often been pretty hard to predict. It won’t be any different in 2016 as the race has an exciting line-up with no overwhelming favourite. In fact, the only WorldTour team in attendance is Sky and they are here without any of their biggest stars.

 

This sets the scene for an open race. Being the big team and with a number of cards to play, Sky will probably try to control things but there is definitely no guarantee that they will win a race that is loaded with talent. The race is one of the most open and unpredictable of the first part of the season.

 

The first stage may be a bit more selective than it has usually been but it should still be decided in a sprint. Stage 3 will make no difference either so it will all be decided in the two hilly stages and the team time trial. The time gaps in stage 2 have often been relatively small but stage 4 seems to be very tough. Of course it’s a flat finish so there will be time for a regrouping to take place but it should be possible for the best climber to win that stage. Time gaps in the team time trial will also be relatively small so this is a race that will mostly be decided on the climbs.

 

That puts Androni in a perfect position to go for the win. The Italian team have a few cards to play but their best option is probably Rodolfo Torres. The Colombian had a remarkable 2015 season where he showed himself in almost every mountainous race he did even though he seemed to be marred by bad luck. He came close to winning the queen stage at the Vuelta where he was only beaten by Frank Schleck.

 

He has had a slow start to the season but he showed signs of improving form at the GP Industria where he set the pace on the final climb. He is likely to have improved by doing Tirreno where the cancellation of the queen stage meant that he was never able to show what he could do. Of course the flat finales mean that the race is less suited to him but we expect him to be the best climber in the race. There are no great TTT teams here so he may actually be able to gain some time on some key rivals there. We have Torres as out favourite to win the race.

 

Sky is the big team in this race and they are here with Mikel Landa. However, the Basque has just returned from illness and is mainly here to work for the team. Instead, the team is likely to support Gianni Moscon and Sebastian Henao. The Italian is a neo-pro but he has had amazing debut. He has been climbing really well in the mountains and has showed himself among the best in the hardest classics at Strade Bianche and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Now he will be able to show himself. He has all the skills to do well here as he is part of the best team – even though their TTT squad is not very strong – and he has the climbing and sprinting skills to do well in the Ardennes-like finales. He may fully confirm his potential by winning this race overall.

 

Henao is a second card to play for Sky. The Colombian has had an inconsistent start to his career but he has shown signs of his potential, most notably at the 2014 Giro. He hasn’t raced for a while but he was riding solidly in Australia. This is a big chance for him to go for a personal result and he has shown that he has the talent to win this kind of race. He just needs to finally find the form he had in the Giro two years ago.

 

Floris De Tier is knocking on the door of a breakthrough win. The Topsport rider is one of the most promising Belgian climbers which he proved in the Tour of Oman where he finished in the top 10 on the queen stage. He has proved that he can also do well in the Belgian classics and this race could be his chance to take a breakthrough win.

 

Bardiani are here with the big climbing talent Giulio Ciccone who has been really impressive in the first part of his neo-pro season. The Italian has been up there in all the hard Italian one-day races and he was riding well in the relatively easy queen stage in Langkawi. This race could be the chance for him to fully confirm his potential.

 

Mauro Finetto is aiming to return to a higher level. The Italian landed a contract with Uniero late in the season and so was off the pace in the first races. Now he has found his form and he has generally been one of the best in the Italian one-day races in the last few years. Unlike many of the climbers, he benefits from the flat finishes as he has a fast sprint but he will lose time in the team time trial.

 

This race is the first big goal for Ivan Santaromita who is aiming to return to the WorldTour level. In his heydays, he would have been one of the favourites here but he hasn’t been at his best for some time. He didn’t show top form in Taiwan but he is likely to have improved since then.

 

Like Santaromita, Rinaldo Nocentini is seeking redemption after he failed to land a WorldTour contract. This race suits him well and he showed solid form in the Volta ao Algarve. Riding for the Italian national team, he will be motivated but it remains to be seen whether he can return to the level he has a few years ago. Like Finetto, he has a fast sprint which means that the finales suit him well.

 

We are curious to see what Egan Bernal can do. The youngster has been impressive in his first races at the pro level and he is generally regarded as a big talent. His Androni teammate Francesco Gavazzi will also be a candidate but this race has traditionally been too hard for him.

 

Andrea Fedi is one of the biggest Italian one-day talents and with a second place at the Giro dell’Emilia, he has proved that he can do well in hard terrain. However, that result came after a breakaway and this race is probably a bit too hard for him.

 

Alexander Foliforov is a huge climbing talent but his form has not been excellent yet. Rob Britton will also be candidate as he has proved his skills in the big American races. However, it remains to be seen what kind of form he has so early in the season.

 

Finally, Landa and Damiano Cunego cannot be ruled out. On paper, they are the best climbers here but as they are just returning to competition after suffering from health issues, it will be a surprise if they are strong enough to win.

 

***** Rodolfo Torres

**** Gianni Moscon, Sebastian Henao

*** Floris De Tier, Giulio Ciccone, Mauro Finetto, Ivan Santaromita, Rinaldo Nocentini

** Egan Bernal, Damiano Cunego, Mikel Landa, Francesco Gavazzi, Andrea Fedi, Rob Britton, Alexander Foliforov,

* Matteo Busato, Matej Mugerli, Radoslav Rogina, Jure Golcer, Matija Kvasina, Francisco Mancebo, Edgar Pinto, Franco Pellizotti