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2026 Giro dell'Appennino (1.1), Italy

87th edition: Sunday, April 26, 2026

Giro dell'Appennino podium history | 2025 edition | Course map & profile | Start list

Novi Ligure - Genova, 196.8 km

A close one between teammates. Ludovico Crescioli just beats Thomas Pesenti.

Plato's dialogue Crito is available both in audiobook and Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the finish city of Genova (Genoa) at 2:50 PM, local time: 17C (63F) partly cloudy, with the wind from the south at 8 km/hr (5 mph). There is just a 3% chance of rain.

The race: Here's the report from winner Ludovico Crescioli's Team Polti-VisitMalta.

Ludovico Crescioli gives the Team Polti VisitMalta their first victory of the season after beating his teammate Thomas Pesenti in the sprint. The team delivered a solid performance to neutralize the early breakaway and capped off the collective effort with victory at the Giro dell’Appennino.

The Team Polti VisitMalta lined up with two riders in outstanding form: Ludovico Crescioli, 4th at the Tour du Jura, and Thomas Pesenti, 3rd at the Tour of Hainan. The team was also one of four ProTeams at the start. With this approach, they took responsibility in chasing down and neutralizing the early breakaway. Adrián Benito worked for many kilometers in the peloton and, together with Alessandro Tonelli, Davide Bais, Mattia Bais and Andrea Mifsud, contributed to the team’s final success.

On the final climb, the Madonna della Guardia, precisely 27.5 kilometers from the finish, the attacks began, and over the top came Ludovico Crescioli and Thomas Pesenti alongside Domenico Pozzovivo (TFT). The trio worked together at the front, keeping a close eye on the chasers, all the way into the streets of Genoa, where the riders of the Team Polti VisitMalta proved strongest and settled the victory in the sprint, which went to the young Crescioli.

As the Giro dell’Appennino was the ninth round of the Coppa Italia delle Regioni, Ludovico Crescioli was awarded by the Lega Ciclismo Professionistico. These were his words: “I can’t believe it! I was coming off a good period between Teide and races in France, and today Thomas and I played it perfectly — holding Pozzovivo’s pace uphill, trying to drop him downhill, and keeping chaser Ponomar at a safe distance to set up the sprint. It’s doubly special because it’s not only my first win as a Professional, but also the team’s first of 2026, and it was truly a team victory, as they put the two of us in the best possible position to execute our plan on the decisive climb.”

Sports Director Giovanni Ellena: “After so many strong placings, here comes the well-deserved victory! This success belongs to all seven riders who raced this Giro dell’Appennino, starting with the long work on the flat by Adrián Benito and continuing with the control of the breakaway on the climbs by Alessandro Tonelli together with the Bais brothers. A great performance as well from Andrea Mifsud, who, returning to racing after a minor injury, dug deep to stay among the main chasers and finish in xth place. In the finale, I had complete confidence in Crescioli and Pesenti and didn’t feel the need to decide who should win. It was a wonderful outcome that sends us into the Giro d’Italia with great enthusiasm.”

Complete results:

196.8 kilometers raced at an average speed of 40.191 k/hr

Course map & profile:

Race map

Race profile

Start list with back numbers, April 25, 2026: