The Italian Squadra Azzurra once dominated the UCI Road World Championships elite men's race and fought with other historic cycling nations for the rainbow jersey. Sadly, Italy is now just one of many contenders and has not won the men's road race world title for 16 years.
The wider globalisation of the sport in the last two decades has gradually weakened Italian road cycling, with a loss of sponsors, smaller teams, races, and talented riders. The best young Italians usually emigrate to the WorldTour development teams, with no solution in sight, be it from the Italian Federation or elsewhere, to stop the talent drain.
Fortunately, the current generation of women has stepped up, meaning Italy is one of the strongest nations alongside the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia and both Elisa Longo Borghini and Elisa Balsamo are major road race contenders this weekend.
At the same time, Italy once struggled in time trials but Filippo Ganna's talents have given them an alternative form of road success as well, most recently in the form of a silver medal behind Remco Evenepoel last Sunday, with Italian compatriot Edoardo Affini claiming the bronze.
History
Italy's success at the World Championships goes back to the origins of the sport, with Alfredo Binda winning the first professional world championships in Nürburgring, Germany in 1927.
Since then Italy has regularly won the rainbow jersey, with Marta Tartagni overcoming huge prejudices to win a bronze in the women's road race in 1968.
Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Francesco Moser, Giuseppe Saronni, Gianni Bugno, Paolo Bettini, Alessandro Ballan, Maria Canins, Alessandra Cappellotto, Marta Bastianelli and Giorgia Bronzini have all won the rainbow jersey in the elite races, with others winning junior, U23 and time trial titles and medals. Indeed, Italy tops the Worlds all-time medal table with 147 titles, well ahead of Belgium (105) and the Netherlands (101).
The demise of the Italian men's dominance can be seen in a simple statistic: Ballan was the last Italian to win the elite men's road race rainbow jersey back in 2008, when the World Championships were held in Varese. Matteo Trentin was the last to win a medal of any colour in the same event, taking silver in Yorkshire in 2019.
Fortunately, the women and Filippo Ganna now fly the tricolore flag for Italy and the juniors and under-23 riders are often successful. Elisa Balsamo was the world champion in 2021, Elisa Longo Borghini was a bronze medalist in 2020 and is a medal contender year after year, and more recently Silvia Persico won the bronze medal in 2022.
Meanwhile, Ganna won the time trial world title in 2020 and 2021 and has three other medals. Italy have also won a bronze and silver in the recently created Mixed Relay race.
Lineups
Elite Men: Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo, Giulio Ciccone, Marco Frigo, Lorenzo Rota, Antonio Tiberi, Diego Ulissi, Edoardo Zambanini, Filippo Zana.
Elite Women: Alice Arzuffi, Elisa Balsamo, Elisa Longo Borghini, Barbara Malcotti, Erica Magnaldi, Soraya Paladin, Gaia Realini.
U23 Men: Davide De Pretto, Francesco Busatto, Pietro Mattio, Giulio Pellizzari, Florian Samuel Kajamini
Junior Men: Andrea Bessega, Leonardo Consolidani, Lorenzo Mark Finn, Cristian Remelli, Enea Sambinello
Junior Women: Eleonora La Bella, Silvia Milesi, Chantal Pegolo, Giada Silo
Key Riders
The Lidl-Trek rider was hugely disappointed when she struggled in the Olympic road race and subsequently pulled out of the Tour de France Femmes. She recovered in time and was second at the recent St Feuillien Grand Prix de Wallonie in Belgium, suggesting she is back on form.
Longo Borghini's lack of finishing speed has often left her disappointed and her best World Championships in third in 2012 and 2020. She is the protected team leader for Zurich and the course suits her but she may need to finish alone if she wants to win the rainbow jersey.
Balsamo is Italy's alternative to Longo Borghini, and her fast sprint makes her a real danger if Saturday's race is controlled and attacks cancel each other out.
She suffered a nasty finish crash at the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas in May and had to fight back to secure a place in the Italian road and track team for the Paris Olympics. She recently won a stage at the Tour de Romandie Féminin and was second in the European Championships behind Lorena Wiebes. Balsamo could be a threat in Zurich, but only if she can handle the climbs on the testing 27km circuit.
The Bahrain Victorious rider is considered a future Grand Tour talent and was fifth at the Giro d'Italia but in the absence of a true team leader, he has a protected role in the Italian team for the road race.
He managed to distance Mathieu van der Poel on the final stage of the Tour of Luxembourg and win the overall but the World Championships will be a different race.
In the absence of Alberto Bettiol due to a lack of form, Ulissi is perhaps Italy's best hope for a medal.
The now 35-year-old Italian was junior World Champion in 2006 and 2007. He is still a consistent winner and points scores and that is why Astana have signed him for 2025. However, he has not raced a Grand Tour this season and does not appear to be at his best.
Italy once refused to allow professional riders to compete in the under-23 World Championship road race, to protect their under-23 programme. They have flipped that rule in recent years as they search for every kind of success and have Pellizzari as team leader in Zurich and WorldTour pros Francesco Busatto (Intermarché-Wanty) and Davide De Pretto (Jayco-AlUla) as alternatives.
Pellizzari rides for VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè but has been signed by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe as a future team leader.
He almost won stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia to Santa Cristina Valgardena, only for Tadej Pogačar to pass him before the line. Pellizzari then asked Pogačar for his pink jersey as a present for his younger brother but is ambitious rather than star-struck.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The women's Italian road race team is a real medal contender with Longo-Borghini and Balsamo. The history of Italian World Championship success usually inspires team unity and that could be an extra factor for the Azzurre in Zurich.
Longo-Borghini is arguably the standout Italian name but they have other world-class riders and young talent who can perform on the track and road and who are coming up through the ranks in readiness to inherit her role once she retires.
The elite men Azzurri have little chance on paper against Pogačar, Evenepoel and Van der Poel and the rest, but could opt to race for a medal. If a small group emerges on the final laps, Tiberi, Ulissi Andrea Bagioli, Mattia Cattaneo and Marco Frigo might yet have a chance to salvage Italian pride.
Italian cycling has struggled since Vincenzo Nibali's retirement but some green shoots and future talents are emerging. They may have to race for non-Italian pro teams but will always race with pride in the iconic Italian blue colours.
The view from Italy
Former national coach Davide Cassani recently analysed Italy's problems and offered some motivational thoughts in a column in La Gazzetta dello Sport, using Ganna as an example and metaphor for his teammates.
"Ganna is a great rider because he's not afraid to lose because he always puts his reputation on the line and shows he has the talent, determination and character to succeed," Cassani wrote.
"Ganna should be seen as an example for everyone, especially the young Italian riders, who perhaps are struggling to break through at the highest level.
"Italian cycling is struggling but the time trial medals won by Ganna and Affini should be an inspiration for everyone."
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