The race starts on 7 March 2018 with the Team Time Trial in Lido di Camaiore and ends with the classic Individual Time Trial in San Benedetto. On Sunday 11 March, the 5th stage will end in Filottrano (from Castelraimondo), the city of the unforgettable Italian rider. The uphill finish of stage 4 is on the 1,345m Sassotetto. Total vertical elevation of the race is 11,000m.

Loreto (An), 12 January 2018 – The 53rd edition of the Tirreno-Adriatico, organized by RCS Sport / La Gazzetta dello Sport and scheduled from 7 to 13 March 2018 is launched this morning. As a fitting tribute to Michele Scarponi’s memory the 5th stage will finish in his city, Filottrano. The route of the Corsa dei Due Mari (The Race of the Two Seas) has been unveiled in the splendid setting of the Sala Macchi, inside the Sanctuary of Loreto.

Mauro Vegni, RCS Sport Cycling Director, with Michele Scarponi’s sister and brother, Silvia and Marco, who attended today’s presentation

It’s a classic route with the opening Team Time Trial on the Versilia seafront at Lido di Camaiore (21.5km); two stages for sprinters (stages 2, Camaiore-Follonica, and 6, Numana-Fano), two suitable for the finisseurs (stages 3, Follonica-Trevi, and 5, Castelraimondo-Filottrano „Tappa dei Muri“), an uphill finish – Saturday 10 March (stage 4) – which will bring the group from Foligno to Sarnano (Sassotetto) with over 14km of final ascent. The race ends with the traditionally exciting Individual Time Trial of San Benedetto del Tronto, 10km long.

STATISTICS
2017, the Colombian edition: with two stage wins (Nairo Quintana atop the Terminillo and Fernando Gaviria at Civitanova Marche) and the final classification (Quintana), the 2017 edition was the one with the most successes for Colombia. It was also the first time two Colombian riders won a stage at the Tirreno-Adriatico. The first Colombian rider to win a stage at the Race of the Two Seas was Quintana, whose breakthrough victory was on the Terminillo finish, in 2015.

Scarponi: this year stage 5 brings professional cycling to Filottrano. Scarponi climbed up onto the final podium of the Tirreno-Adriatico three times, winning the 2009 edition, and was second (tied on time with the winner, Stefano Garzelli) in 2010 then third, behind Cadel Evans and Robert Gesink, in 2011.

Sagan hunts for record: the UCI World Champion Peter Sagan, who has started at every Tirreno-Adriatico since 2012, and won a total of seven stages. He is just one success away from joining Alessandro Petacchi, Moreno Argentin and Giuseppe Saronni, who occupy the third position of all time (both with eight stage victories), behind Roger de Vlaeminck (15) and Oscar Freire (11).

Quintana and Nibali: two successes in the General Classification each. Both Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana have won the Tirreno-Adriatico twice: only one athlete has won more editions of the Race of the Two Seas, Roger de Vlaeminck (six).

A feat that has been missing for 10 years: the last rider to win three stages in a single edition at the Tirreno-Adriatico was Oscar Freire, in 2008.

Fasting Italy: Italian riders are experiencing the longest fast of victories in the history of Tirreno-Adriatico. In 2017, the sequence of consecutive stages without an Italian rider winning has reached 17 stages. The last Italian success at the Tirreno-Adriatico was by Adriano Malori in the opening Time Trial of the 2015 edition.

final podium of the 2017 Tirreno-Adriatico: the winner Nairo Quintana with Rohan Dennis and Thibaut Pinot, second and third overall

QUOTES
Moreno Pieroni, Counselor for Tourism at Regione Marche, said: “We are happy to continue this important collaboration with the Tirreno-Adriatico, we are convinced that sport – and cycling in particular – are important for the image of a region where the lifestyle corresponds to the well-being and quality of the environment. We are sure that the Marche Region will be able to welcome this important race at the beginning of the professional cycling season.”

Alessandro Del Dotto, Mayor of Camaiore, said: “The Tirreno-Adriatico is an incomparable international showcase to promote Camaiore and the Versilia, as proved by results in previous years. It has now become an unmissable event for our citizens and for the many fans who crowd the Lido promenade and the historic center of Camaiore on the race days.”

Mauro Vegni, RCS Sport Cycling Director, said: “This year we have decided to announce the route of the 2018 edition from the Marche Region. This year’s edition will see three stages finish and two stages start in this region, in addition to the final Individual Time Trial at San Benedetto del Tronto. With the stage ending in Filottrano, we wanted to commemorate a friend, the unforgettable Michele Scarponi. The Tirreno-Adriatico is always one of the most fascinating races on the international scene; scrolling through the list of starters and the roll of honour of 52 editions, all the great champions are there. Broadcasted to 184 countries across the five continents, and with more than 250 Italian and international media present at the event, the signals are that this race has an audience that only a few races in the world can match.”

Stefano Allocchio, RCS Sport Race Director, said: “The route follows the one proposed in recent years with the initial and final Time Trials, two sprint stages, two stages for finisseurs and an uphill finish, this year on the Sassotetto. The formula we have proposed has been successful and gives the opportunity to all riders to better express their characteristics and, at the end of the seven stages, to crown a complete athlete at the highest level.”

From left to right, seated at the table, Moreno Pieroni, Counselor for Tourism at Regione Marche, Mauro Vegni, RCS Sport Cycling Director and Stefano Allocchio, RCS Sport Race Director

PHOTO CREDIT: LaPresse
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