Filippo Agostinacchio (Biesse Carrera Premac) and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) were crowned the new Italian national gravel champions at the GP Enzo Cainero in Gemona del Friuli on Saturday.
Magnaldi, who races at WorldTour level on the road, is already the European gravel champion and now adds the Italian jersey to her collection. She won ahead of defending champion Carlotta Borello (Cingolani-Specialized) after the pair were together for the majority of the race, but Magnaldi managed to kick away on the final climb and win.
Debora Piana (Fol Racing Team) took third, nearly four minutes down on the winning pair, whilst Romina Costantini (Aromitalia Vaiano) finished fourth and, with that, took the U23 women's title.
"The course didn't really suit my characteristics. It was a short race, only 80 kilometres, with no long climbs and just 600 metres of elevation gain, so there weren't many opportunities to make the difference. That's why I decided to attack from kilometre zero and try to split the race on every short climb," Magnaldi said in a post-race interview.
"The decisive moment came on the final ascent, about five kilometres from the finish, where I finally managed to open a gap. When I reached the top, I looked back and couldn't see anyone behind me, so I just kept pushing all the way to the finish. I'm really happy to have won this jersey and the Italian title. It's a great personal achievement for me."
The men's race was very tight and came down to an eight-man battle in the final kilometre, but Agostinacchio got the jump and the speed to cross the line ahead of WorldTour rider Pietro Mattio (Visma-Lease a Bike).
Filippo Agostinacchio crosses the line to win the Italian Gravel Championships (Image credit: Alessandro Billiani)
Nine seconds back, six riders battled it out in a sprint for the final place on the podium, with Kevin Pezzo Rosola (General Store-Essegibi_F.Lli Curia) just claiming third.
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Filippo Agostinacchio, brother of Mattia, mixes off-road and road racing at the Continental level, and during the winters he races cyclo-cross for EF Education-EasyPost, in a team with his brother.
Results
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Women's elite top five
Position
Rider
Time
1.
Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ)
2:26:20
2.
Carlotta Borello (Cingolani-Specialized)
+0:51
3.
Debora Piana (Fol Racing Team)
+3:52
4.
Romina Costantini (Aromitalia Vaiano)
+6:29
5.
Giada Borghesi (Human Powered Health)
+13:55
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Men's elite top five
Position
Rider
Time
1.
Filippo Agostinacchio (Biesse Carrera Premac)
3:21:50
2.
Pietro Mattio (Visma-Lease a Bike).
+0:02
3.
Kevin Pezzo Rosola (General Store-Essegibi_F.Lli Curia)
+0:09
4.
Giacomo Garavaglia (Swatt Club)
+0:09
5.
Giovanni Bortoluzzi (General Store-Essegibi_F.Lli Curia)
Matilda is an NCTJ-qualified journalist based in the UK who joined Cyclingnews in March 2025. Prior to that, she worked as the Racing News Editor at GCN, and extensively as a freelancer contributing to Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Velo, Rouleur, Escape Collective, Red Bull and more. She has reported on the ground at all of the biggest events on the calendar, including the men's and women's Tours de France, the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a Espana, the Spring Classics and the World Championships. She has particular experience and expertise in women's cycling, and women's sport in general. She is a graduate of modern languages and sports journalism.
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