The weather forecast had called for “widespread precipitation throughout the day”—and so it was, with variable weather in the early morning hours followed by heavy snowfall throughout the entire race. The Pitturina Ski Race, the second round of the Italian Cup – Scarpa Trophy and the opening leg of the Dolomites Cup, put the Organizing Committee to the test while thrilling the more than 300 athletes at the start.
Matteo Eydallin, Gloriana Pellissier, and the Spiquy Team triumphed over the adverse weather as well. The mountain is the ski mountaineer’s playground, and it matters little whether overhead there is a clear sky or falling snowflakes—both are nature’s finest winter expressions.
In Sega Digon, after last year’s hiatus due to a lack of snow, the traditional start with skis in hand returned, crossing the Friendship Bridge that symbolically links the municipalities of Comelico Superiore and San Nicolò.
At 9:30 AM, the traditional starting gun kicked off the Italian Championship along the reserve course, featuring four climbs for a total ascent of 1,700 vertical meters.
Robert Antonioli set the early pace before Manfred Reichegger and Lorenzo Holzknecht moved to the front, pursued by Antonioli alongside Damiano Lenzi, Michele Boscacci, Davide Galizzi, and Pietro Lanfranchi.
In the women’s race, Gloriana Pellissier, in enviable form, took command ahead of Elena Nicolini (Brenta Team) and Francesca Martinelli (SC Alta Valtellina).
Matteo Eydallin started further back in the pack, but over the first two climbs he closed the gap to the leaders. Tucking in right on the tails of the breakaway group, the Centro Sportivo Esercito athlete waited for the right moment to launch his winning attack. Near the top of the final climb, Eydallin upped the pace, reaching the transition area with a lead of several dozen seconds over his chasers. His transition was flawless, practically sealing the Italian Championship gold medal, and the final short climb crowned Eydallin winner of the fifth edition of the Pitturina, as the closing descent into Sega Digon was too short and straightforward to allow any surprises.
While Eydallin crossed the finish line in 1:42:44, the battle for second and third place came down to a two-man duel between Manfred Reichegger (defending Italian Champion) and Lorenzo Holzknecht. The pair rounded the final corner onto the Friendship Bridge neck and neck, and it was the last five meters that saw Lorenzo Holzknecht claim the second step of the podium, with Manfred Reichegger crossing the line third just inches behind.
Damiano Lenzi finished fourth in Sega Digon, while Robert Antonioli and Davide Galizzi placed sixth and seventh respectively. Michele Boscacci finished eighth, Denis Trento ninth, and Filippo Beccari tenth, with Robert Antonioli and Michele Boscacci taking first and second in the Espoir category.
Meanwhile, Gloriana Pellissier led comfortably from start to finish ahead of Nicolini and Martinelli.
After winning the national title last year, the Aosta Valley athlete defended her Italian crown in a time of 2:07:48. Taking the silver medal was young Elena Nicolini, who could hardly believe after crossing the finish line that she had finished ahead of a legend like Francesca Martinelli.
In the Master category, victory went to Camillo Campestrini ahead of Franco Nicolini and Martino Cattaneo, while on the women’s side Monica Sartogo took the top step of the podium.
In the Veneto Regional Championship, Martina Valmassoi and Alessandro Follador took top honors.
As the curtain falls on this fifth edition of the Pitturina, «The success of the event,» said Michele Festini Purlan, «is thanks to the passion and professionalism of the crew who have worked non-stop on the Pitturina for the past two weeks. We also ‘won’ this latest challenge of ‘too much snow’ after battling against too little snow and warm weather earlier on. Next year we hope these efforts will be rewarded with the awarding of a World Cup round.»
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