The Tirreno-Adriatico ended yesterday, and we continue to race on Italian roads with three historic competitions. It starts on Wednesday, 16 September with the Giro della Toscana (182km) with a start and finish in Pontedera, the Vespa scooter home.

The following day the Coppa Sabatini is staged, always starting and finishing in Peccioli. The Tuscan race that has taken place since 1952 touches the 200km through the usual circuit around the little town. The last kilometer has an average gradient of around 9% and will favor resistant and fast riders.

The last competition of the week is the 81st edition of the Giro dell’Appennino, which will take place on Saturday, 19 September, between Liguria and Piedmont. A race of great tradition and suitable for climbers, it will start from Pasturana and finish after 191km in the center of Genoa. Several climbs to tackle, including the famous Passo della Bocchetta: 8.5km with an average gradient of 7.7%.

Sports Director Alberto Volpi comments: “They are fairly demanding races. The “Toscana” is already accessible and suitable for sprinters, the “Sabatini” is more demanding while the “Appennino” route is demanding. Battaglin and Inkelaar will be our two leaders for all three races helped by a team with experienced riders like Arashiro and Pibernik and promising youngsters like Williams, Feng and Novak, who will also have the task of entering in  the breakaways ”.

Team Bahrain McLaren line up for all the three races: Yukiya Arashiro, Enrico Battaglin, Chun Kai Feng, Kevin Inkelaar, Domen Novak, Luka Pibernik, Stephen Williams.