Preview of the Veneto Classic 2023 | The very, very last race on European soil this year

For true aficionados, Paris-Tours marked the end of a jam-packed European cycling year on Sunday, October 8, but in 2023 the cycling season on our continent really doesn't conclude until October 15. That's when the Chrono des Nations is scheduled in France, while Italy will host the Veneto Classic. IDLProCycling.com is of course here to provide you with a preview of the Veneto Classic, the final race of the year in Europe.

Few good things came out of the coronavirus pandemic, but the Veneto Classic is certainly one of them. Organizer Filippo Pozzato, with his company PP Sport Events, took the initiative to organize several races in his beloved region of Italy. The Giro del Veneto, won on Wednesday by Dorian Godon and the upcoming Sunday's Veneto Classic are the highlights.

Samuele Battistella won the inaugural edition of this race in 2021, beating Marc Hirschi, while that same Hirschi, together with Davide Formolo clinched a one-two finish for the UAE-Team Emirates last year. The race's reputation has indeed grown; it was classified as a 1.1 race last season, but this year it's been upgraded to 1.Pro.

2022 Marc Hirschi
2021 Samuele Battistella

Last year, the race began in Treviso, but this year it starts in Mel. From this starting point, riders will tackle a 195-kilometer course, overcoming 2340 meters of Italian elevation. The first eighty kilometers head southwest, before reaching a local circuit in and around La Rosina after 81 kilometers.

La Rosina is a 2.1-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 6.5%, which riders must conquer four times over approximately sixty kilometers. Then, the peloton arrives at the second circuit, called La Tisa. This loop, with its tricky hills, must be completed three times. It features a short but challenging cobbled section that stretches over three hundred meters at a staggering average gradient of fifteen percent!

But that's not all: after leaving the La Tisa circuit, riders face the Diesel Farm hill – yes, that's its real name. It's 1300 meters long with an average gradient of eleven percent and is situated ten kilometers from the finish. This section is also covered in gravel, providing all the elements for an all-out attack, especially since the remainder is primarily downhill to the finish in Bassano del Grappa.

Weather
Yikes! While the weather in Veneto has been consistently good in recent days and weeks, Sunday seems to be an exception. Rain is expected throughout the afternoon at a temperature of 19°C, accompanied by a moderate easterly wind.

Times
Start: 12:00 p.m.
Finish: about 4:30 p.m.

The Italians are typically slow in releasing complete participants' lists. Still, we assume that the majority of participants will be similar to those from the recently held Giro del Veneto. One top favorite is undoubtedly Marc Hirschi, the defending champion and 2021 runner-up.

He can rely on teammates like Diego Ulissi, Davide Formolo, and Matteo Trentin to set a challenging pace. However, competition is fierce, especially from the AG2R Citroën Team. There, Dorian Godon, the surprising winner from Wednesday, will appear at the start again, supported by riders like Benoit Cosnefroy and Andrea Vendrame.

Other teams with contenders include Astana Qazaqstan Team with Simone Velasco, Samuele Battistella, and Cristian Scaroni, and Lotto-Dstny with Andreas Kron and Florian Vermeersch. Also watch out for the likes of Matis Louvel and Luca Mozzato from Arkéa Samsic.

At Jayco AlUla, they are still counting on Michael Matthews, Filippo Zana and Alessandro de Marchi, while Israel-Premier Tech boasts riders such as Jakob Fuglsang, Nick Schultz, Domenico Pozzovivo and the promising Corbin Strong. Uno-X has strong contenders in Tobias Halland Johannessen and Anthon Charmig, and Alpecin-Deceuninck's lineup features Stefano Oldani, Axel Laurance, and Nicola Conci. Lidl-Trek is counting on Natnael Tesfatsion, while Filippo Fiorelli is expected to represent Bardiani.

Top favorites: Marc Hirschi (UAE-Team Emirates) and Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech)
Outsiders: Simone Velasco (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X) and Dorian Godon (AG2R Citroën)
Longshots: Andreas Kron, Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Dstny), Matis Louvel (Arkéa Samsic), Diego Ulissi (UAE-Team Emirates), Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën), Samuele Battistella (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Stefano Oldani (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Jakob Fuglsang (Israel-Premier Tech)

You can watch the Veneto Classic Sunday from 2 p.m. on Eurosport.co.uk, GCN+ and Discovery+. Eurosport 2 will start its broadcast at 3:15 p.m. for the race, which will finish around 4:30 p.m.