The lap times from yesterday's Italian Team Relay Championship hinted at it: today in Nervesa della Battaglia, Under 23 Lucia Bramati and U19 Giorgia Pellizotti and Pietro Cao could have contended for the top positions in the individual races. This prediction came true, following three very different plots.

Today's spotlight shone on U19 Pietro Cao (pictured in the photo by Alessio Pederiva), who achieved a double objective: a stage victory, his second of the season after Stevenà di Caneva, and a double overtake in the general classification, where he now leads Elia Rial and Ettore Fabbro.

«When I saw there were five of us, I increased the pace and managed to make a difference on the toughest ramp. I then continued my effort, gaining the margin that carried me to the finish line, ahead of Scagliola and Fabbro», explained winner Pietro Cao. «This victory is very important because it certifies my growth and the consistency I've shown this season».

Speaking of consistency, we must mention Giorgia Pellizotti, who finished second in the Junior Women's race, only behind Nicole Azzetti.

It was a beautiful duel between the two 2008- born athletes, who will battle until the end of the circuit for the U19 leader's jersey. For now, it remains on the shoulders of the rider coached by Luca Bramati (photocredit Alessio Pederiva).

It was an unlucky day, but it ended with a smile for Lucia Bramati. In the launch lap, she suffered a chain drop that forced her to restart from the back of the pack. The 22-year-old did an excellent job recovering position after position, eventually finishing fourth overall in the Women's Open category, once again being the first Under 23 rider across the finish line. This placement allows her to extend her lead in her category's general classification and also nurture the dream of winning the overall women's classification, where she's currently only trailing today's winner, Nicole Pesse.

«In the launch lap, I had a chain skip and found myself at the back, then little by little, I managed to recover», confirmed Lucia Bramati. «Even with this comeback and the heat, the race proved tougher than expected, so much so that in the final part I had to manage my energy and maintain my lead over my rivals in the Under 23 classification».

Great performance also by Cristian Bernardi, who for the third time this season finished in the top 10. The rider from Treviso secured ninth place, sixth among the Elite, in the race won by Daniele Braidot. In the same race 37th place for Marco Bramati, 24th among the U23s Junior Alice Pascucci also competed in Nervesa della Battaglia but was forced to withdraw.

The last good news from this Saturday of races came from Croatia, where the U19 Flavio Dispensa finished sixth in the Samobor race, his best result of the season.