Cyclo-cross world championships in Holland, Italy silver in the mixed relay

We are in Hulst, Holland, almost on the border with Belgium, north-west of Antwerp. The nation returns to host the Cyclocross World Championship after just three years, in 2023 in Hoogerheide the idol Van der Poel overtook Van Aert in a memorable standing sprint with 200 meters to go, and the anticipation is maximum for the elite race on Sunday: Van der Poel wants his eighth world title to become a cyclocross legend, given that he currently has seven like the Belgian Eric De Vlaeminck. Today the program was opened by the mixed relay, made up of three boys and three girls per nation, and for the Italy of the federal president Cordiano Dagnoni a prestigious silver medal arrived behind the unbeatable Netherlands.

the race

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The sextet made up of Filippo Grigolini, Stefano Viezzi, Sara Casasola, Elisa Ferri, Giorgia Pellizotti and Filippo Fontana interprets the relay in the right way: high pace, aggressive changes and the ability to always stay within the race. Italy takes the lead several times, builds an important margin in the central part thanks to Viezzi (junior world champion in 2024) and Ferri, and resists when the Netherlands, big favourites, puts its best cards on the field. In the direct confrontation between the junior Giorgia Pellizotti, 17 years old, daughter of the former pro Franco (now an appreciated coach at the Bahrain team), and the elite Shirin van Anrooij, also a great talent on the road, the Netherlands takes the lead, but Italy does not falter and remains in the wake. Filippo Fontana manages the last lap with clarity: he maintains second position, fends off the return of his opponents and leads Italy to a prestigious silver, behind the hosts and ahead of Belgium. A result that matters, especially for how it arrived: coach Daniele Pontoni, who was the greatest Italian cyclo-cross rider, has set up a renewal program for years and created a young national team with growing athletes. After the silver in 2025, Italy confirms that it is a stable presence at the top of the Team Relay and opens the World Championship in the best possible way. It must be remembered that just a few days ago Patrik Pezzo Rosola, 17 years old, second son of Paola Pezzo and Paolo Rosola, won the junior World Cup, and Giorgia Pellizotti won the Cup test in Hoogerheide (Ola) in the juniors after triumphing in the one in Benidorm in Spain.

the words

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Great satisfaction for the federal president Cordiano Dagnoni: “This is the first medal for Italian cycling in 2026 and it arrived immediately, at the Cyclocross World Championships, right in the debut race. Returning to the world podium after a year, and doing so with a different formation, is an important signal: it confirms the overall quality of our movement and the value of the work that the coach and all the staff are carrying out. Congratulations to these guys and to the whole group, let’s keep going”. The first day ends with a smile for coach Daniele Pontoni: “Today’s is the thirtieth medal won during my management: an achievement that makes us proud and even more confident in the work done so far. For a moment we toyed with the idea of gold, but we remain with a smile and above all with the awareness that our athletes are now firmly at world level. We hold onto this silver, which came at the end of an excellent race, and we look forward to the tests on Saturday and Sunday with confidence. We are satisfied of what has been done so far, but our bellies are certainly not full: there is still a lot to do”.