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Stéphane Cognet and Pieter Frolichs are the first foreign winners in the history of the Granfondo Internazionale La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio. 2300 cyclists from 36 countries competed on the two routes of 177 and 111 km and covered the 100 km of the third non-competitive route, the Fauniera Classic.
Source: Press Release
The thirty-fifth edition of the Granfondo Internazionale La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio started at 7 AM from Piazza Galimberti in Cuneo, the start and finish location of the race since 1987. The Cuneo event recorded over 2,300 registrations, with approximately 2,200 cyclists starting the two competitive routes of 177 and 111 kilometers, complemented this year by the non-competitive Fauniera Classic route, a 100 km loop that shared the 2,481-meter summit of Colle della Fauniera with the other routes.
No foreigner had ever won on the roads of the Cuneo event: this is what happened today, both in the Granfondo won by Frenchman Stéphane Cognet (OM.CC) and in the Mediofondo which saw Dutchman Pieter Frolichs (RATPENAT.CC) triumph. An Italian double in both women’s events with victories for Roberta Bussone (ASD RODMAN TEAM) and Sonia Passuti (TEAM STAWELD BUZZOLAN).
The figures for the 35th edition of the Granfondo La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio confirm the global reach of the event with over 500 foreign participants representing 36 nations. After Italy, the most represented countries on the start list are France (97 participants), the Netherlands (81 participants), the United Kingdom (27), the United States of America (18), and Belgium (16). Among non-continental participants, it is worth noting 13 registrations from Canada, 10 from Australia, 12 from Guatemala, and 7 from Brazil. The age range of those who chose to register for the Cuneo race is very wide, more than sixty years separating the youngest rider (17 years old) and the oldest (78 years old).
This year again, the Granfondo La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio weekend turned into a celebration for all sports lovers: former marathon runner Elisa Riguardo, former long-distance runner Elena Desderi, and long-distance runner Michele Biglione participated in Saturday’s Olympic parade, which saw the flags of the nations present at the start parade through the center of Cuneo to reach the village in Piazza Galimberti.
A few kilometers after the start from Cuneo, some contenders for the Granfondo’s final victory launched their attack on the flat. In the chasing group was also Luca Raggio, winner of the 2023 edition. On the climb of Valmala, five riders remained in the lead: Giacomo Giordano, Manuele Caddeo, Andrea Gallo, and Wladimir Cuaz. In Dronero, the leaders’ advantage was 2’40” over a group of seven chasers. On the climb leading to La Piatta Soprana, after about 85 km of racing, Cuaz and Caddeo broke away from Gallo and Giordano. Behind them, the pursuit of the seven riders was led by Frenchman Cognet.
At the foot of the Colle Fauniera climb, Cognet broke away, escaped, and set off in pursuit of the escapees. The Frenchman’s comeback was truly impetuous. He overtook the fugitives and at the summit of Colle Fauniera, he attacked the neutralized descent with a 3’13” lead over the chasers, a duo now formed by Caddeo and Gallo. The two worked together to catch him, until the foot of the last climb of the day: Madonna del Colletto. Cognet reached the summit of Madonna del Colletto with a 4-minute lead over Caddeo, with Gallo further behind.
After 5h44’04” Stéphane Cognet (OM.CC) crossed the finish line with a 2’53” lead over Manuele Caddeo (OM.CC) and 3’49” over Andrea Gallo (MBHBANK COLPACK BALLAN CSB). A great performance by Roberta Bussone (ASD RODMAN TEAM) who, with a time of 6h15’53”, won the women’s Granfondo, finishing fourteenth overall in the long distance. On the podium, Giulia Bisso (TEAM PROMOTECH – MG KVIS), at 7’31”, and Annalisa Prato (OM.CC), at 11’52”.
On the Mediofondo course, Pieter Frolichs (RATPENAT.CC) finished in 3h31’33” with a 22″ lead over Gabriele Novaira (OM CC) and 1’35” over Andrea Dalmasso (OM.CC). In the women’s race, Sonia Passuti (TEAM STAWELD BUZZOLAN) won in 3h51’30” ahead of Iride Bertone (ROERO SPEED BIKE), at 12’34”, and Lorenza Beccaria (OM.CC), at 15’49” at the finish line.
Stephane Cognet (OM.CC) – Winner of the 35th GF Internazionale La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “After the first climb, I was in a group of 5/6 riders and we were 3 minutes behind the race leaders. At the start of the Fauniera climb, I left the chasing group and caught the 4 leading riders. I did the climb alone, full gas, at my own pace and, after the Sanctuary of San Magno, I caught Andrea Gallo who was in the lead. At Madonna del Colletto, I saw that I was alone. It’s a beautiful climb but it’s not too fast and I managed to maintain the gap. I’ve been living in Bordighera for four months. I was a professional for two seasons and, in the past, I had already raced the Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio 5/6 times, always one step away from the podium. This year, I finally won it. I’ve been cycling since I was 14 and I’m now 42. Experience certainly played an important role because I knew that after the Fauniera, the race wasn’t over“.
Roberta Bussone (ASD ROADMAN TEAM) – Winner of the 35th GF Internazionale La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “I had already participated in two editions in 2009 and 2010, doing the medium course. After participating in several granfondo races this year, I tried the long course. It’s a very demanding race, especially because I often found myself alone. On the climbs, I tried to give everything I had, on the descents and in the transfers between climbs, not to lose too much time. Even though my legs were tired in the final, I managed to cope in the last climb, which is why I am really satisfied with my time. In life, I am an employee of the national TV Rai advertising, I work for the tax office. I try to find moments in my free time to train. I do it out of passion. I participated in 8 granfondo races this year: I started with Sanremo, then the Coppa Piemonte, the Bra-Bra and this year I won all the women’s granfondo races. I hope to continue my season as I am currently doing. I like to climb and I like to cycle at altitude. I prefer granfondo races with a lot of elevation gain because that’s where I make the difference”.
Pieter Frolichs (RATPENAT.CC) – Winner of the Mediofondo La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “The start was difficult with some attacks, but the group was still together when we started the climb. We were in a group of fifteen to twenty people. There was still someone ahead of us on the Fauniera climb, we regrouped and climbed two by two to the summit of Fauniera, continuing together until the last climb. We had decided to stay together on the descent and give it our all, but unfortunately Gabriele Novaira had a technical problem on the descent and I lost him. I continued to push hard until the finish, I didn’t see him and I didn’t realize he was so close. I know that last year Gabriele also finished second, but I think he will be first next year because he deserved to win as much as I did“.
Sonia Passuti (TEAM STAWELD BUZZOLAN) – Winner of the Mediofondo La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “I would have liked to do the long course but I was too tired this morning, so I decided to listen to my legs and my head and do the medio. On the first climb, I found my rhythm and slowly pulled away. From there, I found three guys who helped me on the descents and false flats. Kudos to the organization who manned all the intersections everywhere: hats off to the safety because now there are so many risks at intersections and on the roads. It was my first time cycling in the Cuneo region and I must say it’s truly spectacular. Too bad it’s so far from home! But congratulations because the regions are magnificent and it would be nice to have some time to be able to come here more often. The climbs are magnificent, the landscapes fantastic. I also saw that the inhabitants of Cuneo are very attached to this sport!“.
Davide Lauro, organizer of the 35th GF La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “A great promotion for our region. This year, something truly magical happened in the history of the Fausto Coppi. The edition was won in terms of absolute men’s podiums by foreign athletes: by Dutchman Frolichs for the mediofondo, and by Frenchman Cognet for the granfondo. This bodes well for the years to come and confirms the internationality of this event“.
Emma Mana, organizer of the 35th GF Internazionale La Fausto Coppi Officine Mattio: “We are enthusiastic about this 35th edition due to the number of registered participants: we have exceeded 2300 people from over 36 nations. 20% of our participants come from abroad! A great promotion for our territory“.
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