Granfondo Damiano Cunego Joins UNESCO Cycling Tour

On May 30, 2010, the Giro d'Italia will end with a 15 km individual time trial in Verona, home of Damiano Cunego who won the World Junior Championship here in Verona. Exactly one week after racing in the Giro, Cunego will be on the front row for the 5th edition of the Granfondo Damiano Cunego in Verona on June 6th.

The first most important change in the event is that the Granfondo Damiano Cunego is now part of the UNESCO Cycling Tour, a new series of 5 granfondo events in cities and areas recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites: San Gimignano, Verona, the Dolomites, Urbino, the Cinque Terre. To be included on the World Heritage list sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet selection criteria.

The granfondos that make up the series are:
San Gimignano - Granfondo Vernaccia (9 May)
Verona - Granfondo Damiano Cunego (June 6)
Dolomites - Granfondo Sportful of Feltre (20 June)
Urbino - Granfondo Straducale (25 July)
Cinque Terre - Cinque Terre Granfondo of Deiva Marina (12 September).

Riders completing four of the events will receive special edition items with the UNESCO Cycling Tour logo, and there will be a team classification based upon most accumulated points.

In addition to the UNESCO Cycling Tour the Granfondo Damiano Cunego is valid as a stage in other series: Challenge Giordana, Gran Combinata di Ciclismo, Nobili, and Supernobili.

The Granfondo Damiano Cunego is capped at a 3,500 entrant limit.

Should you desire to combine a couple of days of cycling prior to participating in the GF Damiano Cunego you can do so with Eros Poli. Poli, also a native of Verona, which would make the weekend just that more memorable. See http://www.eros-poli.com/ under "I Weekend Granfondo" for details. You can also find cycling tour information for the final week of the Giro, including the last stage in Verona, under "Special Giro d'Italia".

Photos: event logo, the start of alst years's GF Damiano Cunego

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