The route and the startlist of GranPiemonte 2024 make this race highly unpredictable. The 182 km course from Valdengo to Borgomanero feels well-suited for fast riders as the challenges are manageable. However, the list of contenders suggests that several riders may come into the race with strategies that simply go beyond a bunch sprint finish.
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) will conclude his season on home roads. The route seems rather ideal to the Verbania locomotive, whose features allow him either to attempt mid-range attack or wait for a reduced-group sprint. Knowing Ganna, he will definitely aim to end his 2024 season on a strong note before heading into his season break. There will be Tom Pidcock, back from a good 2nd place at the Giro dell’Emilia and eager to add another success to his season after his prestigious victory at the Amstel Gold Race in April. A similar story goes for Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), who dominated a stage at the Volta Valenciana and the Slovenian time trial championship this year, and is now looking to add a prestigious classic to his palmarès.
There is also the ever-competitive UAE Team Emirates to be feared, with the Italian trio of Diego Ulissi, Filippo Baroncini, and Alessandro Covi, along with young Swiss talent Jan Christen, all aiming to make the race challenging.
These riders may make their moves as early as the Passo della Colma, the longest climb of the day, at more than 60 km from the finish. However, in modern cycling, we know that no distance is too far when there’s a chance to attack. Other contenders may include Alberto Bettiol (Astana Qazaqstan), who is still adjusting to his mid-August team change, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl Trek), Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious), Neilson Powless and Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost), Lorenzo Rota and Francesco Busatto (Intermarché-Wanty), Alex Aranburu (Movistar), Giovanni Aleotti and Sergio Higuita (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL), Davide De Pretto (Jayco AlUla), and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).
And then there is a whole group of riders hoping that the Passo della Colma will be tackled at a steady pace to boost the chance of a sprint finish. Among the fastest riders are Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who can also hold his ground on uphill sections, Vincenzo Albanese (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Davide Ballerini and Max Kanter (Astana Qazaqstan), Nikias Arndt (Bahrain Victorious), Corbin Strong (Israel-PremierTech), Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Dstny), who is also capable of attacking from the distance, Iván García Cortina e Davide Cimolai (Movistar), Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5), Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers), Giovanni Lonardi (Polti Kometa), Matteo Trentin (Tudor) e Filippo Fiorelli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè).