It was the first hors categorie appointment in Italy; the first occasion where Europe's best bikers competed against each other. And in the natural torcida of Nalles, among the woods of the "town of roses," Laura Squarise and Antonia Grangl blossomed, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Under 23 race.

In the race won by Austrian Katrin Embacher, who was on the podium last year at the World Cup in Val di Sole, the Trinx Factory Team duo put in a thrilling performance. Laura Squarise, after a chain slip that dropped her out of the top 10, recovered positions lap after lap, finishing fifth, ahead of the Italians. The last athlete to give way to Laura was her teammate Antonia Grangl, who confirmed herself as one of the best first-year athletes in the category between the athletes born in 2007. Worthy of note, in the same competition, was Alice Pascucci's 22nd place, sixth among the girls born in 2007, while in the men's field Marco Bramati finished his effort in 33rd place, enjoying another experience in an international-level race.

Good performance also for the Italian U19 Women's Champion Giorgia Pellizotti, who finished fourth. The final lap climb proved decisive, as the Trinx Factory Team rider from Treviso and Maria Chiara Signorelli engaged in a head-to-head battle for third place, with the rider from Brescia prevailing.

Lucia Bramati also finished fourth in some of the Elite Women's race statistics. The biker from Vicenza, in her first season in the elite category, finished 18th overall, making her the fourth athlete born in 2003 to the finish line and the fourth Italian overall. Lucia had her usual brilliant start, which allowed her to settle around tenth place; only in the final stages of the race did fatigue take its toll, preventing her from fighting for a top-15 finish.

«The outcome of Saturday in Nalles is positive, given the high level of competition», confirms sports director Luca Bramati. «The day demonstrated the growth of Laura Squarise and Antonia Grangl, who are confirming their progress week after week. Lucia suffered in the final stretch of the race, but her performance was positive, as was Giorgia, who fought until the end for a spot on the podium. For Alice and Marco, it was another opportunity to grow in experience and fitness, as well as for the three athletes who competed in Croatia».

Moving east, more precisely to Premantura, the Trinx Factory Team honoured the Xco Kamenjak Rocky Trails by fielding Pietro Cao (Under 23) and the two U19 Flavio Dispensa and Thobias Del Ponte.

Pietro Cao finished seventeenth in the Open race, an unexpected result in a C1 class race for a first-year Under 23 athlete. Moving down to the U19s, Flavio Dispensa finished thirteenth, while Thobias Del Ponte crossed the finish line twenty-fifth, slowed down by a puncture that prevented him from crowning his performance with a better placing.

Tomorrow it will be the turn of the U17 Zoe Del Ponte, who will compete in Nalles in what will be a youth MTB festival.