The final race of the ‘Trittico Lombardo’, the Tre Valli Varesine, returns for its 105th edition on Tuesday, October 6, once again serving as one of the final opportunities for riders to test their form ahead of Il Lombardia. The hilly and selective route from Busto Arsizio to Varese, combined with the race’s rich history and prestigious roll of honour, attracts many of the strongest riders in the peloton.

Bahrain Victorious will line up with a strong squad, led by Afonso Eulalio, who won the Giro d’Italia Maglia Bianca, alongside Lenny Martinez, Antonio Tiberi, Santiago Buitrago, who claimed the Vuelta a España KOM jersey, and road captain Pello Bilbao, who is in the final season of his career. The team will also feature two highly anticipated debutants: promising young Slovenian Jakob Omrzel and his compatriot Matej Mohorič, both coming directly from the European Championships.

The 2026 Tre Valli Varesine will feature a slightly revised route compared to last year, with some minor changes to the opening phase. After the start, the riders will tackle a short local circuit of around 12 kilometres before heading towards Varese and crossing the finish line on Via Sacco for the first time after 41.5 kilometres, having already tackled the Ronchi climb.

The Ronchi ascent, together with the classic Montello climb, will also feature on the 15.9-kilometre ‘short circuit’, which will be repeated six times. After completing the sixth lap, the peloton will enter the first of two laps of the 31.4-kilometre ‘long circuit’. In addition to Montello and Ronchi, this section includes the ‘Muro delle Cinque Piante’, the steep climb introduced in 2024, which will be crested approximately 14 kilometres from the finish on the final lap.

First held in 1919 and now part of the UCI ProSeries, Tre Valli Varesine has become a timeless classic of Italian one-day racing. Its demanding roads have produced countless memorable editions, combining unpredictability, challenge and spectacle in one of the final major tests before the last Monument of the season, Il Lombardia.

Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Roman Kreuziger:

“Regarding the course, it’s a well-known race, so there is not much to say. There is a small change in the initial part, where we do some short laps on the flat, followed by a quite technical approach to Varese with a lot of road furniture. Compared to previous years, the transfer to the circuit is a little longer.

“Then we do the six short laps as always, with the big elastic band effect around the lake after the roundabout, followed by two laps like last year, with the short circuit plus the additional section of the climb that was introduced in recent editions. That can make a big difference.

“At the end, I expect Red Bull-BORA and UAE to be fully in control, so we just have to be smart and efficient and hold good positions to avoid all these elastic bands and stay out of trouble.

“It’s the last test for many of the guys who will race Il Lombardia. We will have three riders coming from Emilia — Pello, Afonso and Lenny — who will be joined by Tiberi after his strong performance at CRO Race, and Omrzel, coming from the European Championships, Buitrago, returning to racing after the World Championships where he performed pretty well, and Mohorič, also coming from the European Championships on his home roads. So I think we have a really nice roster.

“I remember from last year that Afonso really liked the race. He didn’t perform as we would have expected after the World Championships in Emilia, but physically he is hungry and feeling good, so I would like to play that card with him. The other guys will have the role of being around and getting into the breaks, because there are always many movements and you never know how it can finish.

“Pello is feeling excellent, and Lenny is on track. I’m pretty sure he will perform well again this year. Santiago, as I said, is racing for the first time after the World Championships, and he had a really good week at home, so it seems he is also on track.

“I would be very satisfied with a top-five result. In the last few editions, we haven’t really done well here. In the past we performed better, but the last few years have been more challenging. For the moment, the most important thing for us is to keep this group healthy and do our job well.”