The UCI World Cup Val di Fassa Trentino is just around the corner and the event organizers are all hard at work to fine-tune the last details of this eagerly awaited world-class event – taking especially good care of the countryside and environment through strategic partnerships with local players.
Val di Fassa, located in the picturesque setting of the Dolomites – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is getting ready to host for the first time a round of the UCI Enduro World Cup and welcome thousands of sports enthusiasts to the valley, from 23 to 25 June. In such a unique territory, it is essential to find the right balance between growth and environmental protection, a challenge that the FassaBike Organizing Committee has embraced with determination since several years ago.
Nicolò Weiss, bike-product manager at Val di Fassa’s APT and member of the Organizers Board, declared: “At each edition, we have kept moving forward: this year we have been awarded the Eco-Eventi Trentino designation in the PRO category. Such recognition was made possible through the efforts we are making to reduce the environmental impact and promote sustainability with a series of engaging initiatives for participants, local community, partners and the general public.”
Amongst the partnerships key to the success of the event is that with Acqua Cedea, which confirmed their support also for the 2023 edition. Acqua Cedea is a local company that bottles excellent water directly from the spring located only a few steps away from the race course. In partnership with them, a pragmatic commitment towards the reduction of plastics has been made, which includes the census of all public fountains in the area and the creation of an on-line map with all the places where you can quench your thirst with running water.
Delicious food will be provided in the event village by two exceptional food trucks: the ‘Dolomiti Street Food’, a low-environmental-impact truck where Lorenzo De Nadai will prepare local delicacies, and ‘Mud and Ginni’s Thai and Pizza’ food truck, who promise to expertly mix Italian and Thai flavours.
And to refresh yourself with a drink, Birrificio delle Dolomiti Bionoc’ will run a proper beer garden, where you’ll be able to taste the delicious craft beers from Primiero, including a special edition made specifically as a tribute to the Fassa race.
The event village will be packed with entertainment – with the best teams’ pits and tech support marquees, the expo area and the start/finish stage for the last race of the day, right in the middle of the event village. A few meters away, you’ll find the ‘skill park’, and the VIP and Lounge areas for exclusive moments of fun and relaxation. Another important local partner, Trento DOC, will delight the guests in the VIP area thanks to the help of a sommelier who will pour them excellent, strictly locally-produced, bubbly joy.
That’s not all: in Val di Fassa, Vittoria, official partner of the UCI World Series, is going to present the new ‘Vittoria Re-Cycling by ESOSport’ programme, which aims at collecting and recycling tyres and inner tubes by involving Italian bike shops and workshops. So, during the event all riders will be able to bring their used tyres and make sure that they will be disposed of properly.
And the good news doesn’t stop here. The official event merchandise – with the new 2023 graphics – will be available, as always, at the Fassabike shop located in the event village. Among the products offered there are aluminium bottles with a new and elegant design, screen-printed hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts and much more.
And on the subject of the 2023 graphics, specially made by local designer Manuel Riz, we can anticipate that they are particularly meaningful. The subject is that of the “Om dal bosch” – men, or better said, spirits, imagined riding a rudimentary wooden bike through the woods, busy with planting new trees. This message clearly refers to the difficulties the woods in the valley are facing due to storm Vaia and to the spreading of the spruce bark beetle. Each competitor will receive a wooden key ring, which is made in collaboration with the non-profit cooperative Amalia Guardini in Rovereto and replaces the traditional race pack. Each key ring has a number marked on the back that refers to a newly-planted tree.
“With this undertaking, which involves all race participants – professionals and amateurs alike – we will donate to the community no less than 1,000 new plants – so much needed in our forests“, says William Basilico, head of the local Organizers Board.
Saving paper is another of the event organizers’ goals: the traditional event magazine (a large A3 format with 8 sides) has been replaced by a more compact and eco-sustainable 10×10 cm brochure, that comes with a convenient QR code, linking to the website where all the information is updated in real time.
The UCI World Cup Val di Fassa Trentino is going to be an event you can’t miss, where the spectacle of a World Cup race joins the many pleasures enjoyed while visiting the area… including plenty of trails not used for the race that will be open for the enthusiasts to enjoy a few descents as they please. Furthermore, FassaSport Check Points will stay open to provide information and to help with bookings for all sporting activities available in the valley.
Italiano