All systems go for the 95th ISDE in Italy

At the time of writing, the 2021 ISDE has received confirmation that it has been approved as a recognised international event by the Italian authorities thus meaning that all participating riders and staff members are exempt from the normal quarantine requirements. Obviously all other COVID protocols and rules will still need to be respected, full details of which will be confirmed in due course.

National teams entered for both the World Trophy and the Junior Trophy include, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States The other federations that will compete solely for the World Trophy are Austria, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Venezuela. The Chilean and Norwegian federations will also be present with their respective Junior teams.

Eight national teams will contest the Women’s World Trophy: France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

In the meantime, the organisation proceeds according to the programme with the definition of the details of the route that will be developed for the first three days, mainly in the province of Pavia going up the Staffora Valley, and the following two days, the fourth and fifth plus a part of the third, in the adjacent Val Curone in the province of Alessandria.

The competition days will offer a single lap for each day with a diversified programme and route for day 1/2 and 3, plus 4/5. There will be six special stages on each race day, three cross tests and three enduro tests.

In the initial two days, the four scheduled time checks will be in Ponte Nizza (twice), in Casanova di Staffora and in Varzi, a total of 192 kilometres will be covered. There will be three time checks on the third day, in Varzi and Ponte Nizza (twice), about 195 kilometeres in total.

The fourth day will be spent in Piedmont with a tour of just under 200 kilometres used as it is also for the last stage: five time checks, in Monleale to and from the start, then Garbagna, Fabbrica Curone and San Sebastiano Curone.

The cross test on the sixth day, 4 September, has been moved as is well known, to the Tazio Nuvolari facility in Cervesina, which is about 20 kilometres from the paddock. A mixed dirt and 10% asphalt track in the internal area of the circuit will be created especially for the Six Days.

The appointment of the paddock at the Rivanazzano Terme airport is therefore getting closer and closer and the pool of organisers, MC Alfieri and MC Pavia in the lead with Giorgio Bandoli, Valter Carbone and Edoardo Zucca in command, is putting to good use the experience accumulated in recent years: for the MC Alfieri the know-how of the collaboration in the ISDE in Sardinia in 2013 will count for a lot, and for the MC Pavia the experience of numerous participations in the Six Days with the club team, with the victory in Argentina in 2014 , as well as, for the two associations, the vast experience in organising successful competitions at all levels.