In 2025 they finished second and third overall, behind winner Diego Arias. This year, Vincenzo Saitta and Emanuele Spica are setting their sights on the top step of the podium. The two Sicilians will line up at the 2026 edition of Appenninica MTB Stage Race, scheduled from June 22nd to 26th, with one goal in mind: becoming the first Italian ever to win their country’s most important mountain bike stage race.
The two riders from Team Rolling Bike were the biggest surprise of the 2025 edition – each won a stage, and both stood on the final podium: Saitta in second place, Spica in third. That result gave confidence to the team coached by former professional Paolo Alberati, and their strong early-season form suggests they are ready to take the next step.
At the Italian MTB Marathon Championship, Saitta finished 7th, with Spica close behind. “I’m feeling great,” Spica explains. “Over the last month I’ve had solid results – 5th at the Castro Legend Cup, 18th at the Capoliveri Legend Cup, and 8th at the Italian Championships. It’s a positive period, and I hope it continues through the end of June.”
Saitta echoes that optimism: “We’re arriving in excellent shape, as confirmed by our result at the Italian Marathon Championship. On June 13th we’ll race the Hero Dolomites, which will be the perfect final preparation for Appenninica.”
Like many riders who have passed through these mountains before, the two found the pull of the race impossible to resist: “We decided to come back above all to relive the fantastic experience of last year – an impeccable organisation and stunning landscapes,” the two Sicilians say. “It’s one of the few Italian stage races with a truly spectacular course, and we were completely won over.”
Now that they have discovered Appenninica MTB Stage Race, Saitta and Spica are ready to set out to conquer it. Both will start from Lizzano in Belvedere on June 22nd with serious ambitions – and, as teammates, they have the option of working together to wear down rivals before settling it between themselves.
“I haven’t studied the competition closely yet, but after second and third place last year, we’re coming back to win,” says Spica. “If our form holds as it is now, we’ll go for the victory,” Saitta promises.
After their 2025 performance, underestimating Team Rolling Bike would be a mistake. The trails of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines will reveal whether, for the first time in the race’s history, an Italian rider will stand on the top step of Appenninica – and take the crown on home soil.
