"For me, this year will be the first time, and it will be a pleasure to discover this race."

This year's Nove Colli will have an additional significant protagonist on the starting grid, as Fabio Aru will be taking part, testing his innate climbing abilities on the Romagna hills. The "Knight of the Four Moors" will bring to Romagna his vast wealth of experience and impressive honors: the 2015 Vuelta a España victory, a stage win in the Tour de France, three stage wins in the Giro d'Italia, and two podium finishes in the general classification.

"I'm always training, alternating sports—cycling, running, gym. Clearly, cycling kilometers are no longer my priority as they once were, but even in winter, I go out cycling two or three times a week. Now it's more about training for passion rather than performance. Participants in the Nove Colli, with whom I'll pedal, can rest assured," explains Aru, who will be participating in the Nove Colli for the first time. "For me, this year will be the first time, and it will be a pleasure to discover this race, a new experience. I notice that there are always many passionate amateurs, which is good to see so many participants in events like this. When you are a professional, you have so many commitments that you can't fit amateur Granfondo events into your schedule, even though it would be important to participate. Morally, they contribute a lot."