Former riders Manzoni, Napolitano and Chicchi drivers of the Vittoria cars

At the Tour de Pologne the official neutral service is provided by Vittoria which supports riders and teams with expertise and experience in the event of a puncture, crash or mechanical problem.

At the Tour de Pologne the Vittoria team includes 4 mechanics, 4 drivers and Gloria Manzoni, the logistics officer with a past as a track cyclist.

The Vittoria vehicles are always in the right place at the right time thanks to the work of the three drivers, former professionals Mario Manzoni, Danilo Napolitano, and Francesco Chicchi. For those keen on statistics, the three together have collected more than 100 victories among pro riders at all latitudes.

“The last race of my career was the Tour de Pologne in 2004,” Manzoni recalls. “It’s nice to come back after so many years. We share the tasks in the race. We have three cars: car number 1 is at the front of the race ready to intervene, car number 2 is usually positioned behind the breakaway on that stage, and car number 3 is at the disposal of the Jury in the peloton in case it splits into several groups. The motorbike generally provides assistance to part of the breakaways or acts as a joker if need be to assist the small groups that form in the most difficult or windy stages.”

“Every day, we put the experience we’ve built up over the years in the peloton at the service of the race and the teams,” says Napolitano, who won a stage at the Tour de Pologne in 2008. “It’s an interesting job in which you have to remain vigilant and intervene promptly if needed.”

“In addition to the bikes on the bike racks we have 10 complete wheel sets for both conventional and disc brakes and we cover all group sets on the race,” explains Chicchi, the Under 23 World Champion in Zolder back in 2002 and winner of more than 40 professional races. “As former racers, we know how important efficient and fast wheel changes are.  Our mechanics are great, and we drivers do our best to be ready and get into the heart of the race when necessary.”