Winter preparation is also progressing for the athletes of the Park World Tour Italia team. Between high-altitude volcanoes, technical trails in the forest and targeted training sessions, our guys are honing their fitness and orientation. Here we reveal where they have been training in recent weeks and which challenges have put them to the test ahead of the new season.
Mattia and Jessica in Tenerife with Lidingö
Mattia Debertolis and Jessica Lucchetta, also part of the Swedish team IFK Lidingö SOK, took part in the training camp organised in Tenerife from 11 to 17 February.
Jessica says: “the training camp in Tenerife was incredible! We ran about 100 km of orienteering in one week, on really beautiful and varied maps. The most epic moment? The running up to the crater of Teide at 3700m, the highest volcano and peak in Spain. With temperatures around 25°C, the weather was perfect for training. The island offers diverse terrain, from pine forests to volcanic areas, making it an excellent destination for orienteering. An experience definitely worth repeating”. Mattia: “I will definitely go back to Tenerife: apart from the perfect climate, the island also offers plenty of alternative training possibilities – great for people like me who are recovering from an injury and don’t want to overdo the running load. Cycling, for example, or trail running. I was also amazed by the maps, all very varied and not at all obvious”.
Celeste’s KO at Sprintomania, Slovenia
From 21 to 23 February, Celeste Pretto took part in ‘Sprintomania’, an intensive training camp focused on sprints; this year’s edition took place on the Slovenian coast, between the towns of Koper and Izola. She will now tell us how the knock-out race, held on Saturday, went.
The result of the knock-out was unexpected, especially in the semi-final: I started badly, I was among the last ones, so – as I had nothing to lose and wanted to avoid running behind the others – I started to make different choices; I then concentrated more on technique, on my race. In doing so I made up some ground. At the penultimate point I saw everyone going in a direction that didn’t seem the best direction to me, so I took a different one. When I arrived at the last point there was only Stefano with the camera filming me: I wondered for a moment where the others were, but then I realised quickly that they were all behind me. I had won the semi-finals, and thus entered the finals! This result left me really satisfied. I finished the competition tired and made a few too many mistakes in the final, but overall I came home with a smile on my face.
Results: https://sprintomania.com/
Sebastian and Göteborg-Majorna in Gargano
Another important event was the training camp in Gargano, organised by our team between 17 and 22 February, in the historical centres of Apulia and the magnificent Umbrian forest.
Sebastian Inderst, together with 20 other athletes from his Swedish club Göteborg-Majorna, took part in this week of organised training (+ 3 final competitions).
The weather was not the best, but you know that orienteers are hardcore sportsmen, and when faced with challenges or uncomfortable situations they never back down. Their efforts, in the end, were worth it: intricate centres such as Vieste and Peschici, as well as the beautiful and tough Umbra Forest, made this a truly hard-earned and appreciated camp.
Fabio at the regional XC championships
Last but not least, Fabio Amadesi, who came fifth overall (and first among promising athletes) at the regional cross championships last Sunday, 22 February. The athlete from Emilia, who is a member of the CSI Sasso Marconi athletics club, once again proved his physical ability and the effort he put into his winter training, which are gradually paying off. The excellent result earned him qualification for the national cross-country championships. ‘I didn’t expect to win, but I was definitely aiming for the podium: the winter preparation is going very well, I managed to increase the volume of training without having any injuries. Next appointments? A meeting in Sanremo to prepare for the selection races for the national team in Genoa, and then the unmissable MOC camp’.
Results: https://www.fidal.it/risultati/2025/REG37633/Gara036.htm