On Saturday June
29th and Sunday June 30th, 2002, the Eighth World Championship Amateur Cycling
Race was held in Acquaviva, a town just minutes away from Cagli. Two thousand
two hundred cyclists participated in the race, which covered a distance
of 46.8 kilometers on Saturday for five different age groups and a distance
of 70.2 kilometers on Sunday. Even though the roads were often slick due
to a light drizzle, the race was a success. For the past three
years, San Marino, a town north of Cagli on Italy's Adriatic 
coast was home to the race, and before that, other countries such as Austria
and Slovenia were hosts. The race came to Cagli this year partly because
of Valter Basili, the local amateur champion cyclist. Basili owns a bike
shop in Cagli and also heads a cycling team of 100 athletes. The total cost
to organize and execute the race was 50,000 euro. Although the location
in central Italy might make it difficult for foreigners to travel with their
equipment, the World Championship Amateur Cycling Race was the largest biking
event in Italy. The fact that over 2000 people participated is very impressive--an
attendance of only 1000 would have been considered a success; there has
never before been a competition this notable in the Le Marche region.
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