Lorenzo Finn’s back-to-back victory – the first in 66 years – and triumph in the rainbow jersey headline an Easter Monday Classic that drew massive crowds and nearly 2 million social media views. The organizers: “A day that paid back a year of work.”

Since 1923, Easter Monday in the hills of the Marca Trevigiana means one thing: Giro del Belvedere. For 87 editions now, this historic U23 race has transformed the village of Villa di Cordignano, less than 1,000 inhabitants, into cycling’s center of gravity for a day.

This year’s edition on April 6 delivered something special. U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn became the first rider since Claudio Zanchetta in 1959-1960 to win back-to-back editions and the first to cross the line in the rainbow jersey since Gianni Giacomini in 1980. Racing for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies, the Italian rising star celebrated victory in a field of future WorldTour stars.

The racing was matched by unprecedented crowd support: spectators packed every key section of the route — from the finish area at Le Conche, over Montaner and up to the Piai della Vigna climb — the most recent addition to the course and already a fan favourite — creating an atmosphere organizers compared to a Giro d’Italia mountain stage. The “Giro del Buongustare” food and wine event at Piai della Vigna summit drew hundreds of fans ahead of the race.

“We still get chills thinking about it,” said race director Efren Chies. “This edition rewarded a full year of work. Pro Belvedere is a small organization with big ambitions, and we’ve had to evolve quickly. These U23 riders are basically professionals now — Lorenzo Finn won here, then went straight to Tour of the Alps and competed with guys targeting the Giro d’Italia, helping another former participant of Belvedere like Giulio Pellizzari to win the race.”

The numbers tell the story. Social media engagement reached record levels: 782,000 Facebook views and 1.1 million on Instagram in the past month alone, plus over 100,000 YouTube views and more than 1,300 hours of watch time on the platform.

“We’ve invested heavily in media production for over a decade, working with Vitesse,” the organizers explained. “After years of bad weather, this edition finally showcased what we can do. The riders couldn’t believe the crowds. Now our goal is clear: live global coverage.”