How AURUM Shone at the Giro d’Italia with Team Polti VisitMalta
Team Polti VisitMalta’s AURUM MAGMA bikes completed three weeks of racing at the highest level during the 2026 Giro d’Italia, in an edition marked by attacking racing, strong results and the debut of the exclusive MAGMA AU109.
The 2026 Giro d’Italia was a memorable race for Team Polti VisitMalta. Over the course of three weeks, the team adopted an aggressive and ambitious approach that made them one of the most visible squads in the race. More than 1,000 kilometres spent in breakaways, six days in the blue jersey, seven top-ten stage results and two runner-up finishes reflected a team determined to animate the race from the opening stage all the way to Rome.
The final highlight came in the Italian capital, where Giovanni Lonardi sprinted to an impressive second place on the final stage. The team ultimately finished 12th in the team classification, while Ludovico Crescioli was the squad’s highest-placed rider in the general classification, finishing 27th overall and eighth in the young rider standings.
A project that goes beyond racing
The relationship between AURUM and Team Polti VisitMalta extends far beyond a traditional technical partnership. Both are part of the same project led by Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso, sharing a common vision built around performance, innovation and the pursuit of excellence.
For that reason, every result achieved by the team carries a special meaning for AURUM. The bikes are not simply racing tools, but an integral part of a project created to compete at the highest level and continue evolving season after season.
AU109: a unique bike for a special Giro
To mark the 2026 Giro d’Italia, AURUM, Team Polti VisitMalta, Lechler and StoneX Bullion unveiled the MAGMA AU109, a special edition created for one of cycling’s most prestigious races.
Its name reflects the essence of the project: AU, the chemical symbol for gold, and 109, a reference to the edition of the Giro d’Italia in which this exclusive bike made its debut.
The AURUM MAGMA AU109 features an exclusive finish created using gold paper and developed in collaboration with Lechler. The combination of gold and different shades of black creates an elegant and sophisticated aesthetic that reinforces the unique character of this special edition.
Beyond its appearance, the AU109 was built to compete at the highest level. During the Giro d’Italia, Team Polti VisitMalta riders raced on a setup based around the AURUM MAGMA ECT10 frameset, equipped with SRAM Red E1, Scope Artech 4 and 6 wheels, a Prologo Scratch M5 saddle, 29 mm Vittoria Corsa tyres, Look pedals, Elite bottle cages and the integrated AURUM cockpit.
The result is a race bike built for maximum performance, with a final weight of 6.8 kg. In the smaller 48 and 51 sizes, ballast even had to be added to reach the UCI minimum weight limit.
Beyond its specifications, the AU109 represents the coming together of different areas of expertise: AURUM’s engineering and product development, Lechler’s experience in colour and finishes, StoneX Bullion’s leadership in the precious metals sector and Team Polti VisitMalta’s role as a sporting platform capable of showcasing the project on cycling’s biggest stages.
A Giro that confirmed the performance of the AURUM MAGMA
For three weeks, the AURUM MAGMA accompanied Team Polti VisitMalta through breakaways, mountain stages and sprint finishes against some of the strongest riders and teams in the world.
The team’s results, highlighted by Giovanni Lonardi’s second place in Rome, reflect the work carried out both on and off the bike, as well as a shared philosophy built around innovation, performance and ambition.
Beyond the results themselves, the Giro d’Italia once again demonstrated that the AURUM MAGMA is a bike designed to perform at the highest level of professional cycling, meeting the demands of one of the sport’s most prestigious races.
The 2026 Giro d’Italia is now part of Team Polti VisitMalta’s history. And part of AURUM’s as well.
