Bianchi has deepened its footprint in competitive gravel racing through a new 2025 partnership with the Mentecorpo Pro Team.
Under the partnership, Mentecorpo riders will compete aboard the brand’s flagship Impulso RC, equipped with RC components including wheels, saddles, and handlebars.
Developed by Bianchi Reparto Corse specifically for gravel competition, the Impulso RC is said to “leverage aerodynamic innovations from the Oltre RC and Specialissima RC platforms, featuring optimized tube shapes and an integrated cockpit”. You and I can take this to mean it looks fast (subjectively) whilst we’ll leave it to others to independently test and (dis)prove brand-claimed aero credentials.
As you’d rightly expect, Bianchi points to its development resulting in “a machine that delivers race-worthy stiffness while maintaining the handling characteristics essential for off-road performance”.
Whilst the Impluso is now 12 months into its production run, it remains on trend for tyre size – max capacity 42mm – combining claimed aero benefits, as a combined frame and wheelset, with grip and puncture resistance from that generous tyre volume: All very Unbound friendly, whilst also keeping European-style Gravel racing in mind.
Weight, in RC trim, comes in at a brand-stated 8.1kg, including those RC43 deep section carbon wheels, engineered around a 25mm internal width.
As with any bike, geometry is what makes or breaks it. Here Bianchi delivers what it calls “a progressive geometry… inspired by safe, stable, performance of elite bikes in off-road racing”.
What does this mean? Impluso “boasts a shorter stem than the Specialissima RC (road bike) and a longer reach. Talking about ride characteristic, the brand states a 70mm BB drop, combined with a 1025mm wheelbase delivers “confident performance on bumpier sections”.
Team Talk
Mentecorpo Pro Team, founded through the collaborative vision of Lorenzo Silengo, Erica Magnaldi, and performance coach Dario Giovine, adds another chapter to Bianchi’s gravel racing presence.
The collaboration with Mentecorpo Pro Team is said to reflect Bianchi’s continued strategic commitment to the rapidly growing gravel segment, with the Italian-based team’s racing schedule featuring European and high-profile international race calendar, as well as ensuring an engaging digital media presence.
For the 2025 season, the Mentecorpo Pro Team roster features four athletes: Pietro Dutto, Umberto Marengo, Luca Cibrario, and Giulia Alberti.
