The Giro is coming, Garibaldi is printed. Just these days Errestampa's rotary presses in Orio al Serio are churning out the real race guide. Which will certainly be a nice memory, but which During the 21 days of the competition it will be transformed into the most useful working tool for accredited participants. Without Garibaldi, the Line of Business You don't follow it. And even though monthlies and weeklies produce guides that somehow make running from home accessible, the official book is something else.
Who does it? Who edits the 450-page edition? And how do they get everything in time? We asked the RCS Sport Press Office Chief, Stefano Diciatteo.
«The final closure of the Garibaldi – he explains – begins around a month before the start of the GiroCourse inspections begin in October after the last races, but the final ones arrive much later. Maybe to see the roads that will remain covered in snow until spring.As you can see by browsing through it, thethe technical part is the predominant one and therefore must be updated as much as possibleWith the right mileage and any small changes. A last-minute no-entry order, or a landslide..."
Who draws the maps?
thinks Stefano Di Santo. Start immediately, with the on-site inspections.It's a long process, and it can't be left to the last minute. Ultimately, it addresses any changes that may have occurred for any reason.
The first part is the most general descriptive one.
In the initial part of Garibaldi, there is also a sort of technical guide to the GiroThe climb details. The general plan. The ranking jerseys. Access and all the logistics. The various accreditations. Where are the various Quartier Tappa located?The Giro's leaders, their various functions, and their roles. The Police at the Giro. Television coverage. Anything that can help those in the caravan to move.
For each stage, in addition to the maps, there is also a descriptive section.
For that we turn to the Stage Committees. We ask them for text and photos, in which they can tell about their excellences, be they historical, cultural, gastronomic. Once we receive these texts, at the editorial level we fix them and make them uniform (On the back cover of Garibaldi 2022, it is stated that the layout and editing are by Ancora Arti Grafiche and Edistudio of Milan, ed.).
The TV coverage?
RAI no longer takes care of production, because we follow that, but in any case they are our official broadcaster. Therefore They are the ones who send us the division of spaces, the broadcasts they will do, the timetables. Which commentators, which pundits… everything, in short.
After the stages there are the hospitals, but no longer the hotels that were very convenient for going to do our interviews.
For hotels there will be a separate booklet, because that too has become a nice… toy. Instead, at the end there are the hospitals. To identify them, after having seen the route, thinks Professor Tredici, medical director of the race.
When will Garibaldi go to press?
Quite last minute. This year, with the departure from Hungary, a first quantity is being printed to be brought up and they are doing it right nowThe rest will be loaded onto vans and set off for Sicily.
How many copies are printed?
We should be between 3.500 and 4.000The Garibaldi goes to each accredited person: one each, although maybe someone takes the second. And we're already at about 2.000. Then we have to give 50 to the Stage Committee, and about 30 to local journalists. and more or less we arrive at those numbers.
In the first part, the general plan and the list of stages Below is the general plan The Giro d'Italia classification jerseys: pink, white, cyclamen, and blue
In the first part, the general plan and the list of stages Below is the general plan The Giro d'Italia classification jerseys: pink, white, cyclamen, and blue
Do the vans that transport them follow you throughout the Giro?
We are trying to rationalize this too. And'it's useless to bring the Garibaldi to Sicily, we'll give them to Piedmont, for example. So even vans are loaded based on actual need and we are ready to refuel as the Giro progresses.
Tell the truth, have you ever had to reprint something due to errors?
Eh… (laughs, ed.). I don't remember exactly when, but it happened!
Is there a person in charge who ultimately orders the printing?
It usually is one from Mauro Vegni's side, therefore from the technical sideIt's not always the same person; it's changed over the years. Someone who asks Stefano Di Santo to check the documents one last time, who sends the drafts to the Stage Committees for review. And then it goes to print...
Budapest stage: the stages are described like this Here's the general plan of the stage The following is the tourist information provided by the Stage Committees Access points to the starting point. Look for the PPO: mandatory crossing point. The altimetry of the stage and the description of the route The timetable, with the passage points and the kilometres travelled and to be travelled The description of the finish, which can be uphill or winding for the sprint The access point to the finish line and any evacuation route
Budapest stage: the stages are described like this Here's the general plan of the stage The following is the tourist information provided by the Stage Committees Access points to the starting point. Look for the PPO: mandatory crossing point. The altimetry of the stage and the description of the route The timetable, with the passage points and the kilometres travelled and to be travelled The description of the finish, which can be uphill or winding for the sprint The access point to the finish line and any evacuation route
A big job?
I confirm, it's really a lot of work. Because there are many situations to manage in extremis. And if something changes and Garibaldi has already been printed, tailor-made communication will be made during the Giro and based on needs.
When the Garibaldi is ready, does that mean the Giro is about to start?
Exact. We have already released the digital copyIt will be printed soon, and then we'll have to pack our bags. Next week we'll all be in Budapest.
