From the cold and snow of Val di Sole, to the milder climate and the sand of GallipoliFrom the north, Trentino, to the south, Puglia. Once again, the fantastic circus of cyclocross takes us to explore unimaginable places. To put our wheels in spots that are, to say the least, unusual, evocative, and… technical.
From the World Cup we return to Giro d'Italia Cyclocross. The pink jersey challenge unfortunately lost one of its stages, the one in Rome, but so far everything has gone according to plan, and we are now preparing to tackle stage number six on Sunday 19 December.
The sections in the pine forest are smooth, but hard given the terrain There is no shortage of artificial obstacles in the access to the elevated part of the track It will be important to identify the most suitable setups to sink as little as possible
The sections in the pine forest are smooth, but hard given the terrain There is no shortage of artificial obstacles in the access to the elevated part of the track It will be important to identify the most suitable setups to sink as little as possible
In the heart of Salento
And Gallipoli is a stage we're very keen on. And for many reasons. One, because It is the southernmost stage of the circuit. Two, because it runs in an area of particular environmental value. And three, because it's one of the sections organized directly by the Romano Scotti ASD.
«We are – says Roberto Ferrante, head of communications for the GIC – in the Sant'Andrea Island and Punta Pizzo Coast Regional Park, Three kilometers south of Gallipoli and just above the splendid Punta della Suina. It is an extremely limited area from a naturalistic and environmental perspective. It is a protected area. You can't imagine what a lot of documents we had to produce to be able to bring the Giro d'Italia Ciclocross, but we cared too much.
«One of our objectives is in fact to demonstrate the eco-compatibility of a competitive event with a naturalistic area. We want to show that it's possible to do so while respecting the rules. For this reason, we've also had to revise some aspects of the route, and we won't be using plastic webbing, but hemp ropes.
"If I had to compare it to any other Giro route? None... this is a unique route in terms of technique and beauty."
The entrance to the sea… The stretch along the coast, which should be entirely rideable… Finally, the exit from the beach
The entrance to the sea… The stretch along the coast, which should be entirely rideable… Finally, the exit from the beach
Super technical track
So let's go and discover the Gallipoli route. It's a ring that should be nearly 3.000 meters long. The original route actually reached 3.200 meters, but precisely because of the changes imposed by the Park Authority, some passages in the pine forest were "filed down".
"Exactly," Ferrante continues, "some passages in the pine forest area have been made faster and less incisive so as to leave as few traces as possible of our passage.
«The route is essentially divided into three main areas. The first is the former golf course, an area with a mostly compact, grassy surface. If it were to rain, it would become a real lake, but without the mud. A few years ago, I remember the water almost touching the wheel hubs! In fact, just below the surface, there's a clay substrate that allows water to pool on the surface. It drains very slowly. This is the smoothest area of the course and the highest one (this is where the start and finish areas are located, ed.).
«The second section is the pine forest, as mentioned quite fast and on a mixed surface of beaten earth and sand.
«The third part is the beach, the most characteristic. Access to the sea is 30% cycleable. I'd say. Then there's the coastline, about 130 meters long, which, moving towards the shoreline, is completely rideable. Finally, there's the return journey, climbing through the dunes, half of which is rideable and half you have to carry your bike."
The path has already been mapped out. At the bureaucratic level, work has been underway on this test since September. Hemp ropes instead of ribbons this year. No plastic, then. Scotti (right) with Caroli, from the hotel who provides support and logistics
The path has already been mapped out. At the bureaucratic level, work has been underway on this test since September. Hemp ropes instead of ribbons this year. No plastic, then. Scotti (right) with Caroli, from the hotel who provides support and logistics
Hunt for the Scotti memorial
Clearly, a GIC stage located so far south brings logistical challenges, which the organizers are aware of. Gallipoli is far from the hub of the major teams in central and northern Italy. However, this has become a classic on the national calendar, and a true Giro d'Italia must satisfy everyone, including the cross-country riders from the south.
Those fighting for the pink jersey should be there, at least according to the latest news from the organizers. In the top categories, both men and women are leading Christian Cominelli e Sara Casasola. The spectacle at the top should therefore not be lacking. Nor will there be a lack of young players, as we also saw in the Apulian setting of Mattinata.
It's just a shame there are a few too many coincidences, Like the Calabrian regional championship. With a stage of the Giro d'Italia Cyclocross in the south, a slightly different calendar could have been envisioned, and a "system" could have been created to create a major gathering event, at least for the southern regions...
«As mentioned – concludes Ferrante – we care a lot about this stage, so much so that it will assign the Memorial Romano Scotti. Not to mention that it is also very convenient as logistics, including hotel logistics, are all concentrated on site thanks to the availability of theEco Resort Le Sirenè, who believed in this project."
