TORINO - In 2024, Grande Partenza will rhyme with Grande Torino. Next May 4th will be a day of pink and garnet hues on the roads leading to the Basilica of Superga. And yes, because, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the air tragedy that struck the Invincibles of football, the inaugural stage of the 107° Tour of Italy (opening photo by LaPresse).
On a date so steeped in meaning, the Corsa Rosa has decided to pay homage to an Italian icon par excellence: that legendary team that passed away too soon.
The presentation of the first days of the next three-week adventure in the Belpaese that will crown the successor of Cousin Roglic.
Poker Piedmont
For the fourth time in history, and the third in the last 13 years, Piedmont will kick off the Giro. And, as happened in 2011, we will start from the Reggia di Venaria Reale. Then it was a team time trial, with the success of HTC-Highroad and the pink party of the engineer Marco PinottiThis time, however, it will be sparks, because the 136 kilometers that will end in front of the Gran Madre, in the heart of Turin, will still include 1.450 meters of elevation gain, after having caressed the Basilica of Superga, which will be packed with enthusiasts.
The second stage was also explosive, in the name of Marco Pantani. Everyone remembers May 30, 1999 when, on the last climb of the stage starting from Racconigi, the Pirate's chain broke. Not even that stopped him, and after overtaking all his rivals, one after the other, the ace from Romagna reached Oropa alone. Marco didn't celebrate only because he didn't know he'd managed to outdo them all, securing a victory that has become etched in legend.
On May 5, 2024, the race will start from San Francesco al Campo, a town famous for the Francone velodrome, and will arrive in front of the Biella Sanctuary after the epic 11,8 kilometers that the Pirate made known to the whole world. In practice, there is already room for a coup in the 150 kilometers planned: just think that, in 2017, on the Montagna Pantani, none other than Tom Dumoulin, who went on to win that edition, won.
How much grenade
Piedmont was once again the protagonist in the following two days. On Monday 6th the race will start from Novara and will arrive in Fossano (165 kilometres, all for sprinters), while on Tuesday 7th the start will be from Acqui Terme Heading towards Liguria. RCS Sport CEO Paolo Bellino revealed the idea for the Grande Partenza.
«Everything stems from a misunderstanding with theUCI – Bellino said – because, As soon as possible, we would like to move the Giro d'Italia forward by a week. We want understand a fundamental date for our country like June 2nd. However, since next year there are the Paris Olympic Games 2024, the only available day was May 4th. This is where this idea was born, in which Piedmont believed."
«In addition to the passage of the riders, we thought we'd pay homage to the legend of the Grande TorinoThe Pink Jersey (which will have maroon accents, but which is yet to be determined, ed.) will feature the words "Only fate won them." This writing will likely be placed inside the collar. The jersey is made by our partner Castelli, who also designed a special commemorative jersey featuring all the names of those champions. The Grande Torino is part of Italian history, and it's right to celebrate one of the symbols of our country."
Giro and Tour
Great joy for local institutions. For Piedmont, in fact, it will be a historic double since, just under a couple of months later, its streets will be tinged with yellow thanks to the Tour de France.
The regional councillor for sport Fabrizio Ricca, who is working with Aso to bring even these parts la Vuelta de España in 2025, Today, he's focusing on the Corsa Rosa. "The lungs of the Piedmont Region," Ricca said, "are breathing cycling again. It's a postcard we're sending to the world, and it will be fantastic, confirming that the history of Italian cycling is in Piedmont's DNA."
Il Mayor of Turin, Stefano Lo Russo he echoes him: «The growth and enhancement of our territory also depends on its ability to host major events. And in this sense, Turin is becoming increasingly attractive. The Giro d'Italia, moreover, is a unique event for its ability to tell the story of our country. The May 4th stage will be an opportunity to once again showcase Turin to many people, as well as reaffirming once again the importance of spreading sport and its values.
The anticipation is already feverish, as we await the official unveiling of the rest of the 2024 Giro route next Friday at the Trento Sports Festival.
