The first stage is already in the archive, half an hour ago Jhonatan Narváez came off the podium wearing the pink jersey. But Jospeh has no intention of leaving. He continues to wave the Ecuadorian tricolor, signed by the hero of the day, while the technicians dismantle the barriers around him. «What a thrill to see one of my compatriots win. I came from Monza just for him, I still don’t believe it» exclaims this 42-year-old at the finish line in Corso Moncalieri.
Here is the passion of cycling fans, the pink embrace of the city at the start of the 107th edition of the Giro. A welcome that had very little of Savoy “understatement”: thousands of fans cheered the runners on the ramps of San Vito and the climbs towards Superga. In some sections Pogacar & C. crossed two wings of the crowd as happens in the legendary climbs of the Giro d’Italia.
The passage of the runners among the crowd shortly after the departure from the Royal Palace of Venaria
There are many Colombian flags which punctuated the route, from the start in Venaria to the arrival, 140 kilometers later, a few steps from the Gran Madre. «My father passed on to me the passion for cycling and for five years I haven’t missed the Giro when he passes through Turin – says the 29-year-old Colombian Lina -. Every time I buy a pink gadget kit for mine old. He will be watching the Giro on TV, I hope to show him live one day.” Together with her, a dozen friends wearing the Colombian national team shirt or the traditional black and white hat.
Emotions, gadgets and flags: this is how Turin becomes the city of the Giro
Philip Femia
04 May 2024
Not far from the Vittorio Emanuele I bridge, Colombian John Rodriguez allows himself to take selfies with dozens of onlookers. Forty-nine years old, ex-policeman, he is bald and has a black goatee: «I am Pantani’s double, the greatest climber of all time. I am in Italy to honor his memory: His fans helped me pay for my trip from Colombia. The love for cycling has no boundaries.” She then fiddles with her smartphone and shows a video: «A few days ago I was at Marco’s tomb, I cried a lot», she whispers with a trembling voice.
The Giro d’Italia passes through Turin (photo by Daniele Solavaggione / Ag Reporters)
Among the fans waiting for the group to pass, there are many familiar stories. The 77-year-old Luigi precedes his nephew Riccardo, 11 years old: both accompany the racing bicycle by hand. «I passed on to him the love for cycling as my father had done with me – recalls the man –: he took me to the velodrome in Toulouse to watch the races. My idol was Nino De Filippis.” Other eras, other Tours. Three friends from Pinerolo in their sixties arrived in Turin on horseback to witness the passage of the caravan. «The bike is our medicine» smiles Valter. His friend Livio says he hasn’t missed a Giro since 1980. «The craziest thing I’ve done for cycling? Reaching Colle dell’Agnello in the middle of a snowstorm to attend a stage: they canceled it and I didn’t see the runners that day.”
Thousands at the start of the 2024 Giro d’Italia in Venaria (photo by Daniele Solavaggione / Ag Reporters)
In front of the Great Mother onlookers grab their smartphones to capture the passage of the fugitives and then of the group, shortly after 4.30pm: not even enough time to focus as the runners dart out of the screens. A little further on, some antagonists are waving four Palestinian flags (one was reported for possession of smoke bombs): meager haul after the buzz on social media called for “closing the road to the perpetrators of the genocide”.
At the end of the day some children run towards the area near the former zoo, where the team buses stop: they ask for a water bottle or an autograph from their favorites. The smiles of those who succeed in the feat tell all about the magic of cycling.
