After the lively and spectacular, even panoramic, day yesterday with final in the streets of the Crete Senesi, the start of stage no. 7 of the Giro d’Italia is hosted by the beautiful city, rich in history, traditions and events Foligno where the pink race often stopped. The last, of the five previous starts, was in 2017, with the start of an individual time trial which ended in Montefalco and won by the Dutchman Tom Dumoulinfinal pink jersey of that Giro.
§ The time trial, by its main characteristic, is intended for have a significant impact on the overall ranking calling on the riders interested in the general and the specialists in the long gear to do their utmost.
§The altitude is approximately km. 33 on the plain while the remainder include a significant climb with gradients of up to 15% and then a continuous ascent towards the famous Corso Vannucci in the heart of the splendid Umbrian capital. In total there are 40,600 kilometers – quite a few – which will measure the forces in the field called to give everything, without mental reservations, from Foligno to the “living room” of Perugia, a city that preserves a precious medieval structure and a cosmopolitan, young imprint, due to its very popular international university for foreigners with students from all over the world.
§ The itinerary, after Foligno, offers the typical passage of “green heart of Italy”, how is the region with vineyards and olive groves defined, for Spelloits hamlet with the singular name of Capitan Loreto, and reach Santa Maria degli Angeli, an important hamlet of Assisi above, with a notable Marian basilica, then follows Bastia and its hamlet Ospedalicchio. The characteristic shape of Mount Subasio dominates the valley floor. It is an area of varied tourism with a religious imprint as well.
§ We then arrive in the territorial area of the capital, Perugiafrom one of the traditional access locations to the historic core, i.e San Giovanni Bridge before reaching the other fraction of Valleceppi Bridge. Here the road begins to climb, approximately km. 6,500 from arrivalmeeting other Perugia hamlets, Casaglia and Monteluce, before entering the historic center of Perugia.
§ Already thirteen other times a stage of the pink race ended here. The last one, before today’s, dates back to the now distant 1985 with the victory of the American Ron Kiefelof 7-Eleven, first US rider to win a stage in the Giro. The “globalization” of cycling had recently begun.
§ THEThe Giro dell’Umbria was a road race held from 1910 to 1991, with some intervals. In the last editions it was organized by the patron Velo Club Forze Sportive Romane Franco Mealli. Then, on its date, for the year 1992 and following, the Melinda Trophy based in Cles took over, now merged into the composite area of the TotA.
§ There are several Umbrians by birth who have turned professional. Carlo Brugnami (1938-2018), from Perugia from Corciano, was a strong professional, as was the man from Foligno Francesco Cesarini (1962-2020), winner of the 1982 amateur Giro d’Italiathen an excellent professional and strong long-distance player in important teams. Franco Conti from Montefalco, professional from 1977 to 1984, is the father of the current prof Valerio. And here we also remember Fred Morini, professional and then established physiotherapist in the blue field of the track, Lucky BalianI, from the Foligno area, was a combative climber, Eros Capecchia professional and sought-after long distance runner for his qualities for fifteen years, originally from the Trasimeno area, Massimiliano Gentili, good professional from Foligno, Paolo Alberati with experience in professionalism and mtb and in other two-wheel sectors, long established in Sicily.
§ Instead, he completed the reverse path, from Sicily to Umbria Salvatore Puccio. From Menfi to the Assisi area and since 2012, working for the Sky team, now Ineos, without interruptions and the qualification of “shooter”, in the best cycling sense of the term, tireless, is rightfully his.
§ In the track sector the name of the powerful sprinter is proposed Roberto Chiappafrom Terni, with a very long list of successes, also world champion of the tandem paired with the Milanese Paris, and, again for the track, Mario Valentinifrom Montefalco, pistard, technician, stayer and then multi-medalist flywheel of Paralympic cycling with the collaboration of his late son Mauro, who passed away prematurely.
§ The theater of the unfolding is beautiful, the expected leading actors are of value, the stakes are important, all ingredients destined to attract passion and interest before another day of considerable interest, that of Saturday, which foresees the arrival in climb of Pratio di Tivo, in Abruzzo.
