On the eve of the Giro d’Italia, the picture of the season is more than rosy. In fact, there are several races scheduled for the next few weeks.
Leaving behind the success recorded last April by Nova Eroica Prosecco Hills, on the hills between Susegana and Refrontolo, the Absolute European Bmx Championship is scheduled for next May 29th to June 2nd in Verona. Subsequently, for the Elite and Under 23 category, from 25 to 30 June the Vicenza area will host the 32nd Giro del Veneto in stages, while in Sospirolo, in the province of Belluno, the Giro del Piave will be held on 27 July. The Veneto Classic will close the calendar, scheduled for October 20th, starting from Mel (Belluno) and arriving in Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza).
The Giro d’Italia stops in Veneto
In the meantime, the attention of enthusiasts is entirely on Tour of Italy. Tomorrow, Thursday 23 May, the 18th stage will be a sprint battle towards the finish line in Padua. A 166 kilometer route awaits the runners, who will start from Fiera di Primiero, in Trentino, and head towards Veneto, crossing enchanting landscapes. You will cycle through the lands of Prosecco, admiring the vineyards and hills, before reaching Treviso and the Venetian hinterland. The last part of the stage will be a triumph of beauty, skirting the Brenta river until arriving in Prato della Valle in Padua.
On Saturday 25 May, however, after the Mortegliano – Sappada stage, the last stage in the Veneto region will be held, a real tour de force of 175 kilometers from Alpago, in the Belluno area, to Bassano del Grappa, in the province of Vicenza. With a total difference in altitude of 4,200 metres, the stage is ready to provide strong emotions. After a flat approach interrupted by the cliff of the Ca’ del Poggio Wall, the runners will find themselves facing the symbolic climb of this stage: Monte Grappa, to be climbed twice from the Semonzo side. After the second descent, the cyclists will quickly head towards the finish line in Bassano del Grappa.
But in Veneto, the European Sports Region 2024, the bicycle is not only synonymous with sport, but also with sustainable mobility and tourism. This is demonstrated by the latest calculations of the Statistics office of the Veneto Region on Isfort data – Audimob Observatory. When distances allow it, in fact, the bike is a means of transport much appreciated by the Venetians, with an average satisfaction score of 8 out of 10 points. The bicycle is used every day by 10% of citizens, at least a few times a week by a further 23% and at least a few times a month by another 26%.
12 cycle routes for 1,850 km
In addition, the Regional Cycling Mobility Plan (PRMC) outlines a network of 12 cycle routes that wind for approximately 1,850 km across the Veneto. A wealth of routes that allow you to discover the area slowly, enjoying the landscapes that have made it famous throughout the world.
From the coast to the mountains, from the plains to the hills, each cycle route offers a different travel experience. There is the Coast Cycle Route, a 184 km route from Ariano nel Polesine to San Michele al Tagliamento, which passes through cities such as Venice, Chioggia and Jesolo and includes the Cavallino Treporti cycle path, the longest panoramic route in Europe; the cycle route of the lower plain, with its 204 km, from Guarda Veneta to San Michele al Tagliamento passing through Padua; the high plain cycle route and its 172 km which wind from Casaleone to Mansuè, through Vicenza, Treviso and Castelfranco Veneto; the hill and mountain cycle route, 324 km starting from the Veronese hills of Valeggio sul Mincio up to the Belluno mountains, touching cities such as Verona, Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa, Conegliano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, observing breathtaking views.
And again the Po-Mincio-Garda cycle route, 299 km passing through Adria and Porto Tolle; the Adige Cycle Route, consisting of 202 km from Brentino Belluno to Rosolina Mare; the Bacchiglione cycle route with its 87 km that connects Vicenza to Chioggia, passing through Padua and Ponte San Nicolò; the Brenta Cycle Route, 131 km from Enego to Chioggia.
An offer that ends with the Sile Cycle Route, 84 km which winds from Volpago del Montello to Jesolo; the 161 km of the Piave Cycle Route, from Soverzene to Jesolo; the Livenza Cycle Route, 62 km which connects Gaiarine to Caorle, passing through Motta di Livenza and San Stino di Livenza; and the Tagliamento Cycle Route, 39 km along the border with Friuli Venezia Giulia, in the municipality of San Michele al Tagliamento.
Veneto by bicycle
The link between Veneto and cycling will be told in a book entitled “Veneto by bicycle. The ancestral bond, the work, the places and the people” by Marco Ballestracci. A new publication that investigates the link between Veneto and the passion for cycling, playing on the economic transformation of the region and the natural cycling tourism vocation of many places. The presentation of the volume will be held in the coming months in Cortina d’Ampezzo as part of the Festival “A Mountain of books”.
Photo credits: giroditalia.it
