Just a few more days and then the streets of Bologna will be tinged with yellow. After months of waiting, the Tour de France is preparing to land in Italy and Bologna for the first time. On Sunday 30 June over 190 towns will have their eyes on the Two Towers, so the preparation for the big event is proceeding quickly: the Municipality is preparing to cover the streets with a very long yellow ribbon of 16 kilometers which will intertwine balconies and windows, trees and monuments of the streets crossed from the race. “Someone still doesn’t know that the Tour will take place, it is therefore right to inform people constantly”, opens the mayor Matteo Lepore. Then “we need to put our hearts at rest: a part of the city will be closed and we need to tolerate this small inconvenience – continues Lepore –. This is a historical stage that will remain over time and the portico of San Luca is increasingly an image of Italy in the world”.
The theme of welcoming these events is also agreed by the Sports Councilor, Roberta Li Calzi: “These events must be welcomed because they bring visibility, emotions and incredible stories, as well as attracting many people”. There will be many sections in which to admire the runners, the most iconic is the San Luca climb, where a giant screen will be set up at the Orfanelle curve to give everyone the opportunity to follow the stage straight away. There is also a screen at Piazza VIII Agosto: here, upon arrival, most people will gather thanks to the fan village managed by Confesercenti.
At the end of the stage there will be an awards ceremony for the winner and the various Tour jerseys, after which the riders will reach their team buses in via Indipendenza for the last crowd. Finally, there will also be 40 free parking spaces for campers in the car park in Via Monte Albano. Therefore “it will be impossible not to notice this event”, underlines Mattia Santori, municipal delegate for major sporting events.
For the victory, according to Davide Cassani, president of Aptservizi, “watch out for the world champion Mathieu Van der Poel and also for Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar, the latter fresh winner of the Giro”. Lorenzo Fortunato, a professional cyclist from Bologna, also spoke on this via video link: “Who wins the stage? He will be an unexpected rider”.
