Sunday 30 June 2024 will be another historic day for the city of Imola, from a sporting point of view: the second stage of the Tour de France 2024, the most watched bike race in the world (it is the third most followed sporting event, after the Olympics and the Football World Championships) will enter Imola. The stage, Cesenatico – Bologna, of 199 km, will be dedicated to Marco Pantani: will arrive in Imola following the route of the 2020 Cycling World Championships, also tackling the now legendary climb of the Gallisterna, to then end in the capital of Bologna, after a challenging route which includes two climbs to San Luca.
The route and road closures
On Sunday the arrival in the Imola area is expected at 2.47pm, while the caravan will begin to pass approximately 2 hours before the race. The runners will arrive in the Imola area along via Sabbioni, via Ghiandolino, then they will enter the “Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari” at the Piratella curve and will cover almost one lap of the track, in its direction of travel, passing in front of the pits and exiting from under the Tower, to turn onto the Viale bridge and travel along the entire avenue to reach Viale Zappi, Piazzale Bianconcini, Viale Saffi, Viale D’Agostino, Viale Amendola, via Emilia Ponente SS9, and continue towards Bologna.
For safety reasons, in the signs positioned along the aforementioned roads affected by the passage of the race, the time slot in which the Tour will pass is indicated by the hours 11.30 at 3.30pm: in that period of time the police and security personnel will monitor the route indicated above to manage traffic.
In the above-mentioned streets the parking ban with removal for parked vehicles, Sunday 30 June from 07.00 to 15.30 to safeguard the safety of cyclists and spectators.
The event may cause inconvenience for residents and the municipal administration apologizes for this, trusting in their kind collaboration. We remind you that in addition to the appropriate road signs along the streets along which the race will pass, a few days ago the Municipality sent a letter to all residents in the streets affected by the passage of the Tour de France to inform them of the transit. In the aforementioned letter, citizens are also invited to look after pets with the utmost care, in order to avoid any form of danger.
The initiatives organized for the passage of the Tour
Imola will be ready to best welcome the passage of the Tour de France and has organized a morning dedicated to the world of cycling for all those interested.
In the Autodromo, and more precisely in Piazza Senna and on the track, it will be possible to find activities while waiting for the race to pass. First of all, the track will be open to bicycles from 8 to 11: in this way it will be possible to travel along the route which a few hours later will see the passing of the competing runners. Please remember that the use of a helmet is mandatory when riding a bicycle on the track.
Also from 8 am, Ciclistica Santerno, Uisp and Triathlon organize a self-managed meeting, departing from Piazza Senna, including final refreshment. Sports associations also organize a free bike ride for children, open to all.
From 8am to 4pm, Piazza Senna will be animated with the musical offerings of Radio Bruno, the Autodromo shop, simulators and catering activities in collaboration with Carburo and Doppio Malto. The AVER association (Association of Heroic Velocipedists of Romagna) will propose an exhibition of rare historic racing bikes. While from the Tower, track side, the large “Senna30Years” banner will be displayed. Furthermore, the central stands of the Autodromo will be open, available to those who want to watch the race also on the giant screen which will project images of the race live. Finally, from 1pm, again from Piazza Senna, it will be possible to enter the Autodromo on foot and head along the route, to the sides of the track, to be able to watch the passing of the race directly from the track. The invitation, for those who will be present, is to dress in something yellow.
Among the collateral initiatives, it is also worth mentioning the presentation of Beppe Conti’s book “The mystery of the Tour. Triumphs and tragedies, secrets and mysteries of the most important race in the world from 1903 to the present day” (Minerva, 2024), which will be held on Tuesday June 25th, at 9pm, in the municipal library (via Emilia 80). The presentation is part of the “Freschi di Stampa” exhibition, organized by the municipal library with the fundamental support of the Andalò Gianni company. The journalist Giorgio Conti will talk to the author.
Baskets: “the passage of the Tour de France is a historic moment of great value for the city”
“The passage of the Tour de France from Emilia-Romagna and Imola represents a historical moment of great value for the city, also considering how Imola has long cultivated a deep relationship with cycling, since the 1968 World Championships, with the historic victory by Vittorio Adorni and in the following years, up to the 2020 World Championships and the 2021 Italian Championships – comments the mayor Marco Panieri -. The city is ready to welcome the Tour de France and experience the emotion of its passage with dedicated initiatives. As always, Imola will highlight its places of excellence, among which the most iconic is undoubtedly the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Autodrome, which will be partly traveled by cyclists competing in the Tour and will be the most immediate calling card for our territory. I want to thank the bodies and partners, starting with the Emilia-Romagna Region and Formula Imola, who took action and worked for this prestigious result.”
