Sunday 30 June will be a historic day from a sporting point of view for Imola and the surrounding area with the passage of the second stage of the Tour de France 2024. The Cesenatico – Bologna stage, of 199 km, will be dedicated to Marco Pantani and will arrive in Imola following the route of the 2020 Cycling World Championships. The cyclists will also tackle the now legendary Gallisterna climb, to then arrive in the capital of Bologna after a challenging route (crossing the territories of Dozza, Castel San Pietro and Ozzano) which includes two vaults at the end the climb of San Luca.
The arrival of the group in the Imola area is expected at 2.47pm (in Dozza at 3pm, in Castel San Pietro at 3.04pm and in Ozzano at 3.21pm), while the caravan will begin to pass approximately 2 hours before the race. The runners will enter the territory of Imola along via Sabbioni, via Ghiandolino, then they will cross the gates of the racetrack at the Piratella curve and will cover almost a 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 Dante bridge, then follow the entire avenue to reach viale Zappi, piazzale Bianconcini, viale Saffi, viale D’Agostino, viale Amendola, via Emilia Ponente and then continue towards Bologna. In these areas a parking ban will be established with the removal of parked vehicles on Sunday 30 June from 7am to 3.30pm.
Side events dedicated to the world of cycling are planned in Imola. The racetrack will be open to bikes from 8am to 11am while, again from 8am, Ciclistica Santerno, Uisp and Triathlon will organize a self-managed rally, starting from Piazza Senna, with final refreshment. Sports associations that will put on the road, free of charge, a children’s bike route, open to all. From 8am to 4pm, Piazza Senna will be animated with the music of Radio Bruno, the Autodromo shop, simulators and catering activities in collaboration with Carburo and Doppio Malto. The Aver association (Association of heroic velocipedists from Romagna) will propose an exhibition of rare historic racing bikes. From the Tower, track side, the large “Senna30Years” banner will be displayed. Furthermore, the central stands of the racetrack will be open for those who want to watch the race on the giant screen. Finally, from 1pm, again from Piazza Senna, it will be possible to enter the racetrack on foot, perhaps dressed in yellow, and head along the route, to the sides of the track, to be able to watch the race pass.
Among the collateral initiatives, 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 25 June, at 9pm, in the municipal library (via Emilia 80). The interview with Beppe Conti on «Saturto sera» on newsstands.
Castel San Pietro is also preparing to welcome the Grande Boucle. The municipal administration has provided two reception points: one in Piazza Galvani, next to the Cassero, with musical entertainment, and one in Osteria Grande, in the square in front of the post office, where initiatives are being organized with the involvement of local operators. As agreed with the Prefecture of Bologna, to guarantee the safety of participants and the public, the route will be closed to traffic from 12pm to 3.45pm (the reopening will be almost immediate at the end of the event). Furthermore, again for safety reasons, the waste containers located along the route will be removed from Saturday 29 June and relocated from Monday 1 July. During this period, citizens are therefore asked to dispose of their waste in the containers present in the remaining part of the territory not affected by the tender.
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