Yellow fever rises. A fever that infects even those who are not cycling fans. Because “the Tour is the Tour”. And on Saturday, “with the first stage of the Grande Boucle, from Florence to Rimini, we will have all the eyes of the world on us”, underlines the mayor Jamil Sadegholvaad. For the first time in its history, the Tour de France, the third most watched sporting event on TV after the Olympics and the football World Cup, will start from Italy. It will do so with the Florence-Rimini stage: the finish line will be on the seafront (at beach level 72), around 5.35 pm, after 206 kilometers and 3,800 meters of altitude difference. And Rimini, thanks to the Tour, will go down in history.
Thousands of enthusiasts are expected in the city to watch the race and cycle on the Tour’s roads in the days before and after the stage. “We will have groups of cycle tourists – says Stefano Bonini of Visit Rimini – also from the United States, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland”. And many, many “from France, Austria, Germany”. According to estimates by the operators and Visit Rimini, there will be 25 thousand visitors in the hotels linked to the Tour including teams, professionals, organizers and cycling enthusiasts. A 10 million deal just for Rimini. Many hotels have organized special packages for those arriving here to follow the Grande Boucle. There are those who, like the owners of the Doge hotel, will bring groups of cycling tourists to San Leo: a bike ride and barbecue on site, waiting to admire the runners.
In Rimini from tomorrow to Sunday all monuments will be lit up in yellow. The same will happen in San Leo, Novafeltria and in other towns crossed by the Tour. In San Marino they have done things in a big way: lots of signs along the roads, and a grandstand will be set up where the mountain grand prix will be held. A grandstand that will also be present in Rimini, at the finish line. And again: in Novafeltria, to welcome the runners, there will be a human Eiffel Tower made up of gymnasts. On Friday Rimini will unveil the maxi statue for Marco Pantani at the Tiberius bridge, to whom the new cycle path in via Montescudo will also be dedicated and will celebrate his greatest victories. Also on Friday, at the fortress of San Leo, the gala evening with Francesco Moser, Italo Cucci and Justine Mattera.
