From the yellow piadina in homage to the Grand Boucle, to the welcome Tour cocktail on the beach. And then hundreds of ‘I love Tour de France’ stickers, banners, t-shirts, window decals, monuments lit up with the colors of the Tour: the yellow fever is rising, which hour after hour is infecting the city of Rimini, tourism operators and economic activities three days after the first time of the historic arrival in the city of the Tour de France.
Rimini dresses up in the unmistakable colors of the most followed cycling race in the world to welcome this event and thousands of enthusiasts who in recent days have flocked from all countries to pedal on the legendary track waiting for the passage of the champions who will compete for the jersey yellow.
Le Figarò, Daily Mail, Guardian, Bicycle Australia, Grinta, Fiets, Rennrad, Delo, are just some of the international newspapers that have already written about the Tour’s passage to Rimini and the first French national television channel will be broadcast in prime time tomorrow at 8pm on TV France with the second episode dedicated to Rimini of the special “Grand Dèpart Tour de France, una Passion Italienne” filmed last March between Florence, Rimini, Cesenatico, Bologna and Piacenza. The narrator is the journalist Alexander Pasteur, the very famous official voice of Le Tour de France.
An unprecedented promotional showcase, thanks to what is the most followed and oldest stage race in the cycling scene, the third sporting event in the world in terms of number of spectators and viewers, behind only the Summer Olympics and the Football World Cup. A great event, therefore, which represents an extraordinary opportunity for the territory. A tribute to a country where cycling is one of the most loved sports.
According to a study commissioned by the Emilia Romagna Region, around 1.8 million spectators can be expected in Italy for the first three stages of the Tour, of which over 750 thousand in Emilia-Romagna. And around 150 thousand guests in hotels. The economic repercussions are important, with a direct impact of 59 million euros, of which 29 million in Emilia-Romagna, plus related activities and indirect benefits at a national level for a further 47 million, with another 13 million for companies in the cycling supply chain.
An event which therefore represents a new opportunity for international promotion for the Emilia-Romagna Sport Valley – thanks to television coverage in 200 countries around the world – as well as yet another prestigious confirmation as a territory with a very high sporting vocation.
There are more than 250 journalists accredited at the Media Center in the press room of the first stage set up at the Palacongressi in Rimini. Over 200 TVs from all over the world are present in Rimini with their truck with the direction. The images in world vision are broadcast by TV France
Thanks to the work of the communication team of the Grand Depart coordinated by Apt Servizi ER and in collaboration with the stage cities, numerous international media spoke about Rimini, Romagna and the other cities touched by the route: television and radio stations, podcasts, general periodicals tourism, cycling specialists, newspapers, information and cycling sites, bloggers and influencers from all over the world: Australia, USA, Canada, UK, France, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria , Scandinavian countries, including Italy.
Tour de France, Rimini in yellow livery
To welcome the thousands of guests to Rimini from all over the world, 8 thousand yellow flowers (yellow tegetes) also bloomed in the symbolic places of the city.
And then the employees of the IAT offices in Rimini dressed in yellow and with the new city guide freshly printed in 5 languages which tells the story of Rimini between 2 thousand years of history and the new Parco del Mare. La Casina del Bosco in Marina center offers on its menu the yellow piadina of the Tour and the t-shirts that pay homage to the historic passage: “Did you want the bicycle? Now ride!!” “Head down and pedal”.
From tomorrow 27 June to 30 June the yellow lights will be turned on on the main monuments of the city, while the Lifeguards of Pleasure Beach they invented the Tour cocktail and filled the beach establishments with welcome stickers.
The yellow ride of the “lifeguard of Italy” Gabriele Pagliarani continues around the whole city with the colors of the Grand Boucle, while the businesses associated with Confartigianato Imprese Rimini are dressed in yellow with ‘I love tour de France’ decorations, freshly baked yellow focaccias, stickers and posters to welcome the guests in the best possible way. The arrival of the most important cycling competition in the world.
The Oxygen hotel is one of the many hotels that welcomes its bike lover guests with themed decorations and the Bike hotels in Rimini north have organized two-wheel packages with the highlight on June 29th with a moment of celebration on board the track and waiting for the historic passage.
A fever that continues in these hours to infect the people of Rimini and guests to reach the climax with the passage of the yellow caravan, the festive and colorful procession staged by the partners of the sporting event and which precedes the cyclists in the two hours before the start to animate the crowd gathered at the edges of the route until the finish, distributing gadgets, involving the fans and spectators waiting for the champions to parade before their eyes.
