Emilia-Romagna says goodbye to Tour de France. The stage tomorrow Piacenza-Turin, the last before moving to Piedmont and from there to France. Thus the extraordinary adventure of Grande Departfor the first time from Italy, exactly 100 years after the first Italian victory at the Grande Boucle by Ottavio Bottecchia in 1924.
An extraordinary adventure, not only sporting, in a region where sport is also an opportunity for sharing and meeting people. As well as an important tool for enhancing the territory. And cycling is one of the most loved and followed sports.
“We salute the Tour Caravan and the champions who in these three exciting days have made Emilia-Romagna a protagonist on the international sports scene,” underlined the President of the Region. Stefano Bonaccini-. Thanks to all those who contributed to the organization and success of this extraordinary event. Without the commitment of everyone, starting with the Municipalities and those who worked tirelessly on the territory, all this would not have been possible. The Grande Partenza of the Tour de France represents without a shadow of a doubt the consecration of the Emilia-Romagna Sport Valley and the crowning of a commitment to sport, from grassroots to major events, that this Region has carried forward with determination in recent years”.
A protagonist territory
Florence-Rimini; Cesenatico-Bologna; Piacenza-Turin. Three stages and over 600 kilometers of route, with 38 locations crossed. These are the numbers of the Great Departure Florence/Emilia-Romagna of the Tour de France. For Emilia-Romagna an extraordinary opportunity for visibility, with a induced by 30 million euros and 150 thousand tourist presences estimated. And according to the first data with peaks up to 90% of rooms available already booked in the cities touched by the Yellow Caravan.
The start is at 11.15 from Viale Malta
The start from the Emilian city is scheduled at 11.15 am from Viale Malta (while the advertising caravan is scheduled to start two hours earlier). The cyclists will cross the city centre and then travel along the Via Emilia and continue towards Rottofreno, Sarmato, Castel San Giovanni. After 20 km they will leave the region to head towards the finish line in Turin.
A significant journey that includes the passage through Tortona in homage to Fausto Coppito which the stage is dedicated, and which borrows some of the roads of the Milan-Sanremo: 231 km, entirely on the flat, for a stage all for sprinters.
And to pay a worthy tribute to the Tour champions, in Piacenza until July 1st Horse Square it is colored yellow with Gothic Palace illuminated by video mapping dedicated to the Piacenza stage. Among the initiatives carried out also the copy of the Eiffel Tower made of bread in the typical shape of the Piacenza braid, in front of the Town Hall.
