A great party, a world-class event experienced as protagonists by the entire city of Piacenza and all the towns in the province touched by the passage of the Tour de France.
“As a sports manager, I would never have believed that I could experience an epochal event like this directly in our city – the enthusiastic words of Robert Gionelli, provincial delegate Coni Piacenza -. I’m very happy. I always say, major events are essential to promote the well-being of sport among the new generations.” “I believe that whoever worked hard to bring the Tour to Piacenza – continues Gionelli – did something extraordinary and we will see the real results in the future”.
Among the fans too Giancarlo Perini which played its last in 1985 Tour de France as a “gregarious” cyclist. “A huge emotion – he said -. As soon as I entered the village I got goosebumps, fabulous sensations that brought me back to my years as an athlete. It was fantastic”.
This great event could not be missed either Andrea Bottazzia former soccer player from Piacenza and Fiorenzuola with a passion for cycling since he was a boy: “When I was playing and there was a stage of the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France at the same time, I recorded it so as not to miss anything – he said during the live broadcast of Telelibertà to the microphone of Marco Vincenti -. I fell in love with this sport as a child in the last years of Francesco Moser’s career and now being able to see a stage start from our city is truly incredible”.
“A great emotion for the fans and a moment of joy for the entire population” was the comment of the journalist Graziano Zilli who got to the heart of the sporting competition: “Pogacar is definitely the favourite, but in these first stages I was impressed by the response of Vingegaard after the injury suffered in the spring.” Will it be a two-way challenge? “I think so – Zilli’s answer -, then nothing is taken for granted in the Tour, but the probabilities are high”. The history of Italian cycling is an important history and the Tour de France with the stages dedicated to Coppi, Bartali and Pantani celebrated it at its best: “We should learn from the French this great respect for our own” concludes Zilli.
