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The Florence-Pistoia 1870 it was the first cycling race in Italy and last February 2nd there was the re-enactment of this event. About thirty spectacular kilometers, from the Cascine Park in Florence to Piazza del Duomo in Pistoia. A unique event that the Tour de France has chosen it as its first collateral event for its historic departure from Italy. And a handful of these enthusiasts greeted the Boucle, anticipating the professionals at the Grand Depart from Florence, receiving applause from all the fans.
A handful of enthusiasts, led by Michaela Pigeonspedaled through the center of Florence, with historic clothes and bikes. There were 12 of them, two women and ten men: a “Bartali”, a “Nencini” and two “Alfonsine”. So we reached the promoter of this event by phone to have her tell us about the emotions of this ride.
Michela, when did it all begin?
It was born almost by chance, before this year’s Florence-Pistoia. Since our event was born in Florence in 1870, we asked the Tour de France to have the sponsorship and the official logo. They responded in just a few days.
And how did you get to the Grand Depart in Florence?
We were the first “official” side event, so we decided to apply to be the last one before the start. We also talked to Davide Cassani, who advised us. That’s how we met Christian Prudhomme, who immediately gave us the okay. But at first we didn’t believe it.
What bikes did you use?
It was a nice search. They were all bicycles from 1910. Ten French and two Italian, the ones used by those who impersonated Bartali and Nencini.
What route did you take?
We started from the official start and cycled through the historic center, passing over Ponte Vecchio and going up towards Piazzale Michelangelo. Then we stopped at “kilometer zero”. We were very excited before the start, but there was also a lot of tension.
For what reason?
Because with the Tour de France we managed the matter by email and we had all the reassurances from them, only in digital format. But the municipality of Florence had never officially responded to us. So we were afraid that sooner or later someone would come and tell us that we couldn’t leave.
And instead?
Then a few minutes before the start, Thierry Gouvenou, who is the technical director of Aso, arrived and accompanied us personally to the start. And at that moment we started to dream.
Tell us about this emotion…
One photo would be enough to describe it, the one of the passage on Ponte Vecchio, taken by Lorenzo Cantini. Christian Prudhomme also complimented us and the French were very happy. The Tour de France is a world event, one of the most important, and we felt like crying while we were pedaling. The entrance into the historic center was super exciting, between two wings of people and the guys from the flagships were taking photos and videos of us. We still can’t believe it. A unique experience, we know, that will never happen again. We were at the Tour, with our vintage bikes. And for us it will always remain a dream come true!
