Looking up at the gray sky full of clouds, Turin turns pink. The countdown has come to an end: tomorrow at 1.45 pm, from the Royal Palace of Venaria, the 107th edition of the Tour of Italy. The first stage will end around 5.30pm, after 140 kilometres, in Corso Moncalieri not far from the Gran Madre. Cycling enthusiasts predict a crackling start: instead of the usual inaugural time trial, in fact, the organization has decided to start with the climbs immediately. The Maddalena hill and Superga, above all.
The tribute to Turin and the other celebrations
A start, this one of the Giro d’Italia, characterized by Savoy symbols. A homage to Turin and its history, which will be evident from the podium on which the winner of the first stage will stand. He will wear the traditional pink shirt with a grenade insert, designed to celebrate Grande Torino on the day in which the 75th anniversary of the Superga tragedy. The leader of the general classification will then be given the replica of the “necklace of Kha”, one of the most famous architects at the service of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt, whose mummy is kept in Turin. «It was an idea of our director Christian Greco to celebrate the bicentenary of the Egyptian – underlined the president of the Museum Evelina Christillin –. For us Turin people it is an enormous pleasure to host such an important event that involves the whole of Italy.”
The route and the closed roads
The runners will cover approximately sixty kilometers in the city: they will arrive from Baldissero in the Superga area, they will travel along the hilly roads, they will descend into Corso Moncalieri and they will arrive just before the Gran Madre. From here they will make a lap around the Turin circuit, all between Borgo Po and Cavoretto: they will go up towards the Maddalena hill, continue up the hill to Moncalieri, then go down Corso Moncalieri again to reach the intersection with Via Gioanetti, where the stage will end .
Inevitable i inconveniences due to the modified road system: from the “red zone”, delimited by the roads traveled by the runners, it will not be possible to enter or exit from 1pm to 6pm. Five bridges will be closed from 1pm, while parking will be prohibited on the entire route from 4am to 6pm.
Yesterday at the presentation at the Egyptian Museum there was also Vincenzo Nibali, who won the pink race twice: «I am linked to Piedmont in terms of cycling because in Cuneo in 2010 I wore the pink jersey for the first time and in 2016, here in Turin, I won my second Giro. I have wonderful memoriesthat victory was special also thanks to the support of the public which was immense.”
The first onlookers braved the rain to peek at the different attractions of Giroland, the “village” for fans in Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Between sponsor stands and gastronomic offers, cycling enthusiasts can test themselves with two-wheel simulators, mini routes for the little ones or quizzes to win gadgets. There is also a small Giro Museum, where you can admire the pink jersey worn by Miguel Indurain in 1992 and take a photo with the Endless Trophy, the champion’s cup of the pink race. Giroland will also be open today, from 2pm to 10pm, and tomorrow (from 1.30pm to 7pm), when the caravan will have already left the city for Sunday’s departure from San Francesco al Campo.
Finally, yesterday evening the catwalk of the sixteen competing teams took place at the Valentino Castle. The most searched for by fans’ smartphones was Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian making his debut at the Giro and number one favorite for the final victory. From tomorrow we’ll get serious.
