The countdown has officially started. The official start of the race will take place on Sunday 5 May at 7am in via Marzabotto Bgy Airport Granfondo Internazionale now in its 26th edition. «Everyone in the saddle, for sport or for passion – says owner Beppe Manenti -. At the moment there are approximately 2,500 members, but there is still the possibility of participating. It wasn’t easy to change course but I must admit that, in some ways, it was stimulating. In recent years I have been lucky enough to meet and work alongside many professionals and men of times gone by. An incredible experience, and I took advantage of the many advice that the great Gimondi gave me.
First edition of the BGY Airport Granfondo cycling
(Photo by Beppe Bedolis)
One among all? Never give up until the end. Within a year we have recovered 30% of the members and we are certain that we will return to the numbers of the glorious Felice Gimondi. Let’s hope that the weather helps us and that the sun’s rays warm our hearts. It will be a great party. I thank all the volunteers, sponsors and enthusiasts of this beautiful sport for their concrete support and I wish good luck to all the participants and to all the women who are always in the saddle!
Participants will pedal with good touching 37 municipalities and will have the opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of the enchanting naturalistic scenery offered by the six Bergamo valleys that they will cross: Val Cavallina, Val Seriana, Val Serina, Val Brembana, Val Taleggio, Valle Imagna. In fact, the three traditional routes have been confirmed, suitable for every type of cyclist and different levels of preparation, namely: the short one of 89.4 km, the medium one of 128.8 km and the long one of 162.1 km. Participants will also be able to decide during construction whether to opt for the short, medium or long route.
To ensure greater safety for participants, the organization has prepared 40 technical escorts, 12 traffic police motorbike relays, two Polstrada coordination patrols, nine ambulances and nine mechanical assistance points, four emergency electric bikes for the last kmfive mountain rescue volunteers and five of the organization’s electric cars made available by the Sarco Toyota dealership.
To allow the regular development of operations and at the same time limit changes to the road system to a minimum, the Prefecture of Bergamo has issued the ordinance closing to traffic on the roads of the municipalities affected by the three event routes. In particular, traffic has been suspended for 90 minutes, in both directions, on each of the three routes from the passage of the first cyclist. At the end of the race, traffic will be partially reopened on each route.
Today, however, the new city headquarters of Santini in via Zanica 14 becomes the headquarters of Bgy Granfondo. From 9am to 8pm, free entry, with distribution of numbers and race packs, press room and secretariat. An eve full of smiles and celebrations in the Expo Village area with stands of Granfondo partners, entertainment and refreshment areas. All information on www.granfondobgy.it.
