Yellow and pink along the green and blue line that joins the hill to the sea. The colors of the jerseys of the two most prestigious stage races come together in the name of the Pirate along the wonderful hinterland. The coloring of the cycle path along the stretch of Via Montescudo which leads in the direction of Marco Pantani from the Gaiofana area to Ghetto Casale was completed yesterday.
The last cyclist ever to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year, one of the greatest champions ever, whose exploits are part of the history of cycling and to whom the 2024 Tour pays homage together with Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi. In fact, the three Italian stages of the 2024 Tour are dedicated to them.
And in the historic year of the Grande Boucle’s arrival in Rimini, thirty years after his first professional victory at the Giro d’Italia, when he arrived first at the finish line of the Lienz-Merano Dolomite stage and twenty years after his death, which occurred in Rimini on 14 February 2004, Rimini remembers the Pirate with a 1.2km long stretch of pink and yellow cycle path to pay homage to his triumphs at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
The cycle path is interspersed, approximately every 200 metres, with 5 mythical colored stages that made the Pirate a legend. A project conceived and signed by designer and artist Aldo Drudi. These ‘The Km of the Panta’, as stated on the boards positioned along the route, also accompanied by the front pages of the sports newspapers of the time which recount the historic exploits: “Mortirolo 1994” one of the hardest mountain passes in Europe climbed by Pantani with physical strength and great tactical cunning, “Alpe D’Huez 1997”one of the most beautiful pages of the Tour de France, of cycling, of the history of sport, “Selva di Val Gardena 1998” when the Pirate wins the Pink Jersey after 45 km of alpine escape with Giuseppe Guerini, “The Two Alps 1998” rain, wind and cold don’t stop Pantani who pushes on the pedals until he raises his arms to the sky and finally “Oropa 1999” when the little devil from Cesenatico wrote one of the most incredible pages of the pink race, overtaking 49 opponents and winning after a mechanical failure.
The five stages are preceded by the access portals to the starting line, located on the Rimini side at the Casale Ghetto and followed by the arrival portal on the mountain side at Gaiofana, currently being completed. Thanks to Ivas Vernici who donated the paints to the city.
