Experiencing pink Italy as a cycling tourist during the Giro d'Italia

Italian-Swiss triathlon champion Valentina Rosamilia and the CONI Delegate for Switzerland Cirano Tondi guests of ENIT at the first edition of the Giro-E, alongside the 102nd Giro d'Italia. See the photo gallery How many dream of crossing Italy while fully enjoying its postcard landscapes (not necessarily famous places), and how many would pay to venture along the endless gastronomic trails the country offers. Surely many. From this year the Giro d'Italia also lends itself to this kind of activity with the Giro-E, a parallel race with pedal-assisted bicycles to promote tourism. ENIT, the Italian National Tourist Board, understood this immediately and thought of combining sport and the promotion of the Italian territory in a highly original formula, inviting no fewer than 33 journalists from all over the world to take part in the first edition of the Giro-E, an amateur race held on the same days and on the same roads as the pink race, but on a route reduced to 18 stages of the famous course and with a pedal-assisted bicycle. "Italy is not just art, it is much more," explained Giovanni Bastianelli (video interview), ENIT Executive Director, who sees sports tourism as an important economic aggregator. "Tourists who tour Italy by bike," he continued, "fall in love with the landscapes, the good food, and many of them buy a house." This was confirmed by Alberto Mazzini (video interview), Marketing Manager of the Marche Region, who declared: "the bike is not the end, but the means to capture tourists and give emotions." For over a year the Region has been offering bike routes for cycling tourists, faith trails and trekking, increasingly loved by tourists who choose the Marche for their holidays and often later to buy a house. But back to the Giro-E. 522 cyclists were involved in 18 stages for a total of 1,829 kilometres covered, with 5 engine manufacturers, 6 bike brands and 10 participating teams, including #TeamENIT captained by Italian champion Max Lelli, a great expert in the field and added value for the team. Max followed the entire Giro and knew how to motivate all the journalists from the first to the last stage, juggling English, Japanese, Russian, Hungarian and French. Seventeen-year-old Valentina Rosamilia, current Italian and Swiss triathlon champion, also took part in the Giro with Team ENIT and held her own against all the cyclists. A newcomer, on the other hand, was Cirano Tondi, CONI Delegate for Switzerland, who fought in a tough but honest sport. We invite you to watch the video below to get an idea of the scale of the event: The cycling tourist's challenge on the e-bike Once you have identified the area where to spend your holidays, you need to plan your travel. You try to avoid planes, buses and cars to become one with the territory, because in this way, besides preserving the intrinsic charm of nature, you fight this new ecological war, dictated by the laws of unbridled consumerism, which clash with the great eco-sustainable movement that welcomes every action aimed at safeguarding the planet. A real puzzle: going on holiday, but without impacting the environment. And so the cycling tourist is born. A conscious and responsible tourist (mostly #plasticfree) who loves nature and gets around by bicycle. But what if the bike is not for everyone and you feel out of breath at the first climb in sight? The pedal-assisted bicycle is certainly a tangible solution even for the most bewildered. The bike made available to the Giro-E journalists was the Pinarello Nytro, the manufacturer's first electric racing bike with a carbon fibre frame and the lightest assistance system on the market, for a total weight of just 13 kg. With the geometry typical of Pinarello, it is characterised by high performance and with its three pedal-assist modes (light, medium, high) it offers real help for those who struggle uphill. Fausto Pinarello, CEO of the Treviso-based company, explained in an interview with Sole 24 Ore that "the basic concept is very simple: the best views and cyclists' greatest passion are the mountains. The higher you climb, the more beautiful it is. But climbing is also the biggest obstacle for many people. So only the tip of the iceberg of the whole amateur-tourist movement gets to enjoy the best experiences. A bike like this, on the other hand, is the best help for those who, due to various problems (weight, age, little time to train), want to fully enjoy cycling." I see myself in the CEO's words: having never ridden a racing bike, I found it very hard to pedal for hours and hours, but at the same time very exciting to take part in the Giro-E with a bike that supported me even on the treacherous climbs longer than 20 km. Now I too feel like a cycling tourist in Italy and only now do I understand the love that millions feel for the bike, so much so that I too have ordered one identical to the Pinarello, the same one I raced four stages with. See the photos of the Pinarello Nytro The Giro d'Italia as an aggregator of emotions That Italy is an open-air museum is well known, just think of the art, the sculpture and the famous paintings scattered from North to South. But, as Director Bastianelli said, "Italy is much more". After this very intense experience during the Giro d'Italia, I realised how important this event is for Italy and Italians, and how much the Giro unites the country. After all, the slogan is "Giro d'Italia - Amore infinito", and now I understand why. I had the great pleasure of being invited by ENIT to race in 4 of the 18 scheduled stages, starting from Frascati, going down to Puglia as far as San Giovanni Rotondo, then back up to Pesaro, passing through Chieti, L'Aquila and Senigallia. Ours was the team of journalists and opinion leaders, the others former Olympic champions or in any case cycling enthusiasts. I was immediately struck by the impeccable organisation. In front of us police cars, motorbikes, scooters and road safety staff clearing our way. When we passed, everything stopped and the road was ours. Along the route the colour pink reigned supreme. Pink decorations and banners dedicated to Giro history gave us the strength to keep pedalling. Behind us the famous caravan with the team cars always ready to support us and supply us with energy products. Each stage of the Giro-E started from one place and continued along the Giro d'Italia route for about 120 km until merging into the same finish as the Giro itself. What struck me most every time was the warmth of the people at the side of the roads, encouraging us and telling us: "only 40 km to go, only 20 km, you are the best, you are the best of Italy". They were wrong: the best of Italy was them, the people who fought in the war for a free and unified Italy, so that today we can ride our bikes in total serenity. Welcoming us at the finish line, besides the crowd of enthusiasts and supporters, was the hospitality area, a zone reserved for cyclists with showers and a rich buffet to regain strength. Once refreshed, we enjoyed, from the front-row sofas, the arrival of the gladiators who sometimes sped past at 65 km/h to conquer the Maglia Rosa. A one-of-a-kind adventure, in 2020 too What a charm to cross the door of time in the saddle, to pedal through ancient medieval villages steeped in art and history, to have a coffee during a break a step away from extraordinary Renaissance frescoes, to discover an Italy far from the well-known tourist routes, an Italy of traditions, while getting healthy exercise. I cannot deny being moved seeing myself in this great festival of cycling, a unique opportunity to get to know Italy at a slow pace and savour its food, traditions and landscapes. But this adventure must not end here. For the 2020 edition there is a desire to take part in the Giro-E with a "Swiss" team of sporting entrepreneurs looking for healthy competition within this wonderful setting that is the Giro d'Italia. If you are interested, write to sport@conisvizzera.ch and we will keep you updated on the provisional programme of the event. In the meantime, the Grande Partenza of the Giro d'Italia is scheduled from Budapest on Saturday 9 May 2020 with two stages in Györ and Nagykanizsa, before flying to Italy, apparently starting from Sicily. Let's be surprised. Long live nature, long live sport and long live Italy. Visit the official ENIT website: www.enit.it Visit the official Giro-E website: www.giroe.it