Giro d’Italia 2022, the Grande Partenza returns to Hungary

A time trial entirely following a city circuit that stitches together the Hungarian capital from Pest to the historical centre of Buda. The start is located at the Heroes’ Square and heads straight for the Danube, which separates the two ‘souls’ of the city. A series of twists and turns mark the route until it reaches the riverfront and parades past the neo-Gothic parliament before crossing the Danube and following the parallel bank. Leaving the river behind, the final climb begins (with peaks of 14% in its first section) which, partly on cobblestones, leads to Buda Square where the finish line is located.

Stage to Lake Balaton, the sea of Hungary. After a first section of the stage in which the riders will approach the lake via a series of gentle undulations, they will reach Nagykanizsa and then Hévíz with its thermal lake. From there, they will ride through the Balaton region. The landscape is called the ‘Provence of Hungary’ and features ‘up and down’ volcanic hills that characterise the route. The last 50km take place along the coast with only the briefest of bumps at Tihany Abbey. The finish is almost without corners, and will set the stage for the race’s first bunch sprint.

Giro d’Italia, the 13 previous Grande Partenze from abroad:

• 1965 San Marino (REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO)
• 1966 Montecarlo (PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO)
• 1973 Verviers (BELGIUM)
• 1974 Vatican City
• 1996 Athens (GREECE)
• 1998 Nice (FRANCE)
• 2002 Groningen (NETHERLANDS)
• 2006 Seraing (BELGIUM)
• 2010 Amsterdam (NETHERLANDS)
• 2012 Herning (DENMARK)
• 2014 Belfast (NORTHERN IRELAND)
• 2016 Apeldoorn (NETHERLANDS)
• 2018 Jerusalem (ISRAEL)

Máriusz Révész, Government Commissioner for Active Hungary said: “The Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia is a huge country image campaign, a huge country marketing that could contribute to the revival of tourism.
That is why the Hungarian government has decided to support the Grande Partenza in Budapest in 2022, under the same conditions as last year. We hope that the epidemic will subside next spring, and the Grande Partenza will help restart tourism, help foreigners rediscover what a beautiful city Budapest is and what a beautiful place Hungary is. Fortunately, the Italian organizers of RCS Sport were also committed and they continued the negotiations with much greater constructiveness than normal.
The Grande Partenza of the Giro d’Italia is a huge opportunity for Hungary, from which tourism, cycling can benefit, and can play a role in promoting cycling and a healthy lifestyle. The Grande Partenza, which was cancelled last year, also had a huge impact, what will happen if we manage to organize it next year.”

Paolo Bellino, CEO of RCS Sport said: “It brings me great satisfaction to be back in Hungary to announce the Grande Partenza of the Corsa Rosa for 2022. From this nation that loves sport, and that will certainly appreciate the Giro d’Italia, we can only expect a unique welcome. We have continued in these two years to work with all the Hungarian institutions in order to propose the debut stages of the 105th Giro d’Italia that for the fourteenth time will start from abroad. Three stages, two for sprinters and an individual time trial in the heart of Budapest, will highlight the beauty of Hungary and the Giro itself thanks to images broadcast across 200 countries around the world”.

Attila Valter said: “This year, one of the most exciting things happened to me – I wore the Maglia Rosa. It’s a feeling you cannot compare to anything else. Next May, all my fellow Hungarians will be able to feel some of this excitement and get much closer to cycling. In my eyes it’s the most important sports event ever in my country, and I really wish for just two things. One is that I can start the race, and repeat something really great in 2022 at my home country. And secondly, which is more important, I hope all the Hungarian people will find joy in this race, and that the whole country can benefit from this amazing event.”