This year Regione Liguria will host a stage finish (Genoa) and stage start (Sanremo)
In its first edition, in 1909, the Corsa Rosa visited Genoa for a stage start and finish. Liguria has also hosted the race’s Grande Partenza five times (1980, 1987, 1992, 2004 and 2015 – all individual or team time trials). Genoa’s stage will see the race cross the new Ponte San Giorgio before a stage finish in the city center. The Giro will ride in memory of the victims of the tragedy of 14 August 2018.
The details of the two stages (Parma – Genova and Sanremo – Cuneo) that will touch on May 19 and 20 the territory of Regione Liguria were presented today at the headquarters of Regione Liguria in Genoa. Among the many highlights from the two stages, is the passage of the Giro d’Italia over the Ponte San Giorgio in Genoa. Once in Bolzaneto, the race will travel across a short stretch of highway, crossing the Polcevera River on the new Ponte San Giorgio. The race’s arrival will be in the center of the city, along a slight ascent on Via XX Settembre. Departure will take place the following day from Sanremo.
STAGE 12, PARMA – GENOVA: 202km – 2600m vertical elevation
Mid-mountain stage suitable for breakaways. The first part is in constant ascent until entering Liguria from the Passo del Bocco. Quick descent on Carasco to enter Val Fontanabuona which will be crossed eastwards, always slightly uphill, up to Ferriere where the ascent of the Colletta di Boasi begins. Descent on Bargagli and Cavassolo and once the route enters the territory of Genoa it will climb the short but challenging Valico di Trensasco. Once in Bolzaneto, the race covers a short stretch of motorway, crossing the Torrente Polcevera on the new Ponte San Giorgio. The finish is in the center of Genoa, in via XX Settembre, with the road slightly uphill.
STAGE 13, SANREMO – CUNEO: 150 km – 1450m vertical elevation
A relatively short stage of medium difficulty. It runs in the opposite direction to the summer Sanremo of 2020. From Sanremo the riders reach Imperia to climb up to Colle di Nava and, once in Ceva, turn towards Cuneo. They then touch upon some of the most symbolic places of the Giro in the area such as the Sanctuary of Vicoforte and Mondovì. The stage ends with a fast finale along the Cuneo plain to reach the final sprint.
QUOTES
“Liguria returns as protagonist of the Giro d’Italia with two stages, the arrival in Genoa on May 19 and the departure from Sanremo, the following day: a sporting and touristic event of great importance – affirms the President of the Liguria Region Giovanni Toti – that will attract so many passionate fans and will assure great visibility to our territory, thanks to the live television broadcast followed by thousands of spectators. The arrival in the capital with the passage of the riders on the bridge is certainly a strong signal for this city and for the whole country: a signal of everlasting memory, for the 43 victims of the collapse and for their families, but also a signal of hope for the future, during a springtime of rebirth that Liguria is ready to fully grasp. We have just inaugurated, first in Rome at the Scuderie del Quirinale and then here in Genoa at Palazzo Ducale, the extraordinary exhibition dedicated to the Superbarocco, while from April 23 to May 8, just before the passage of the Corsa Rosa, the Parks of Nervi will host a spectacular edition of Euroflora. Liguria and Genoa – concludes Toti – are therefore protagonists of a significant number of national events, with a creative, cultural and economic dynamism that has rarely been seen in this country, which has been closed for more than two years”.
Paolo Bellino, CEO of RCS Sport said: “The Giro d’Italia is an extraordinary media platform for all its partners, starting with its institutions. The visibility of the Corsa Rosa – for all our stakeholders – will be amplified by television images in 200 countries across 5 continents. The Giro has the peculiarity of being not only a great sporting event but also an extraordinary vehicle for tourism promotion that allows millions of people to admire all the attractions of our country. Through the Corsa Rosa, we want to export ‘Made in Italy’ to the world. I’m sure that the next Giro will be as exciting as the last and that Genoa, Sanremo and all of Liguria will play a fundamental role, both from a sporting and a promotional point of view.”
Mauro Vegni, Director of the Giro d’Italia added “The Giro d’Italia and Liguria have gone hand in hand since the first edition when Genoa hosted a stage start and finish. Liguria has also hosted the Grande Partenza of the Corsa Rosa five times – in 1980, 1987, 1992, 2004 and most recently in 2015. That’s not forgetting Milano-Sanremo, the last edition not more than ten days ago, which attracts millions of fans every year. This year at the Giro we will have a stage finish in Genoa and a start from Sanremo, on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 May. After seven years we will bring back a finish line to the capital of the Region, with a very challenging stage of medium mountain that starts from Parma, with the finale in the city center, passing first over the new Ponte San Giorgio. Liguria is a land of cycling and of great champions who have brought prestige to the Giro d’Italia and beyond. I’m sure that it will be an exciting two days both from the sporting point of view and from the emotional one.”
“Genoa is proud to host the Giro d’Italia – says Mayor Marco Bucci – In this historical moment, sport, with its values, takes on an even more important meaning. Respect, commitment and determination are qualities that must accompany us in everyday life, which we must be able to transmit to young people and future generations. For the people of Genoa it will be a great experience to see the Giro go through the streets of the city, and then arrive in Via XX Settembre. It’s a new opportunity to promote the beauty of our territory and get involved in the timeless charm of cycling, and the most famous Maglia Rosa.”
Alberto Biancheri, Mayor of Sanremo, said: “Two months after Milano-Sanremo, our city is back again as protagonist of a cycling event of international importance, the Giro d’Italia. It’s another important opportunity to promote Sanremo and our territory. We have worked hard in recent years to promote our city as a cycling destination, with particular attention to the bike path overlooking the sea, a great attraction of the territory from which the thirteenth stage of the Corsa Rosa will start. Being present at the Giro d’Italia means a lot and the city is preparing to welcome with great enthusiasm the athletes, professionals and fans.”
“The great return of the Giro d’Italia confirms how Liguria has returned as a region that attracts tourism – says Gianni Berrino, Regional Councillor for Tourism and Major Events – and is ready to welcome the champions of the Giro in the best way. The 2022 Giro d’Italia will cross Liguria from the Riviera di Levante to Sanremo with a great stage finish in Genoa and the images that will arrive to all fans, in Italy and across the world, will be a perfect summary of all that this land has to offer, of the extraordinary variety of its landscapes and, therefore, of the many opportunities that it can offer to tourists who love the outdoors. It’s a great opportunity to enhance and promote our region, which has increasingly become a protagonist at national and international level. The Giro d’Italia is the most fascinating stage race in the world and this will allow our coast and hinterlands, once again, to showcase themselves.”
“What seemed like a dream is now a reality – says the Regional Councillor for Sport Simona Ferro –
and after 7 years the Giro d’Italia is back in Liguria. There will be two stages that we will host: the arrival in Genoa at the heart of Via XX Settembre, but not before the unpublished and very challenging climb of Monte Becco and the departure from Sanremo for a stage of 150 km that will bring the Giro to Cuneo with our coast in the foreground along the stretch of Sanremo-Imperia. It will be a Giro that will allow everyone not only to appreciate the high competitive level of these champions and to underline how cycling is one of the most loved and practiced sport activities by our citizens, but also to be able to admire the coastal and inland stretches that our region generously offers us, becoming a real 360° protagonist with its routes between mountains and sea. I will be proud to be there”.
STATISTICS
- Liguria hosted 104 stage finishes so far: it is one of only 10 regions with more than 100 stage finishes.
- The first stage finish in Liguria was the sixth stage of the first Giro, the 1909 edition, during the Firenze-Genova stage on May 25, won by Giovanni Rossignoli after 294km and almost 11 hours of racing (10h56′).
- There are 7 riders from Liguria who have won stages at the Giro d’Italia: the most successful of them is Alessandro Petacchi with 22 victories, followed by Giuseppe Olmo with 20.
