Here it comes: Sunday, May 15 is the Chianti Classico "crono rosa" bike race

Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

The Chianti Classico region celebrates its 300th anniversary this year, since the grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo lll, first defined the wine. He created a law that established the borders of the production zone of the wine known today as Chianti Classico.

For this important anniversary celebration, the consortium of Chianti Classico wine has collaborated with RCS to dedicate a section of the Giro d’Italia bicycle race of 2016 to the oldest wine denomination in the world. “The Chianti Classico Stage”, ninth segment of the historic race most participated in in Italy will be timed individually. It is the first time the bicycle race is named for a wine.

It promises to be the most awaited  section of this race, in addition to being decisive for the outcome. The contest, on Sunday, May 15, will spread out along a 40 km route between Radda in Chianti and Greve, a route characterized by deep ups and downs that will keep the athletes involved in a contest of great technical ability.

The cyclists will be challenged not only by the level of the hills but also by the curviness of the itinerary: from the starting point at Radda the road is full of curves. The athletes will then reach the hill of Castellina in Chianti which levels out after the Botanical Park of Chianti, where they will find the second hill on the way to Madonna di Pietracupa (Tavarnelle).

They will then reach the most difficult challenge of the race, one that goes through Sicelle and La Piazza, to then find the hill of Panzano in Chianti, and then down to Greve where the race ends, preceded by a spectacular U shaped curve.

Technically, the Chianti Classico Stage promises to present a grand spectacle for fans of cycling but also for spectators who follow the legendary Giro to see some of the most beautiful scenery of our country. The race will be in the limelight, followed by the world media.

This section of the race is dedicated to an historic champion of Italian cycling, Gino Bartali, born in Ponte a Ema, a town near Florence, where the Via Chiantigiana, which arrives in Siena, begins and then passes through all of the Chianti Classico territory.

It is along these hills that “Ginettaccio”, three time winner of the race and a cycling legend, used to practice, riding along the hills of Greve in Chianti where his present-day colleagues will end this section of the race.