Giro-E Enel 2024 – Stage 8 L’Aquila – Prati di Tivo

Prati di Tivo, 11 May 2024 – The Giro-E stops in Abruzzo and chooses the capital, L’Aquila, as its starting city. It will be the second real uphill finish of this edition, after Oropa: 1,800 metres of positive altitude difference divided between two steep climbs, of which the last, which leads to the finish line in the ski resort of Prati di Tivo, is the longest and most challenging, with almost 15 kilometres at an average of 7%.

But far from cold stats and athletic gestures, leaving in the background the Gran Sasso massif of Italy with all its infinite possibilities for active tourism, and forgetting for a moment sport and the Giro which last started here in 2021, in L’Aquila you need to take the time to close your eyes and listen to your breath and with it the breath of this place. A place that has been through so many earthquakes, the last of which was a terrible one, 15 years ago in 2009, and which has always risen up again, becoming, as it is today, a school of good technical and engineering practices for post-earthquake reconstruction, famous throughout the world, with results such as that of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio. And then, opening your eyes, it will be time to enjoy a beautiful city, or to get on your bike and pedal.

L’Aquila – Prati di Tivo stage

There are two options: the motor at maximum and comfortable in the saddle, or if you require less assistance, you get up on the pedals and, with the right amount of effort, you can feel like a bit of a champion.

This is the right stage to do it. The eighth of the Giro-E Enel 2024 starts from the city that will be Capital of Culture in 2026 and which has already been the stage location for the Giro on several occasions. The last time in 2021, with the start of the L’Aquila-Foligno stage (Peter Sagan victory), while the last arrival was in 2019 (Pello Bilbao).Prati di Tivo, home of the finish line, is also a finish line with a good cycling tradition. The first time at the Giro d’Italia was in 1975 (victory for Battaglin), then three times at the Tirreno-Adriatico (with victories for Nibali 2012, Froome 2013 and Pogacar 2021); then once in April 2024 at the Giro d’Abruzzo (Lutsenko’s success).

In the middle there is a route through enchanting countryside, which begins with an off-road stretch of 28.8 kilometres and then joins the Giro at Croce Abbio (altitude 1,276), after a first, beautiful climb. After a long descent towards the Vomano valley, a final climb begins towards the 1,450 metres of Prati di Tivo, reached after a distance of 68.2 kilometres from the start.

There’s no denying it: a stage to remember.

Cyclist of the day – Rachele Sangiuliano

She had never ridden a bike, but since she is a champion (of the world, in volleyball) she took up the challenge and, with a beaming smile, reached the finish line of the first stage of the Giro-E Enel 2024.

Here is the story of Rachele Sangiuliano, setter of the national volleyball team, world champion in Germany in 2002, today commentator on Sky Sport for the matches of the women’s volleyball league (and presenter of the Giro-E 2024 both in Milan and in the Team Presentation in Turin).

“I had fun! The setting is very beautiful. The idea of participating in a team, of being here to have fun, to enjoy the experience, is the strong point of the event. It’s no walk in the park, that’s for sure. Luckily there was pedal assistance. They told me, before coming: sure, don’t worry. Anyway there’s the motor. Which is true but up to a certain point. It’s a pedal-assisted bike, not a moped. You have to pedal. But I really liked the fact that I felt the effort. Do you realise how much real effort professionals have? You challenge yourself with a sport, which I practically don’t know, and you appreciate it even more, for the effort they put in. It’s nice to see them speeding towards the finish line: my goodness, how fast they go! I understood that I have to improve on the descent, but my captain, Beppe Bica, was so nice. He supported me all the time, he explained to me how to tackle the bends, the climbs, how much to brake on the descent, what motor assistance to set… This too, the fact of being supported by professionals when you pedal, makes the experience even more beautiful and you never feel alone. Ultimately… I’m waiting for the invitation for another stage!”.

City of Sport and Health, an opportunity for young people: tomorrow a new ANCI workshop at the Giro d’Italia.

The ANCI workshops in the municipalities hosting the Giro-E starts, as part of the broader support and financing program for Italian municipalities under the National Youth Policy Fund, created through agreements with the Italian Department for youth policies and universal civil service of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, are going ahead successfully.

On Sunday 12 May at 1.30 pm, in Bacoli, the focus of the discussion will be on the valorisation of resources, training and skills, a cooperative model, with a focus on innovation “for and with” young people between shared administration and sustainable development and the presentation of numerous local experiences.

Another event full of content is scheduled in Senigallia on Thursday 16 May, at 1.00 pm, with work that will focus on opportunities for economic and social growth for young people through the valorisation of resources, sports and major events.

The ANCI workshops are increasingly proving to be opportunities for networking between the public and private sectors, in the framework of the ANCI Next Gen Community on local youth policies, thanks to the experiences and projects “with and for” young people told by public and private operators active in the sector .

The general objective of the workshops is to improve the level of engagement of the young population in the valorisation of cultural, naturalistic, food and wine resources and excellences of the area as drivers of sustainable local development, through the common thread of sport and its values.

In each of the Giro-E stages, the ANCI cycling team mounts the saddle, led by skier Giorgio Rocca and made up, like every day, of local administrators and ambassadors of the area.

For info and registration click here: link