Welcome back to the Giro-E Enel 2025! The seventh edition began today from Ostuni, the first of the 18 stages in the seventh edition of the world’s only Grand Tour using pedal-assisted bikes. The race will end in Rome with the parade on 1 June, after 1,098 kilometres and almost 20,000 metres of total elevation gain on the roads and the days of the Giro d’Italia. The protagonists are 18 Official Teams that will take part in all the stages as well as the nine Daily Teams that appear in a select few stages of this exclusive e-bike experience.
The first stage was preceded by an event on the evening of 11 May at the Green Fun Village by Continental, hosted in Lecce and inaugurated in Piazza Sant’Oronzo packed with 11,000 spectators. It featured a performance by the DJ and producer Federico Scavo, as well as the Teams Presentation, another of the ceremonial features borrowed from the Giro d’Italia. All of the captains, team managers and of course the pedal-assisted bikes of the Giro-E Enel 2025 took to the stage: champions Gianni Bugno (Valsir), Claudio Chiappucci (ANCI), Igor Astarloa (Valsir), Damiano Cunego (Continental), Andrea Tafi (Autostrade per l’Italia), former professionals Marco Canola (Virgin Active), Sacha Modolo (Trenitalia), Marco Benfatto (MCZ), Alessandro Spezialetti (Tudor), as well as Justine Mattera (Enel), Elisa Scarlatta (Toyota), Amedeo Tabini (Fly Cycling Citroen), Lello Ferrara (Italia.it), Emiliano Cantagallo (Sara Assicurazioni), Andrea Pusateri (Rovagnati), Maurizio Formichetti (Abruzzo Region), Giuseppe Bica (RCS Sport) and Umberto Carfora (RCS Sport & Events).
Following the presentation in Piazza Sant’Oronzo the captains took to their saddles at dusk for a parade on the streets of Lecce still damp from the downpour that had hit the city in the afternoon. It was a taste of the experience that awaits them from today, on roads across Italy, as part of a journey in the name of thrills and sustainability.
Starting the race from Ostuni is a real treat. The town is an oasis of white, situated amidst the dazzling green hills of Murgia and the crystalline blue of the Adriatic. Located in the province of Brindisi, its whitewashed houses in the historic centre are the main attraction of this Apulian tourist gem, which lies on the south-eastern hills of Murgia a few kilometres from the sea. The tradition of whitewashing – the reason why Ostuni is known as ‘La Citta Blanca’ [The White City] – can be traced back to the 17th century, when its natural disinfectant properties were used to stop the spread of disease. It’s a delight to lose yourself in its narrow alleys, to be surprised by sudden breathtaking views and to take in the beauty of masterpieces such as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta or the Column of Sant’Oronzo. And let’s not forget the nearby Regional Natural Park of the Coastal Dunes, a protected area with golden beaches and centuries-old olive groves. Ostuni’s most memorable cycling event took place back in 1976, but it lives long in the memory. 49 years ago the city hosted the UCI Road World Championships, won by the Belgian Freddy Maertens, who overcame Francesco Moser in a sprint on one of the rare days when Eddy Merckx and Felice Gimondi had to bow down to the young pretenders.
