Giro-E Enel 2025 – Stage 13 Rovereto-San Valentino (Brentonico)

Some might say that a rainy stage is a herald of good luck in the future, but the cyclists certainly do not agree. Today the Giro-E Enel 2025’s Stage 13, starting off from Rovereto, was met with some lovely bad weather. The participants were already concerned about the stage itself, given how tough it is, so the rain just made things worse.

Did anyone at the Green Fun Village by Continental even for a minute consider skipping this stage and going to the Mart Museum instead? Absolutely not. But we are going to recommend it anyway: come back to Rovereto and discover the town starting from its museum, the first ever on contemporary architecture in Italy. Designed by Mario Botta in 2002, its round centre with a glass dome has become the symbol of the town.

There is much more, of course, in this town, which in the 1700s was also known as the Athens of Trentino owing to its intellectual vibrancy. The Castelbarco Castle is typically medieval in style; the House of the Podestà shows the influence of the Venetian domination; Corso Bettini shows the fervour of the 1700s; Rovereto Castle evokes memories of the First World War; the Depero Futurist Art House the 20th-century avant-garde movements. During Christmas 1769, the halls of the Todeschi Palace hosted a 13-year-old Mozart’s first ever concert.

As far as the local cuisine is concerned, visitors should definitely try the typical chestnuts, which have been produced for centuries on the Brentonico upland, as well as the many types of cheese, the honey from Mount Baldo, of course the Buckwheat Canederli (dumplings) and the potato pancakes known as tortel. As for wine, Marzemino or Enantio are certainly safe bets.

Also, don’t miss the Valsir parade of stars, which apart from the “usual” Gianni Bugno, Igor Astarloa and Sonny Colbrelli brought us Miguel Indurain, one of the best cyclists of all time: he won five Tours de France in a row (from 1991 to 1995), two Giri d’Italia (1992 and 1993), time trial world champion in 1995 in Duitama and a gold medal in the same discipline at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics!

The Rovereto-San Valentino (Brentonico) Stage

The third week of the Giro-E has begun – the toughest of all, with tall mountains and major elevation changes. Today our e-bike cyclists arrived in Brentonico after less than 60 kilometres, but a whopping 2,400 metres of elevation gain: the highest so far, the highest of the 2025 edition together with the second-to-last stage, Susa-Sestriere, which is however 10 kilometres shorter; you decide whether that is better or worse.

The stage basically consists of two climbs. Less than five kilometres after the start of the race, there is the Bordala Pass climb – 15.5 kilometres at a 6.9% average gradient with peaks of 12% (exclusively for the Giro-E, which today entered the Giro route after 25 kilometres) – followed by a long downhill section to the village of Mori, then the second and final climb in San Valentino, Brentonico, – 18.2 kilometres at a 6.1% average gradient with peaks of 14%. One of those days when yes, you do have a motor, but you won’t enjoy it if you don’t have strong legs and good stamina. This is one of those days when the Giro-E really shows all it can offer.

Personality of the day – Carlos Checa

A nice return (for him and for us) to the Giro-E Enel for a huge name in motorcycle racing, Carlos Checa. Everyone remembers when he became Superbike World Champion in 2011, but he was also a great pilot in the Grand Prix, where he competed in 222 Grand Prix races, always with a smile on his face. He took part in today’s stage.

“A lot of pedalling uphill, but luckily we get some help. It’s better to have a motor,” he admits. After all, Carlos and engines are inseparable (he starts laughing). “Well, it’s true, but every time it gets a bit harder. I’ve just done a four-day mountain bike race with some famous names. Just before that I did one with Miguel Indurain, who is also here with us. Next week I have one on the road. In Andorra I often go cycling with Purito [nickname of Joaquim Rodríguez, an excellent Spanish climber with two wins in Lombardy – editor’s note]. I’ve always cycled. When I was still racing on motorcycles I would go cycling to train, as a foundation. Today I still cycle, but I do it for fun. In winter I go skiing and in summer I go cycling. The challenge is to make a physical effort, but I really like the mountains, doing jumps, and I enjoy enduro cycling. Where I live, in Andorra, in the Pyrenees, there are great places for road cycling too. When you retire as an athlete it’s easy to neglect one’s physical appearance. But I like staying in shape; feeling good physically to me is the best investment I have made in my life. I like cycling because it’s not devastating on your body. If I go running, the following morning my back and knees hurt. On a bike I can go for five hours and the following day I’ll be fine. At home I have both traditional and electric bikes. In Andorra I ride an electric mountain bike, while for road cycling I use a traditional bike. Today there are motorcycle pilots who cycle like professional cyclists, for example Aleix Espargaró and Jorge Martín. I go cycling to feel good, be with friends, have fun, travel as a tourist, discover places and people. The bike and friends combination is perfect for me.”

ANCI Talks, two events in Lombardy: the first in Tirano on 28 May at 12:30 pm

After the successful events in Ostuni, Ginosa, Camerino and Reggio Emilia, the ANCI Talks at the Giro-E resume with two events planned in the two villages of Tirano and Biassono in Lombardy of the Giro-E, in the hospitality areas of the Green Fun Village in the two stage starts, Tirano and Biassono.

The first of the two events will be held in Tirano on Wednesday 28 May at 12:30 pm. The topics will be young people and school, with a special focus on the educational and vocational guidance services in Valtellina.

The initiative has been organised by the national ANCI in collaboration with ANCI Lombardy and the Municipality of Tirano, with the participation of the National Centre for Sustainable Mobility, MOST in Italian.

Just like the presence of an ANCI team with young local administrators, the support of Giro Express and the “Reporter for a day” project, the Stakeholder Forums organised in the Municipalities hosting the Giro-E stages are an opportunity, as part of the activity programme funded by the by the National Fund for Youth Policies, to promote initiatives with a generational impact and that foster the socio-economic inclusion of young people in the local communities.

In particular, the Stakeholder Forums seek to enhance the generational impact of the sports event, through the red thread of sport and its values, in terms of developing the skills of young people and creating income/work opportunities.

After Tirano, the next event will be on Thursday 29 May in Biassono at 1:30pm.

For further information and to sign up for the next ANCI Stakeholder Forums, click here

Click here to see the Giro-E standings.