STAGE 2 - Cesenatico > Bologna (200,8 km) - THE GIRO DELL'EMILIA FINALE

Stage two on Sunday 30 June offers a sumptuous finale, 

featuring two ascents of the famous San Luca climb. 

It should be quite a spectacle 

Cesenatico > Bologna 

SUNDAY 30 JUNE - 200.8KM

Writer Jean-Paul Vespini 

Images ©PresseSports / l'Equipe

THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT TESTS ARRIVE halfway through the stage, just before the riders reach the Galisterna climb on the Imola circuit where Julian Alaphilippe was crowned world champion in 2020. Approaching Bologna, the route becomes much more undulating. The Montecalvo climb, which the riders tackle right before entering the 18km finishing circuit, is ideal for attacks. Ridden twice, the magnificent Côte de San Luca, the superb finale to the Tour of Emilia one-day race, is a fearsome 2km climb averaging 10%. There'll be a bonus point at the top on the second ascent. This wonderful battleground should reveal the strongest riders in the peloton.

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THE SECOND STAGE of the 2024 Tour de France will take place entirely on the roads of Emilia-Romagna. From Marco Pantani's hometown of Cesenatico, the riders will head for Ravenna, the world

capital of mosaics and home of Dante Alighieri, the father of the Italian language. They will then head for Russi.

The day's first hurdle is the Côte de Monticino (2km at 7.5%). Then it's on to Riolo Terme, renowned for the quality of its mineral water. Soon after, at the halfway point, the riders will reach the first major climbing test of the day, close to Imola, famed for its legendary motor racing circuit. Rising for 1.2km at an average of 12%, the Côte de Gallisterna is the formidable ramp that served as the launch pad for Julian Alaphilippe's first world title in 2020. Not too far away is Brisighella, once the home of Aldo Ronconi, who won the third stage of the 1947 Tour and then wore the yellow jersey before finally finishing fourth overall.

From Dozza, the road stretches out for around 40km that are mainly flat, before crossing two unclassified climbs and reaching Bologna. This is where the real action will begin, with the ascent of the Côte de San Luca climb (1.9km at 10.6%), which leads up to the magnificent Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, set at an altitude of 300m and the location of a bonus point on the riders' second passage. It can be reached on foot by walking through the unique arcades that extend for almost 4km and are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some will remember Moreno Argentin's victory on these formidable slopes on stage three of the 1984 Giro, ahead of Laurent Fignon. More recently, Primož Roglič won the time trial here when the 2019 Giro d'Italia started in Bologna.

FEARSOME ORFANELLE

It was on this climb that Fiorenzo Magni pushed the limits of suffering, his teeth clamped on to an inner tube that was attached to his handlebars. The Italian had broken his collarbone and came up with this ruse to ease the pain in the 1956 Giro time trial, won by Charly Gaul. The San Luca climb traditionally serves as the final springboard towards victory at the Giro dell'Emilia and is a favourite stomping ground of Primož Roglič, who won here in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Davide Cassani, who hails from Faenza (which the riders will pass through after 58km), knows it well, having also won the race three times (1990, 1991, 1995). "It's a tough climb," he says, having reacquainted himself with it recently. "The hardest part is halfway up, at the Curva delle Orfanelle (the orphan's bend)," where the gradient rises to 20%, before a short respite when you pass under the big arch. "The second ascent will be terrible," says Cassani, "as making that effort once again will take a physical toll, which will be exacerbated by the speed they're racing at. The very fast finale will result in a selection being made. The rider who leads over the top will only have to dive down into Bologna to win."

STAGE IN NUMBERS

2019  - When the Giro last  visited Bologna, Primoz Roglic slipped into the maglia rosa  after  winning the prologue. 

1970 - The year the last rider to win the Giro-Tour  double, Marco Pantani, was born in the home town of today's stage.