Sunday 5 February Re-enactment of the Florence-Pistoia Course date of 1870

Starting Friday, February 3, between Florence and Pistoia, a three-day event dedicated to vintage cycling with many side events, including exhibitions, conferences, interviews, and speeches by former cyclists and insiders

From the 3rd to the 5th of February, the appointment with “Florence PistoiaIt is the first road cycling race to be organized in Italy and the second in the world after Paris Rouen Set up in France. A comeback that takes the form of a very accurate re-enactment, to commemorate a competition of great historical and sporting value, and to attract the attention of fans of vintage cycling and those curious about it. Therefore, three days of events have been organized between Pistoia and Florence, with many side events related to the history of cycling, sport and culture, the culmination of which will be on Sunday February 5 in Pistoia, in Piazza del Duomo, on the 12, with the arrival of a group of cyclists to call the edition The first of the race.

“It is with great pleasure, – he confirms Alexander Sabella, Consultant Tourism, Traditions and Sports Promotion – that over the weekend we welcome the re-enactment of the Florence of Pistoia of 1870, an event that required great organizational effort and for which I thank the Organizing Committee and, in addition to commitment and creativity, poured into it infinite passion. It is a historical race, reminiscent of an important period for Pistoia, during which the city was particularly attractive to travel with Puritana Railway It was opened in 1864, but also for trade and the development of local crafts. I renew my invitation to all, both enthusiastic and curious, to visit the exhibitions of historical bikes, but above all to meet on Sunday in Piazza del Duomo, to greet the arrival of the brave cyclists who will take us back in time. »

renewal. After the positive organizational experience of February 2020 – the date of the 150th anniversary of the competition – Sunday 5 February Florence Pistoia From cycling he will return to the road with nineteen cyclists dressed in clothes from the end of the nineteenth century and riding bicycles that look as if they came out of dusty photo albums of the time, and they will race the “canonical” 33 kilometers that separate Florence from Pistoia, along the route Fiorentina and the Poggio Caiano crossing. Nineteen – out of the 23 entered for the night – were, in fact, cyclists who set out on the legendary Florence-Pistoia route on February 2, 1870, dominant, with a great advantage over the runner-up, by fifteen – an old American of Dutch descent Renee Van Nestwho later became a well-known physician in the United States.

the organization. The large redemption of an event with important historical and cultural contents was made possible thanks to the joint participation of Municipality of Pistoiato a contribution Savings Bank Foundation of Pistoia and Pesciaunder the care of Tuscany region Born in Municipality of Florenceto your valuable organizational support vintage cyclingAnd National Amateur Sector FCIAnd Culture, ethics and sportsfollower FCI Committee from Tuscany and gods FCI’s regional commissions in Florence and Pistoial O.C.P. , Florence Sports ClubAnd UISET extensionAnd DLF PistoiaAnd UNVS FlorenceAnd Gino Bartali Museum Based onSociety of Friends of Franco Ballerini.

The program includes, over three days, from 3 to 5 February, side events for cultural and tourist purposes, and above all a historical reenactment of Florence in Pistoia, obviously non-competitive, open only to vintage bikes and with a limited number of participants. As for Pistoia, the initiative will start on Friday, February 3, at the Dopo Lavoro Ferroviario, in the Piazza Dante Alighieri, in the room upstairs, where, at 4 pm, there will be the opening of the motorcycle exhibition organized by Leonello Innocenti, enthusiast and collector of unique pieces and historical materials cycling memorabilia. At about 20.30, the start of the conference.Bicycle tourism, Pistoia, the leading city in cycling between the past and the future“, Subtitle”While the Tour de France will come to Tuscany in 2024“.

Sat Feb 4th, always on After the railway worksOn the 13th, the Antique Bikes and Old Cycling Articles Exhibition is scheduled to open, also in memory of Loreto Petrucci, a great cycling character in Pistoia. At 3.30pm the afternoon ‘Amarcord’ focused on ‘cycling nostalgia’, with interviews and speeches by former cyclists, cycling insiders (journalists, technicians, etc.), focusing on the history of cycling in Pistoia and the surrounding areas with it. Sunday, February 5, at 9 o’clock, at Dopo Lavoro Ferroviario, an exhibition of antique bikes, vintage cycling equipment, displays of old books, newspapers and magazines about cycling. Around 12, 19 cyclists arrive at Piazza del Duomo. At 15.30 the business closes.

Sponsors and collaborators. Important collaborative performances by Mazzei 1435, Bar Giannoni, Simoncini Telai and Pedale Vintage “Lost in the Mist”, Tre Emme by Caverni Mauro. The Historic Bicycle Exhibition of Pistoia is curated by the collector Lionello Innocenti. Florence Gallery sponsored Vintage pedal set Florence in collaboration with Gino Bartali Museum.