Giro di Padania route has been changed as protesters interrupt the opening stage – Cycling News
The five day stage race Giro di Padania has started on September 6 and the race will conclude on September 10. Cyclists will cover a total distance of 900 kilometres across the Po Valley for five days. The starting ceremony of the race was interrupted by
protesters as they aimed to block the race at Mondovi and management has to change the route of the race to avoid further trouble.
The protests were mainly against the Lega Nord Political party who is closely linked in organising the race in the region and also against the Italian Government’s decision of Lega Nord being a coalition partner. A massive strike in the whole country was
called in by CGIL for the same purpose.
Italian Union Labour protesters blocked the road at Mondovi as a protest during the first stage of the Giro di Padania 2011 as police were called in. A famous Italian cycling website has reported that some pushes and “strong words” were exchanged between
the protestors and cyclists including a policeman who was taken to hospital after he was supposedly hit by a car.
Giovanni Visconti is also participating in the race and before the start of the race he briefed that he is focusing on the race and not what is happening around it. He appealed that the sport should be free of the racism and riots as he said, “I’m not making
a political statement, but I say to those who govern us to let racism and intransigence aside. North or South doesn’t exist except on a map,” he added. “I was born in Turin and I’ve lived in Palermo. From my Sicily, I then moved to Tuscany, where I found a
second family in order to be a rider. I’m deeply Italian, and I’m proud of it.”
The protests were finally taken care of without any major loss as Sacha Modolo finished the first stage in 4:19:55 securing a green jersey. The opening stage was mainly dominated by the Italian riders as they claimed the top three positions with Sacha Modolo
at first, Elia Viviani and Manuel Belletti finished the race in second and third positions respectively during the stage 1 of Giro di Padania 2011.
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