TDF 2024:- Stage 2: Cesenatico - Bologna 198.7km ***Spoilers***

Stage 2: Cesenatico - Bologna 198.7km

June 30th

Start Time: 11-15BST

Stage 2 will take the riders across the rolling hills of the Emilia-Romagna region from Marco Pantani’s hometown of Cesenatico to Bologna, via Imola and its famous motor racing circuit, and over the roads of the 2020 World Championships won by Julian Alaphilippe. 

The 198.7km route with 1,850 metres of climbing is well-suited for puncheurs with the finale featuring the climb to the Sanctuary of San Luca, the traditional finale of the Giro dell’Emilia which will be tackled twice in the final 40km.

Profile.

Map.

The Climbs.

Côte de Monticino (Cat. 3)

Côte de Gallisterna (Cat. 3)

Côte de Bottehgino di Zocca (Cat. 4)

Côte de Montecalvo (Cat. 3)

Côte de San Luca (Cat. 3) (1st time)

Côte de San Luca (Cat. 3) (2nd time, Bonus point)

1850m of climbing.

Final Kilometres

The riders cross the line in Bologna to enter two identical laps of 19 kilometer, both featuring an intriguing combo. The climb to the sanctuary of San Luca – 1.9 kilometres at 10.6% – and the climb to Montalbano – 1 kilometre at 5.4% – are divided by a 1.5 kilometres downhill. The last 9 kilometres of each lap are half on descent, half on the flat.

The circuit brings the riders to the finish line at Piazza Maggiore.

What to Expect.

Although it’s safe to say that the route is similar to a Spring Classic, but in a Grand Tour, does sprint from a small group seems to be the most likely outcome? Well, with the likes of Mathiue van der Poel and Wout van Aert in the race, that could be the case. On the other hand, although this time, the stage finishes after a downhill, the Giro de Emilia podium featured Primoz Roglic, Tadej Pogacar and Simon Yates.....

Cesenatico

Municipality in the province of Forli-Cesena in Emilia-Romagna

No previous stage.

Population: 26,000

CESENATICO AND CYCLING

It was in Cesenatico, the ancient port of Cesena, that Marco Pantani (see below) grew up and discovered his passion for cycling. It is also the birthplace of Dalia Muccioli, Italian road champion in 2013. This seaside resort on the Adriatic has hosted the Giro ten times, most recently in 2020, when Ecuador's Jhonatan Narvaez won solo. The Marco Pantani Memorial has been held in the city since 2004. Its last winner in 2023 was Alexey Lutsenko.

Squacquerone of Romagna

Squacquerone di Romagna is a fresh cheese made from pasteurised whole cow's milk. It is generally sold in pebbles weighing between 100 g and 2 kg. Squacquerone di Romagna has neither rind nor skin. It has a pearly white paste, a sticky, very creamy texture and a mild, slightly acidic flavour with a grassy note. It can only be produced in the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini, Bologna and in the south-east of the province of Ferrara, in Emilia-Romagna.

Bologne

Capital of Emilia-Romagna

No previous stage.

Population: 395,000

BOLOGNA AND CYCLING

Bologna is also home to the start and finish of the Giro d'Emilia, which has been held since 1909 and is one of the races held at the end of the season: its last three winners were Primoz Roglic twice (2021, 2023) and Enric Mas (2022), while some of the biggest names in Italian cycling have won here (Coppi, Bartali, Girardengo, Moser, Bugno). The Giro has stopped off in Bologna 23 times, most recently for the Grand Depart in 2019, when Primoz Roglic won ahead of Simon Yates and Vincenzo Nibali in the 8-km time trial that opened the event.

Bolognese.

The real Bolognese sauce does come from Bologna, but here it's called Al Ragu sauce, and it's mainly served with... tagliatelle. 8 mm wide to be precise, which have a much better grip. It can also be enjoyed with penne or rigatoni. The method is to mix some minced meat (pork or beef) with an onion, a clove of garlic, a carrot, some celery and some Italian tomato pulp, then add a little wine, a little milk and a few aromatic herbs. Simmer for at least two hours before serving.