Alassio (Sv) – The “Dawn Concert” from Alassio. An extraordinary play of figures and images against the background of the blue sea, accompanied by the roar of the waves crashing on the beach. A hissing sound, which accompanied the 1,200 registered participants in the Granfondo Internazionale Alassio, until a few moments before the start, when Corso Dante Alighieri is pervaded by the notes of Lucio Battisti’s unforgettable hit, entitled September 29.
A song, chosen to celebrate the day on which the last round of the Gran Trofeo Gs Alpi circuit takes place, this year also valid as a round of the Specialized Granfondo Series circuit, after the forfeit of La MontBlanc Granfondo.
In that moment, stories and memories intertwine in seconds, in the minds of those lined up at the start of the Granfondo Alassio, which next year will be held at the same time, Sunday, Sept. 28.
Sitting in that café
I was not thinking about you…
I was looking at the world that
Spinning around me…
Sitting in that café…. a few meters from the starting line, Mario Berrino together with his brother Giorgio and the U.S. writer Ernest Hemingway conceived the idea of beautifying that anonymous and bare wall in front of Caffè Roma. Thus was born the Muretto di Alassio, also nicknamed Muretto degli Artisti and Muretto dell’Amore. An installation of small tiles adorned with the signatures of famous people, coats of arms of Italian and foreign municipalities, sculptures.
Words of love, a love betrayed for Mogol, the title of the song is the date of birth of the composer’s first wife. The remembrance for Vittorio Mevio of his wife Nicoletta Alverà, who died prematurely, and who in the many years of life spent together, shared with him, also the passion for cycling and saw this race grow.
Meanwhile, a lukewarm sun erased those images that seemed to trace, hovering in the sky, the course of the race between continuous ups and downs, illuminating Alassio and the Island of Gallinara. While from the top of the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Guardia, a place of Catholic worship located on the highest peak of the ridge of Mount Tirasso in the municipality of Alassio, at the foot of which the finish line of the Granfondo was planned, it was possible to admire extraordinary views. The human eye was lost in the endless blue expanse, surrounded by a narrow frame of fine sand and on the other side the verdant sinusoidal wave of mountains.
Testico, which the cyclists faced after twenty-seven kilometers of the race is ideal terrain for attacking. It is precisely along this climb that the selection takes place. Seven people take the lead. Among the fugitives some of the cyclists who were taking the start with the favor of the odds such as Alberto Nardin (Team Bike Pancalieri) and Paolo Castelnuovo (Team MP Filtri) eager to return to conquer the overall success, after a long series of placings.
Along the final climb, leading to the finish line, Alberto Nardin anticipated Castelnuovo in the last hundred meters going on to seize his 20th seasonal success. Third place for Demiri who due to a mechanical accident was unable to defend until the end the chance to fight for the final success. Among the women, Giulia Bisso (Promotech MG.K Vis) in her first competitive season who has already made her athletic skills clear by winning the Granfondo La Medievale and the one in L’Aquila. Second was Roberta Bussone (Rodman Team) and third Martina Cavallo (Rock Bike Team).
During the final awards ceremony, the leader jerseys of the Granfondo and Medio Fondo routes are handed out by the coordinators of the Specialized Granfondo Series circuit.
