Trento prepping up for European Champs excitement - Trentino 2021 Cycling

Trento prepping up for European Champs excitement

09/08/2021

With one month to go before the continental Road Cycling Championships (September 8th-12th), the City Council and the Organizing Committee have presented in Trento the operational plan for the city to seize the event at its best. Trento’s Mayor Ianeselli: “It is also an opportunity to stimulate sustainable mobility”

In an already memorable Summer for Italian sports, Trento looks forward to living more emotions with the UEC Road European Championships, from September 8th to 12th, 2021. In a month, 800 athletes from 45 Countries will gather to compete for 13 continental titles (between time trials and road races), and the Municipality of Trento and the Organizing Committee held a press conference to provide a comprehensive update of the operational plan and solutions designed to harmonize the event with the needs of the productive activities and the citizenship and present the many collateral initiatives set to further enrich the event’s potential.

Opening the press conference of Monday, August 9th at Palazzo Geremia in Trento, Mayor Franco Ianeselli voiced his total support to the event: “It would be short-sighted to dwell on a few sacrifices that we will all have to face – said the mayor, – compared to the much greater opportunity that we have available. For many months we have been longing to return to enjoy events like this, and the moment has come. Trento will be able to show off its sporting soul and take advantage of the valuable opportunities that come from this event, including taking the chance to leave the car at home and try to move more by bike, as well as by public transportation“.

Having such a big event like the European Championships in Trentino is an indication of how important cycling and bicycles are to our territory,” said Trentino’s Tourism and Sports Assessor Roberto Failoni, “and not merely from a sporting point of view. Our vision is for bicycles to become a cornerstone of a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle for people in Trentino, with support from more and safer infrastructures to extend the opportunities of bike mobility also to scholars.

As for every major cycling event,” Trentino Marketing CEO Maurizio Rossini said, “the European Championships might cause some inconveniences or limitations, but I would rather look at the silver lining. Our choice to take the event to the heart of Trento, and valorize the courses and beauties of the Valle dei Laghi, with its vineyards, will give us the opportunity to communicate these areas to a worldwide audience: the cycling fans who will tune in to watch the races in Trento and the feats of the champions who are confirming their presence in these days.

In the press conference, the Municipality of Trento has provided an overview of the measures that will be taken: traffic closures, occupation of public land, use of parking lots and more. At the same time, the significant media exposure of the event was stressed, as well as the relevant hotel occupation figures and the expected impact on the local economy. “This event will bring its benefits to an area of 50 km around Trento – stressed Franco Aldo Bertagnolli, President of the APT Trento, Monte Bondone, Valle Dei Laghi. – “Trentino had never hosted such a cycling event before, and it’s not a stretch to compare it to a world championship: a significant boost in this time of restart.

In addition, Trento will be animated by a rich program of collateral events, contributing to an overall atmosphere set to thrill even those who don’t follow cycling as a sport. “Our commitment – explained Maurizio Evangelista, Organizing Director of the event – goes well beyond the pure and simple competitive fact, for how relevant it can be. We are making every possible effort for the city to be in full harmony with the event, and be ready to welcome guests from all over Europe: the early feedbacks are very encouraging. At the same time, attention remains high on the health aspect: we have equipped a task force to guarantee a fully-safe event to be enjoyed by both the protagonists and the spectators“.

The meeting also kicked off the information campaign to which the Organizing Committee will give consistency in the coming weeks to ensure that all citizens are well informed about the organizational impact and the great opportunities that will derive from this continental event. All in all, one of the main goals of the Province of Trento in supporting the event is giving to Trento and the whole Trentino an exciting moment of restart after the COVID season, with even more enthusiasm and love for its territory.