Ahead of the 2025 edition of the Giro d'Italia Women, which will see the first two stages in the province of Bergamo, Promoeventi Sport, responsible for the local stage committee of RCS Sports & Events, presented this morning in Bergamo the first two stages of the race. The Pink Race's Grand Start will feature a first stage on Sunday, July 6th with a time trial from ChorusLife to Sentierone in the heart of the City of a Thousand, with a length of 14.2 kilometers, and the second stage the following day with a start from Clusone that will conclude in Aprica after 92 kilometers. The Giro d'Italia Women will end on Sunday, July 13th after 8 stages and almost 1,000 kilometers.

The first to speak was Marcella Messina, Councilor of the Municipality of Bergamo who, conveying the greetings of Mayor Elena Carnevali, emphasized: "I thank Bettineschi of Promoeventi Sport for working with all the actors present here to achieve this ambitious goal: we will have the first women's cycling time trial in Bergamo. We are very attentive and close to this opportunity that has been offered to us, it is a very important occasion for our city and its visibility. We started months ago thinking about the best route and decided to start from ChorusLife, the brand new Smart District of Bergamo, because it is a reality that is increasingly taking root in our city, before the classic finish on Sentierone in the city center".

After the words from the Municipality of Bergamo came those of Massimo Morstabilini, mayor of Clusone and starting city of the second stage: "I thank those present and in particular Promoeventi Sport because with this event they bring the beauty of our municipalities around Italy and the world. Despite bureaucracy and economic difficulties, Bettineschi's group manages to bring great cycling to our province every year and this is a source of pride for every Bergamo resident, as well as great publicity for our territory" - continues the Mayor of Clusone - "and the city of Clusone has stepped up to organize a three-day event packed with initiatives, including the Pink Night on Saturday evening".

Following, Claudio Bolandrini, Councilor of the Province of Bergamo: "This event, which fills the Province with pride, like all sporting events, assumes a relevance that goes beyond sports: such as the theme of women, a sensitive issue, and the theme of education in sports and a healthy lifestyle. Province and Region have responded very well to these initiatives and I want to thank the actors and promoters who made all this possible".

After the interventions, the floor was given to the Director of the Giro d'Italia Women Giusy Virelli, from RCS Sport & Events, who after thanking Roberta Bonanomi, winner of the second edition of the women's Giro d'Italia in 1989, declares: "It is thanks to pioneers like Bonanomi that we are here today. The Giro d'Italia Women is becoming an increasingly international event and for this reason we have chosen an English denomination to title the race. Registrations are obviously still open but we expect top-level names, also thanks to having introduced a time trial that represents a test for many athletes. Last year, the Giro d'Italia Women reached a total worldwide audience of over 21 million contacts, of which 7.4 from abroad, and 33 million impressions on social media". The head of the Giro continued with due thanks: "The Province, Bergamo, Clusone and Lombardy Region, which for the second year has offered to host the start of the first stage of the Giro d'Italia Women" (last year Brescia hosted the debut, ed). "Chorus Life on Sunday, July 6th, will host the start of the time trial while the day before, Saturday, July 5th, the team presentation and RCS Sport headquarters will be set up. I am also very happy to hear the participation of the administrations, and finally thanks to Bettineschi who always accompanies us in all our events for years and is a guarantee for all events organized in the Bergamo area".

Now it's the turn of Promoeventi Sport President Giovanni Bettineschi, who explained how the first Giro d'Italia Women came to Bergamo: "It all started by talking with RCS about the Men's Giro and then the proposal for the Giro d'Italia Women came up. I consulted with the Municipality of Bergamo and the mayor of Clusone, Massimo Morstabilini, and the idea was immediately welcomed. Since RCS took over this caravan, the numbers and interest have increased significantly. Beyond the start from Chorus Life, we want to give visibility to the numerous mountain villages around Clusone up to Sovere and its beautiful lake: as you know, Promoeventi Sport's goal is not so much the competition but to enhance the territory of our province" concludes Bettineschi.

Thanks also came from Regional Councilor Paolo Franco who emphasized how Lombardy Region is close and supports the Promoeventi Sport work group and similarly, MEP Lara Magoni underlined the importance of initiatives dedicated to women like the Giro d'Italia Women and the importance of sports activity at all levels. A brief greeting also from the president of the Mountain Community of Valle Seriana Gianpiero Calegari.

As already mentioned, Roberta Bonanomi, pink jersey in 1989, was present in the room, who recounted (from the height of her five Olympic participations) how different women's cycling was in the 80s/90s compared to today. And closing the media meeting, former cyclist and sports manager Giovanni Fidanza, who after a long diligence on male cycling support vehicles turned to the other half of the sky, telling how the competitive level of women on bikes has risen and become increasingly professionalized.

Needless to say, we'll see some great things on the first weekend of July.