Milan is preparing to welcome the return of the Giro d'Italia with "Awaiting the Giro", a widespread program of events that, before and after the stage on May 24th, will strengthen the deep bond between the city and the Corsa Rosa, which started from Milan in 1909 for its first historic edition.

Exhibitions, meetings and youth competitions will bring to life a path capable of interweaving sporting memory, civic participation and the promotion of cycling. The program is promoted by the Municipality and Milanosport with the support of RCS and the involvement of sporting organizations and enthusiasts, and aims to further enhance the Vigorelli not only as a historic and iconic sports venue, but also as a living and open space through cultural and social initiatives.

Right inside Milan's temple of speed, from May 24th to 31st, the exhibition "A Life in the Giro" will be hosted, dedicated to the Maglia Rosa and Vincenzo Torriani, the historic patron of the Giro d'Italia. Created in collaboration with the Madonna del Ghisallo Cycling Museum and the Torriani family, the exhibition will feature historic jerseys, original materials, photographs and stories that trace the technical, symbolic and cultural evolution of the Giro. On May 24th, the day of the Corsa Rosa's passage through the city, the program includes the opening of the exhibition, the placement of a plaque in the press room and a meeting dedicated to Torriani's legacy.

The Giro's passage will also be preceded by the Trofeo Rosa Milanosport, scheduled for May 20th and 21st: two days of races on the historic Vigorelli track dedicated to youth categories and cycling clubs in the area. Speed, scratch, elimination, keirin and pursuit events will animate a two-day program designed to showcase the temple of speed as a space open to all, introducing new generations to cycling and building enthusiasm for Milan's Giro stage.

Thanks to the work of the Vigorelli Velodrome Committee, from May 20th to 31st, the velodrome's stands will also host the educational and social values of sport, with the free photographic exhibition "The Righteous in Sport", created in collaboration with the Gariwo Foundation. A journey that retraces the lives of athletes who chose courage, solidarity and the defense of human rights: stories such as that of Gino Bartali, who between 1943 and 1944 saved hundreds of Jews from deportation, or that of Harry Seidel, a Berlin track cyclist who contributed to the escape of over one hundred people from East Germany to West Germany.

Anticipating the program's activities was the traditional appointment with the GranMilàn Vigorelli, a non-competitive race organized by Sport Club Genova 1913 with start and finish at the velodrome, which on May 10th symbolically united road cycling and track cycling, crossing the metropolitan city and other Lombard provinces.

Finally, it should be noted that on May 24th the Cozzi municipal swimming pool will host the Giro's Stage Headquarters in Milan, becoming the operational and media center for the race's Milan finish, including press room, accreditation and organizational activities.

"Milan is ready to welcome for the ninetieth time a stage of the Giro d'Italia – declares the Assessor for Sport, Tourism and Youth Policies Martina Riva – a race that belongs deeply to the history and sporting identity of our city. An appointment that we want to celebrate with "Awaiting the Giro", a program of sporting initiatives and activities designed to unite memory and future and to enhance symbols like the Vigorelli. A place that today fully confirms its vocation: not only a temple of Italian cycling, but a living space, capable of engaging new generations and transforming Milan's great sporting tradition into a shared and participatory experience".

"The Vigorelli represents one of the most iconic places in Milan's and Italy's sporting heritage – emphasizes Lorenzo Lamperti, President and General Director of Milanosport – and thanks to "Awaiting the Giro" we intend to enhance precisely the dual nature of the velodrome: on one hand, a symbol of Italy's great cycling tradition; on the other, a contemporary, multifunctional space open to the city, capable of hosting competitions, exhibitions, social initiatives and new generations of athletes. Bringing the Giro d'Italia and its values back to the Vigorelli means reaffirming the role of this facility as a collective heritage of Milan and as a living point of reference for the city's sport and culture".