Binda Cycling Festival 2024
It was presented the calendar of cultural events related to cycling and the Varese area that will frame the October Tre Valli Varesine organized by the Alfredo Binda Cycling Society. The Ghisallo Cycling Museum among the partners of the first edition kicking off on Sept. 7.
Varese, Aug. 30, 2024 – The first edition of the Binda Cycling Festival was presented at the Varese Chamber of Commerce Infopoint. Organized by the Tre Valli Varesine APS Association in collaboration with the Alfredo Binda Cycling Society, the Festival brings together a series of events and initiatives that will take place in September and October 2024, affecting various locations in Lombardy: Varese, Milan, Brezzo di Bedero, Busto Arsizio and Magreglio. Present at the press conference were Stefano Malerba, Sports Councillor for the Municipality of Varese, Michele Di Toro representing the Province of Varese and Davide Cionfrini representing Confindustria Varese. Doing the honors was Chamber of Commerce President Mauro Vitiello. Lombardy Region Councillor for Culture Francesca Caruso sent a message of greeting: “This event, named after Alfredo Binda, legendary cycling champion and symbol of our territory, offers a unique opportunity to highlight the cultural, artistic and natural excellences of the province of Varese. The Binda Cycling Festival goes beyond the celebration of cycling: it is a mosaic of initiatives that embrace culture, sports, tourism, education and art, strongly promoting the potential of this land rich in history and traditions.” With the Binda Cycling Festival, the Tre Valli Varesine Association set out to enhance the link between the Varese area and cycling by promoting a series of events that are heterogeneous among themselves but have the sport of two wheels as their meeting point. The cycling tradition has its roots in the province of Varese, which over time has become a prestigious testing ground for professional cyclists with the Tre Valli Varesine. Areas that have given birth to great names in cycling such as Luigi Ganna, from Induno Olona, winner of the first edition of the Giro d’Italia in 1909, and Alfredo Binda, from Cittiglio, whose successes include five editions of the Giro d’Italia, three World Championships and more. On the occasion of the Granfondo Tre Valli Varesine, a race valid for qualifying for the UCI World Series, and the Tre Valli Varesine UCI Pro Series reserved for professional women and men, Varese will be a tourist destination for fans and athletes from all over the world. With this in mind, what better opportunity to showcase the beauty of our area, its cycling history and more. EXHIBITIONS The starting ribbons will be cut on Saturday, September 7, at 11 a.m., with the opening of the exhibition entitled “World Fascination. The rainbow jersey,” at the Veratti Hall in Varese. The exhibition will be open until Sunday, Oct. 13, and consists of a number of rainbow jerseys worn by the champions who made cycling history, memorabilia from the Cycling Museum and the Sanctuary of Madonna del Ghisallo. On Tuesday, September 10 at 11 a.m. in Milan, at Palazzo Lombardia, headquarters of the Region, the exhibition “Tre Valli Varesine. A Century of Cycling,” which will be open until Thursday, Sept. 26, and can be visited Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Photographic exhibits, vintage newspapers and memorabilia from the 102 editions of the cycling race will be on display on this occasion. On Saturday, September 14, at 11 a.m., at the Ghisallo Cycling Museum in Magreglio (CO), an exhibition on the champions of the Varesotto area, from the dawn of cycling to the postwar period, entitled “Ciclisti Varesini. Heroic cycling champions,” will open and will be on view until Sunday, Nov. 1.
MEETINGS On Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 9 p.m., at the Sala Montanari in Varese, there will be a conference entitled “Luigi Ganna, Campione Senza Fine,” an evening dedicated to the winner of the first edition of the Giro d’Italia, in which journalists and columnists will speak: Federico Buffa, Vito Romaniello, Sergio Gianoli, Claudio Piovanelli, Antonio Triveri, Francesco Pierantozzi, Alessandro Burin, Cesare Chiericati, Gianni Spartà, Marco Dal Fior, Damiano Franzetti, and Pasquale Diaferia. The Trofeo Senza Fine dedicated to Luigi Ganna will be displayed for the occasion. On Sunday, Sept. 22 in Brezzo di Bedero, at the Casa Paolo Association, there will be a book presentation by Paolo Costa, “Sorrisi e fantasia. The cycling of Silvano Contini” about the cyclist from Leggiuno. The event is scheduled at 6 p.m. to be followed by refreshments. On Thursday, September 26, at 9 p.m., the Sala Montanari in Varese will host the presentation of the book “He was my grandfather. The unrepeatable story of the “Human Locomotive” told by his grandson” with Learco Guerra Jr. accompanied by a screening of the docufilm on Learco Guerra. Moderat. or Francesco Pierantozzi. On Saturday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m., at the Salone Estense in Varese, there will be a conference entitled “Il campione si racconta,” in which Vincenzo Nibali will speak about his cycling career and the exploits that have seen him as a protagonist. On Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 p.m., at Casa UYBA, E-work Arena in Busto Arsizio, an evening is scheduled dedicated to champion Morena Tartagni, who, together with author Gianluca Alzati, will present the book “I wanted to be a runner,” in which the life, passion and battles of the champion, the first Italian athlete to stand on the podium at the 1968 World Cycling Championships in Imola, is recounted. The meeting will be moderated by Letizia Nepomuceno. On Thursday, October 24, at 9 p.m., Casa UYBA will host a conference on women’s cycling entitled “Cycling: a passion that unites,” where Silvia Grua, an amateur athlete who will talk about how cycling gave her that extra gear to overcome the climbs of life and a professional cyclist will be present to compare cycling as seen from two different perspectives: on the one hand, sport cultivated out of passion, and on the other, an activity that becomes a job and requires many sacrifices. Guests of the evening will be the girls of the women’s amateur cycling team “Pink Wave.” On Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m., at the Madonna del Ghisallo Cycling Museum in Magreglio (CO), Stefania Bardelli’s book “40,405” on Luigi Ganna will be presented. Guest speaker will be former professional cyclist Filippo Pozzato. During the meeting, moderated by Alessandro Brambilla, Luigi Ganna’s Trofeo Senza Fine will be displayed. The organization of the Binda Cycling Festival 2024 received a contribution from the Lombardy Region, as the project was selected in the Bando Unico Cultura 2024. The project has been able to benefit from the collaboration of the Alfredo Binda Cycling Society, the Madonna del Ghisallo Cycling Museum, and the Madonna del Ghisallo Sanctuary, and enjoys the patronage of CONI, the Italian Cycling Federation, the Province of Varese, the Municipality of Varese, the Municipality of Busto Arsizio, the Varese Chamber of Commerce, and Confindustria Varese. Special thanks to e-work and the City of Varese for the kind permission of the spaces. All information on the official website www.bindacyclingfestival.it
