Tour de France, the Italian start with the wooden bike

It is the first time in history that the Grand Departthe great departure of Tour de Francestarts from Italy, from Florence to be precise. For a total of 3498 km, the legendary cycling race has three “Italian” stages, between Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, before reaching France and ending (strangely) in Nice (instead of, as usual, in Paris).

The departure

The cycling caravan leaves at 12:00 Saturday 29 June from the Villaggio alle Cascine in non-competitive mode and reaches Piazza Signoria, where the institutional start is given in the presence of the authorities. In the first part of the route, however, the stopwatch is turned off and the competitive race begins just outside the city, in the territory of Bagno a Ripoli, where the official start is given. From Florence to Rimini, then from Cesenatico to Bologna, and, again, the last Italian stage, from Piacenza to Turin. After which it crosses over to arrive in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

The wooden bicycle, the mascot

On the occasion of the Florentine stage of the Tour de France, Loriano Doriborn in 1949, the inventor of the wooden bicycle, brings his two-wheeled total-wood bike to the event, entirely built with recycled wood which, perfectly functional and usable on the road, becomes the mascot bike of the Tuscan stage. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, without any metal parts: 170 cm by 90 cm, identical to a racing bike, a one-of-a-kind piece and an object of desire for cycling enthusiasts. The frame, in tubular elder, is mounted on dogwood joints, and everything else, from the spheres that make up the movement bearings to the brake shoes, from the derailleur to the cranks, is made of wood. A unique piece that has made history.