Rimini, Riccione, Cattolica. A three unit mostly synonymous with beach holidays. Sun, sea, booze. At least, that's how I've always remembered it. Not for nothing did I set off for a two-week summer holiday to this Bermuda triangle for young people when I was 18. I had heard of Cesenatico. What's more, the village with this name was strongly on my mind. It was the mecca for a cycling pilgrimage. Here you could see 'him'. God himself, or rather Il Pirata. Marco Pantani. God was 'VDB'. Funny to see that both a pirate and god met their end in the same sad way. VDB somewhere in Senegal. Pantani in a hotel room in Rimini.
By Sander Kolsloot
The coast
Cesenatico, that is. A seaside resort, just north of Rimini. This is where he was born. Marco Pantani. This is where he was discovered. If you speak to Italian cycling fans, the name Pantani always does 'something'. There is an idolisation for the rider. When I was with an Italian journalist at the UCI centre in Aigle last year, Pantani's name fell by the gallery of champions. The best man was almost blown away. Even better: he told me that the best-selling issue of BiciSport, a leading Italian cycling magazine, was the edition of Pantani and the Tour win. A sloppy 150,000 pieces changed hands in newsstands or bookshops at the time. Unheard of.
Read also: From Cesenatico to San Marino: through the heart of Emilia-Romagna during EMCC
We go in search, of beautiful places in this region. In search of the traces and feel of Il Pirata.
E-mi-li-ja-ro-man-ja
The province Emilia-Romagna still captures the imagination. If only because of its name. Emilia-Romagna. Few provinces with a prettier name. Naja Piedmont, but the Italian version. The Dutch corruptions like South Tyrol for Alto Adige only hurt my ears. The province consists of the parts Emilia, Romagna and Modena/Bologna. Funny thing is. It is a relatively large province, covering stretches along the coast as well as running further inland, all the way past the cities of Modena and Parma. You'll find both flat and hilly routes. You can ride along the beaches, through the hills but also a longer (training) climb like to Sestola to the west or Pian Cavallaro, near Bologna.
Hills
One of the finest events in the region is the 'Nove Colli' (Nine Hills), with start and finish in Cesenatico. But the region is more than just Cesenatico. Of course, this was visible during the 2020 World Cup in Imola. The images of Anna van der Breggen, FIlippo Ganna and Julian Alaphilippe riding along 'that little road' are etched in the collective memory.
Deeper inland, towards San Marino you will find some nice hills. Many of them are also in the aforementioned cyclo. As also mentioned earlier, towards the west of Emilia Romagna you will find the steeper and longer climbs.
Monte Pirata
On the edge of Emilia Romagna and Le Marche lies the climb. Monte Carpegna is the Pirate Mountain. It was Marco's favourite mountain. He would always insist that "the Carpegna was enough for him". When tackling this mountain, you have to put on the right gear. Eyes closed and dancing on the pedals, just like the little pirate. Because with 10% average and the last 2 kilometres (the Cippo) at 12%, it is no mean feat. You understand that Marco indeed had enough of this. After his death, this mountain became a true place of pilgrimage. Not only because of Marco's love, but also because of the statue erected there, in honour of il Elefantino, as he was also called. By the way, is it a coincidence that a short hill nearby is named San Marco carries?
From the Nove Colli: Barbotto and Gorolo
The Barbotto is actually the classic Nove Colli climb. The toughest climb in the series of nine climbs. In 5.5 kilometres, you go over 370 metres into the air at an average of 6.9%. That already sounds pretty tough, but when you consider that it includes a section of 18% (!), you have to show up at the start of this climb with the right legs. It does make for some nice pictures and the fact that you can order a 'piccolo caffè' at Bar Barbotto...Happy days!
The Gorolo is also a really tough unit. The final climb in the long course is 'only' 4 kilometres long, but in it it's uphill on average by 6% with an outlier to 17%. After more than 175 kilometres, this really is raking to the max.
Excursion to San Marino
If you are on a pilgrimage in this region, a trip to San Marino is actually a must. Personally, I prefer this kind of madness. Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Andorra. I love coming there and so I've been to San Marino myself once. Just for fun. To get to San Marino, you also really have to go up a hill. That makes the drive there, from Cesenatico for instance, a lot of fun. Tap a sign, grab a coffee and go back again
The interior
Because Emilia Romagna is so big, you really have a lot of options. However, you also have to deal with the Po Plain, which makes it a lot less interesting in terms of challenges. The nicest challenges are towards the south-west border of the province. There is a beautiful mountain range there, the Apennines, which has many beautiful climbs in it, including the Corno Alla Scale where Gilberto Simoni topped first in the Giro in 2004. A long climb that gets very steep especially at the end.
There you'll also find the Passo delle Radici. Not mega steep but 30 kilometres of climbing with 1300m altitude difference in total. The part on the west side challenges you the most in that respect. The name is also cool, as it actually means the (tree) root pass. Fortunately, the road surface is not full of roots. That makes a difference. The road itself is definitely a picture.
Other nice climbs include the Trebbio where the Giro has also finished a few times, most recently in 2015. That's 5 kilometres of pounding, with peaks towards 15-16%.
Stay
In this region, you have a huge selection of cycling hotels and accommodation. Especially in the Rimini region, you won't easily go wrong. A handy site is Italy Bike Hotels, which has collected a lot of good cycling accommodation, including some tips and routes.
Route on the trail of the Pirate
This beautiful route starts in Cesenatico and goes all the way to its favourite climb: Monte Carpegna. Then, with an ode to this training area, it returns to start in Cesenatico, the birthplace of Pantani. Along the way, you will come across many references to the little Italian cycling great.
More inspiration? We have also written up a cool route in Emilia Romagna in collaboration with Johan van der Heijden: Beautiful cycle route in Emilia-Romagna.
The routes of Vie del Bike also pass through this province, as the project connects all provinces of Italy. Check out the routes of adjacent regions in advance here Tuscany, Umbria and le Marche
One Response
Fun. I now organise cycling holidays in Emilia Romagna and all these places and mountains are in my itineraries.