profile, schedule, forecast and places to see of the second stage

The stage profile: Cesenatico-Bologna (199.2km)

“The crossing of the Emilia-Romagna region will initially take the peloton without much difficulty towards Imola and its famous racing circuit. The final part with the climb of the San Luca sanctuary (1.9 km at 10.6%), the traditional finish of the Tour of Emilia, is an invitation to punchers and will be crossed twice in the last 40 kilometers.”comments Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France, about this second stage.

The tribute to the winner of the 1998 Tour de France Marco Pantani will continue throughout this second stage. He is a native of Cesena, 25km from the starting point this Sunday. A museum in his honor is also dedicated to him in Cesenatico.

The timetables for the 2nd stage of the Tour

The start will be given at 12:15 p.m. from Cesenatico. The end of the stage is scheduled between 5:05 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. in Bologna.

How to watch the Tour de France on TV?

The broadcast will start on France 2 until 1pm when it will switch to France 3 until 3pm. Return to France 2 for the end of the stage and the post-race until 7pm. You can also follow the entire race on Eurosport or with live commentary on Le Figaro.fr.

Not to be missed on the course

If Marco Pantani’s stronghold, Cesenatico, the starting city of this second stage, is located on the shores of the Adriatic, it is the arrival city that attracts attention. Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna, has the oldest university in the Western world. It was founded in 1088 and today has 100,000 students. This constitutes almost a quarter of its total population (387,871 inhabitants).

Something else to see in the erudite (in French: la savante), the Basilica di San Petronio, a jewel of Gothic architecture located on the Major Squarethe main square of the city of Bologna, which dates back to the 16th century. It also includes the Palazzo dei Bianchi and the Palazzo del Podesta, the most important monuments in the city.

Expression of the day: “suck the wheel”

It is an expression used by cyclists when a rider places himself behind another to take advantage of his slipstream and possibly benefit from the efforts.

In 1989, Laurent Fignon used this expression in particular to designate his main rival, Greg LeMond, who did not want to collaborate in the mountain stages.