Mechanical shovels and a turbine at work to open a passage in the snow: 18 years after its debut, the pink race will return to the Sutrio side
SUTRIO. For now, everything as planned. On Monday morning the mechanical shovels of the “Gaspari” company in Sutrio started working at high altitude on the Zoncolan to clear the last 3 km of the steep road that leads to the summit from the abundant snow cover. Two, even three meters of blanket that during the winter, until last week, covered the mountain at high altitude and that make it necessary to use a real task force to allow the expected arrival of the pink race stage which, 18 years after the absolute debut, will return to interest the Sutrio side.
“The mechanical shovels and a“ turbine ”made available by Fvg Strade – explains Daniele Straulino, councilor for sport of the Municipality of Sutrio – with difficulty began to make their way through the snow by opening a passage. Up there it is still midwinter but in the first day of work almost a kilometer of road has already been cleared. By the weekend we will free all 3 km up to the finish area. Meanwhile, the asphalting works of the 11 km of regional road that from Sutrio lead to the Enzo Moro refuge have also been contracted ”.
The complex operations, supervised by the patron of the Friulian stages Enzo Cainero, aim to provide the Giro d’Italia with a viable road, also for possible inspections of athletes before the start of the pink race, by the beginning of May “. Very possible inspections, of course, because the pandemic certainly does not recommend unscheduled trips outside the “traveling bubbles” in which the world-famous pedaling worlds have lived for months. Egan Bernal, for example, the Colombian of Ineos winner of the 2019 Tour de France and highly anticipated at the Giro, has changed his mind by giving up the reconnaissance scheduled in Carnia on one of the most awaited climbs from the Giro to stay in Colombia to refine the preparation and land in Europe only on the eve of the start of the race scheduled for May 8 from Turin.
In the vicinity of the stage, therefore, the councilor Straulino explained again “various spaces on the edge of the carriageway will also be cleared of snow to allow hosting, between the piazzale Moro, which is largely destined for the organization’s vehicles and the buses of the teams, and other land at least 1,500 cars, in the hope that the measures to counter the pandemic will be relaxed allowing the influx of enthusiasts naturally in safety.
Fans who, with the green light from the authorities, could also reach the Zoncolan by cable car from Ravascletto. No ocean gatherings of 100,000 people, therefore, as happened for example in 2007 or 2010 when the Giro arrived for the first two times from the Ovaro side, but a stage with 5-6 thousand people well spaced along the roadside on the Zoncolan would be already a great success and a sign of hope these days. In the meantime, we are thinking of shoveling the snow, already a no small job given the abundance of rainfall in the last three months.