Local officials in the Tuscan town of Lucca are working to create a high-profile, three-day cycling festival in and around the medieval city. Former cycling champion and native of Lucca Mario Cipollini is working with Lucca Fiere e Congressi to organize the international race, likely to be called Lucca Bike 2011, and other events for both amateur and professional cyclists.
With 44 kilometres of cyclable roads and many historical landmarks, Lucca’s fame as a cycling center is growing. The city will host the cyclocross world championships next year and is a candidate for the cycling championships in 2013.
Lucca mayor Mauro Favilla said that the event ‘proves the strong ties between the city and two wheels. It wasn’t by chance that Lucca was elected Italian capital of “urban greenery” for the second year in a row. The event will be hosted in Lucca’s Polo Fieristico, a new complex that has a strategic location…next to the Firenze-Mare. I thank our champion Cipollini because together we believed in the realization of this initiative.’
The proposed Lucca Bike 2011 is an example of the increasing popularity of cycling tourism worldwide. Each year more and more people forgo a traditional vacation for one ‘on two wheels’ to enjoy the outdoors while helping to protect the environment.
