The BGY Airport Granfondo 2026 took off from Lazzaretto

Tomorrow, at the 28th edition of the cycling event, 2,500 cyclists from 30 nations and four continents will line up at the start. A number that certificate an international vocation to which the precious collaboration with the Bergamo airport has given wings.

If Bergamo is known as the City of a Thousand, from today the BGY Airport Granfondo can be nicknamed the cycling event of 100,000. Thanks to the 2,500 registered participants in tomorrow’s 28th edition, starting at 7:00 a.m. from Via Marzabotto, the Bergamo Granfondo, which first entered the cycling calendar on May 4, 1996, has surpassed 100,000 participants.

A milestone that certifies how the event has entered the soul of an area linked to cycling, but also of a community, that of bicycle lovers, who when they feel involved never fail to give their contribution, regardless of their nationality.

In recent years, athletes from around eighty nations have lined up at the start of the event organized by Beppe Manenti‘s G.M.S.; tomorrow’s edition will be no exception, with cyclists representing 30 countries: from Switzerland to Germany, from England to Scotland, from Luxembourg to Belgium and Austria; as well as Spain, Portugal, Romania, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Malta, and Turkey. And then there are the Philippines and South Korea, Argentina, Venezuela, the United States and Mexico, Egypt, Ghana, and Morocco. This expansion of borders is facilitated by the partnership with BGY Airport, the main sponsor for the fourth year.

The BGY Airport Granfondo’s desire to put its loyal participants at the center of attention isn’t just a figure of speech, summed up by the slogan BGYOU. The event, in addition to investing in route safety, has accommodated the desires of all cyclists, from the most experienced to the less trained, thanks to three different tracks.

And then the attention paid to the race pack, always different and renewed, the sensitivity towards charitable causes, to which over 130 thousand euros have been donated since 1996 and, the post-race logistics, which will take place inside the Lazzaretto in Bergamo.

Preliminary operations took place today at the Lazzaretto, with the opening of the ExpoVillage and the distribution of race numbers and race packs. It was the perfect chance for participants to have a friendly chat, visit the exhibitors’ stands, and enjoy a lunch together under the sun.

THE THREE ROUTES AND THE EUGENIO MERCORIO TIME TRIAL

The participants will be able to choose from three spectacular routes, suitable for all types of cyclists and varying levels of fitness: from the “short” route of 91 km (1,400 m elevation gain), to the “medium” route of 131 km (2,100 m elevation gain), to the “long” route of 148 km (2,800 m elevation gain).

Three loops encompassing the beauty of the Bergamo province, crossing six valleys (Val Cavallina, Valseriana, Val Serina, Val Brembana, Val Taleggio, Valle Imagna) and 37 municipalities.

The route is the same until km 73, near Ambria: after navigating the hairpin bends of Selvino (which will award the Eugenio Mercorio prize to the fastest athlete in the climb), the short route turns back to the finish line, while the medium and long routes continue towards Costa d’Olda and Forcella di Bura. After completing the descent to Brembilla (km 113), the medium route turns towards the finish line, while those opting for the longer route will reach Forcella di Berbenno, Sant’Omobono Terme, and the final bend towards Bedulita before the final plunge towards Bergamo and the finish line.

THE PROGRAM