English summary

For three days the Giro d’Italia will hold Gelderland enthralled. On Friday 6 May, the international cycling event kicks off in Apeldoorn. The route of the second stage, held a day later, runs through Wageningen. In cooperation with GFO, the association of film projectionists in Gelderland,  Movie W is showing Cinema al Giro, a selection of films paying homage to this famous sporting event.

Part 1: four remarkable short documentaries about the Giro’s history.

• Pijn van de Kou: With the help of Erik Breukink and Johan van de Velde, Wilfried de Jong reconstructs the legendary stage in which the cyclists crossed the Gavia mountain in 1988. Johan van de Velde looked set to win until, in the Gavia Pass at an altitude of 2,500 m, the weather turned nasty. No one was expecting the icy cold and snow falls that hit the cyclists. Least of all Johan van de Velde, who had already dumped all his protective clothing.
• Een Hemel Vol Fietsen: De Jong visits Madonna del Ghissalo, a hill where a small church stands and now a place of pilgrimage for cycling enthusiasts. With an impressive collection of the shirts and bicycles of famous cyclists, the church has been transformed into a cycling museum. Among the big names represented is Gino Bartali, a contemporary of the legendary Fausto Coppi. At the time of filming, he was the greatest living Italian hero. De Jong visits him in his house in Florence, where he is recovering from a lung infection.
• Gerben Karstens: As host of his TV show Holland Sport, Wilfried speaks to former cyclist Gerben Karstens. Karstens was known for being the clown of the peloton. He delivered his best performances during the Vuelta a Espana (14 stage wins). In the Giro he won one stage, in 1973, when he beat the great Eddy Merckx. Karsten reveals that it was the tifosi (the irrepressible fans) who made the Giro such a great show. Karsten’s story is illustrated with excellent footage from the classic cycling documentary ‘The Stars and the Watercarriers’.
• Il Lombardia: Cycling enthusiast Johannes Sigmond, also known as pop artist Blaudzun, produced this ode to the last Italian classic of the cycling season. Held in mid-autumn amid the hills surrounding Lake Como, the Tour of Lombardi is also known as The Race of the falling dry leaves. As well as special archive footage of the route, the film includes past and present cyclists such as Karsten Kroon, Robert Gesink and Michael Boogerd telling what Il Lombardia, as the Italians fondly call the tour, means to them.