Ravenna and "El Tond" – In the city of mosaics, an ambitious project to relaunch local cycling

Good morning Folkriders,

Let's be clear: this adventure had a different flavor for us. It wasn't like the others. Perhaps it's because childhood nostalgia, once we pass a certain point, becomes ever stronger, or perhaps because returning to where our dream began always represents an emotionally fulfilling moment. We experienced all this, and much more, in Ravenna, over the weekend of the Immaculate Conception.

In the small Adriatic Byzantium, in addition to the mosaics that permeate its buildings and spirit, we haven't come just for a tour, but to experience firsthand an initiative by the Rebirth of Cycling (pay attention to that name, we'll see it again) in the city. At 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 7th, we have an appointment with Emiliano Galanti , president of the Ravenna Friends of Cycling Committee , the association promoting the project we'll be telling you about. We meet in the central Piazza del Popolo, and immediately introduce him to the EM 116 S TWANG JET that will accompany us on this interview tour. And in short, as we glide together through the streets of the historic center and chat in the scent of piadina, we find ourselves in that harmony that only cycling enthusiasts like us can share. Emiliano begins by introducing us to the idea—or rather, the dream come true—of the Ravenna Bike Park , a multidisciplinary area dedicated to youth cycling and beyond, located in what was once the Candiani Racecourse . This was known to the people of Ravenna as " El Tond ," and we believe any translation is superfluous.

"The idea, to be honest, came almost as a joke," Emiliano explains as we head toward the new Darsena. "I'm a fan of fantasy cycling (you fantasy football legends, listen up!), and just before COVID, a user discussion pointed out that the idea of building a cycling track was gaining traction in Cesena, while in Ravenna—to be honest—similar initiatives were always a pipe dream. So I said, 'Let's do it too!' A few friends got behind me, and the idea really began to take shape."

Good heavens , they say around here! How did you personally get to all this?  Our question resonates here in Darsena, an expression of a Ravenna that also knows how to be modern, between street art and youth clubs.

As a boy, I raced bicycles for Pedale Azzurro (a historic cycling club based in the Fornace Zarattini area, ed.), then life took me down other paths. The passion, however, remained, between amateur cycling and trips with friends to follow the stages of the Grand Tours live, until it merged with our spirit of initiative and took this project to another level. Paradoxically, the COVID period gave us the time we needed to structure it appropriately, establish a dialogue with local institutions, and identify the old racetrack as an opportunity worth seizing.

Listening to Emiliano as we push the EM 116S TWANG JET along the long and evocative Darsena, on a splendidly temperate day, makes our curiosity grow immeasurably.

“Obviously, there wasn't just bureaucracy, feasibility and economic studies, and funding issues. We've conducted historical research to preserve and rediscover Ravenna's cycling tradition. On our website, in addition to a review of the jerseys and colors of the historic clubs of the "scene,"  We have dedicated a great deal of space to Guglielmo Malatesta , one of the first great champions produced by our city"

The epic story of Guglielmo Malatesta, a precocious track talent who saw his early days at the old velodrome-hippodrome, is contained in a delightful booklet dedicated to him, also edited by the Friends of Cycling Committee, of which Emiliano is president.  Suffice it to say here that the Malatesta Cycling Society, a Ravenna native and one of four Italian cyclists who participated in that London 1908 Olympics, was named after him in 1934. This was the forerunner of the SC Pedale Ravennate , with which he shared the splendid white jersey with horizontal yellow and red stripes. The colors of the city, for decades opposed to the SC Rinascita.

Yes, that Renaissance we were talking about earlier.

That Rebirth in which Marco Pantani also played for a period.

And while we imagine that kaleidoscope of old and glorious jerseys, those rivalries that hark back to a more spartan, yet perhaps more delightfully authentic, era of cycling, we reach the Pala De Andrè , a historic city sports facility named after Mauro De Andrè, brother of singer-songwriter Fabrizio and a esteemed professional, as well as a longtime collaborator of the Ferruzzi Group. From here, it's a short ride back onto a bike path—they're as rare here as piadinas—and back toward the city center. The southern entrance to the Ravenna Bike Park is just a few pedal strokes away.

"Above all," Emiliano continues, "we wanted to create a safe, well-equipped, and comfortable environment for youth cycling in Ravenna. As former cyclists, we know all too well the logistical challenges parents face in driving their children to training, unloading and loading bikes, bags, helmets, etc., while also having to worry about keeping them entertained away from the dangers of traffic. To encourage young people to take up cycling, we start with a safe environment where they can peacefully develop their technique and cultivate social skills."

We barely have time to finish the concept before we've crossed the entrance to the Bike Park, where the spectacle is truly remarkable: a masterfully constructed pumptrack on the southeast slope, ideal for developing reflexes and coordination, with the cycle track in the background. A classic loop track "already compliant with youth standards," as Emiliano rightly points out, "but also perfect for amateurs who want to come and ride in peace."

We're also thrilled to hear how much the EM 116 S TWANG JET feels at home on this track. At Trovador, we've always been passionate about the track, both a discipline with a long tradition and an invaluable school for promising new speedsters. Timing, reflexes, tactical sense, coordination, energy management, composure, and explosiveness: these are just some of the great qualities that develop on the ring. Astride our EM 116 TWANG JET , we slowly increase the pace. We can't stop pedaling—we've chosen the fixed gear for today—and yet we can't feel it in our legs. We feel light, perhaps even a little intoxicated. The almost wintry sea air, with its numbness that induces thought, makes us feel even more in another dimension. Dreamy, perhaps, is the most appropriate word to describe it. We want to go round and round forever.

"Come on, I'll take you to where the MTB area for kids will be built," Emiliano shakes us, helping us return to the present. Or rather, to the near future, to the area under the maritime pines—and it couldn't be otherwise—where a space dedicated to mountain biking will be created, with ramps, jumps, obstacle courses, and much more.

This is essentially the real reason we're here: the construction of this area will be financed by a fundraiser promoted by the Committee, which Trovador happily joined and which quickly achieved excellent results. Tangible proof of a city that lives and works for cycling.

"We're well underway: the project is already finalized, and the inauguration is scheduled for the end of April 2026. " Before saying goodbye to head home and enjoy a good Sunday soup, Emiliano shows us where this area for kids will be built, the final piece of a mosaic—it really goes without saying—that was almost unimaginable until recently. And we certainly can't help but feel a little envious of those youngsters who will use it, who will perhaps meet up on Saturday afternoons, after school, somewhere between new Goonies and budding bikers, to challenge each other in skill tests and perhaps tell the whole story in class the following Monday, over a weekend as long as a book, as only can happen at that age. 

Imagining all this, dear Folkriders, is why we can't truly imagine ourselves away from the bicycle. Pedal after pedal, wheel after wheel, kilometer after kilometer, toward the city of our childhood.

The last stronghold of fantasy.

 

the track: https://www.komoot.com/it-it/tour/2708742282

The Committee's website: https://www.ciclismoravenna.it/