The sportive town in the Province of Modena renews its bound with Appenninica MTB Stage races, hosting two starts and two finishes of the upcoming 2021 edition
The special relationship between Fanano and Appenninica MTB Stage Race continues for the 2021 edition (September 12th-18th, 2021), when the town in the province of Modena will host three stages of the mountain bike stage race. Fanano is a small mountain municipality at the foot of Monte Cimone, located in the Alto Appennino Modenese Natural Park. Orange flag of the Italian Touring Club since 2001 for its environment, this municipality is renewed as hometown of the Italian gold miner Felice Pedroni, who made his fortune in the United States at the beginning of the last century during the gold rush.
Appenninica MTB Stage Race will reach Fanano on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021, at the end of stage 3, “Gold Rush”, with 57 km and 2500 metres of elevation gain, starting from Lizzano in Belvedere. Before the arrival, the bikers will face the ascent of Monte Cimone, passing through the village of Trignano, birthplace of Felice Pedroni. This stage is characterized by exhausting ups and downs where athletes will have to be ready to face any scenario.
The following day, Wednesday, September 15th, 2021, the “Pippo Yeah!” stage returns to Appenninica after last year’s success. Entirely charted by famous trail builder Pippo Marani, the stage of 50 km and 2300 metres of elevation gain is byword of pure fun with two ascents towards the Passo Colombino and Passo Croce Arcana, although the 15 km of downhill on a single track will be decisive.
Fanano will say goodbye to Appenninica on Thursday, September 16th, 2021, hosting the start of the “High Mountain Queen Stage”, 95 km and 3600 metres of elevation gain with finish in Cerreto Laghi. The athletes will immediately face the challenging ascent towards the summit of Monte Cimone (17 km of climb for an elevation gain of over 1000 metres).
“We believed in the Appenninica project from the start because it is a worldwide platform for us to promote our territory. Here in Fanano we have about 300 km of trails of different difficulties that we keep clean with effort and dedication, but thanks to Appenninica, we can give a touristic boost to this offer and commitment. This is the moment of the Apennines, an ideal area to enjoy nature and breathe fresh air”, explained the Mayor of Fanano, Stefano Muzzarelli.
FANANO, BETWEEN SPORTS AND GOLD RUSH
Fanano is a small mountain municipality with a strong sport tradition, related to the winter ski resort of Monte Cimone, where it is possible to practice downhill skiing, ski mountaineering, as well as figure skating and hockey thanks to the presence of an ice rink. In summer, the network of trails is ideal for trekking, mountain biking and outdoor sports.
The beating heart of the town is Piazza Corsini, where the three most important access roads converge. In the village of Trignano, it’s also possible to visit the native home of Felice Pedroni, Fanano’s most illustrious citizen, who founded the town of Fairbanks, in Alaska, after discovering the largest gold deposit in the region.