Today the Frecce Tricolori kicked off the 15th stage of the Giro d'Italia which, for the first time in the history of the pink race, started from a military airport, that of the 2nd wing of the Air Force and home of the National Aerobatic Team .
Once again the synergy between the Frecce Tricolori and the Giro d'Italia is renewed. Already in the recent past, in fact, the pink of the cycling competition joined the tricolor of the PAN: in 1998 and 2009 the Giro d'Italia caravan crossed the track of the Friulian air base and in 2014 the Frecce Tricolori flew over Trieste in occasion of the arrival of the last stage. This year the tricolor fumes of the MB-339 of the National Aerobatic Team opened the mountain stage starting from the military airport of Rivolto and arriving in Piancavallo (PN).
The commander of the 2nd wing, Colonel Marco Bertoli, started the pink caravan, commenting: "Organizing such an articulated and complex event inside a military airport is like running a mountain stage. The effort is great and you have to rely on teammates to face the difficulties along the climb. Once you get to the top, however, the satisfaction it's a lot; only thanks to teamwork with local and territorial institutions and realities is all this possible, especially in the historical moment we are going through ".
The commander of the Frecce Tricolori, ten. with the. Gaetano Farina, wanted to express his satisfaction by pointing out "the pride and honor of being able to open a stage of the Giro d'Italia for the first time from a military airport. Team play, technology, training and a lot of passion are just some of the key elements that unite the world of cycling to that of the Air Force ".
The departure of the 103rd Giro d'Italia stage from the Friulian military base once again underlines the strong link between the territory, the Air Force and the Frecce Tricolori that Friuli Venezia Giulia has hosted for the past 60 years. Just this year, in fact, a very prestigious milestone for the PAN should have been celebrated: the 60th acrobatic season of the Frecce Tricolori, with a special event scheduled for 19 and 20 September, whose celebrations - due to the health emergency due to COVID-19 pandemic - have been postponed to 2021.
The Frecce Tricolori were, in this difficult 2020, ambassadors of a message of hope and optimism, "running" at the end of May a very special "tour of Italy" - an initiative strongly desired by the Minister of Defense on. Lorenzo Guerini - who in five days touched all the regional capitals, a sort of "tricolor hug" as a sign of solidarity.
This overflight also wants to ideally underline the strong commitment that is required of everyone, just like in a great team, to achieve a common goal, which can be a sporting goal as well as something much more important in this difficult time such as public health . Every citizen, for the good of all, is called to act with responsibility and a sense of discipline, values around which the training and performances of the Frecce Tricolori are also built, a team that makes respect for the rules and team spirit your own DNA.
