Huge masses of rock and debris slid onto the asphalt of the Via Aurelia between Voltri and Arenzano on 25 January. The road was piled metres high with debris that had fallen from the steep slopes on the Ligurian coast in Italy. The Via Aurelia, a Strada Statale (roughly equivalent to a federal road in Germany), which is several hundred kilometres long, connects the Italian capital Rome with southern France and always runs along the Mediterranean coast. At Arenzano, the coastal road is traditionally part of the route of the Milan-San Remo cycle race. The accident site is around 25 kilometres west of the city centre of Genoa, where the women started last year in the new edition of their race. The confluence of the Turchino Pass descent, from which the men ride to the coast, is only a few kilometres away.
Race against time?
According to Italian media reports, the route should be reopened on 1 March. The Genova Today website quoted officials who were optimistic that the timetable would be adhered to. Initially, the closure had only been in place until 6 February. However, extensive slope stabilisation measures including blasting were necessary. The men's and women's World Tour races are scheduled for 21 March.
It is difficult to bypass the section. Car traffic is currently being diverted toll-free via the A10 motorway. Shortly after the landslide, the mayor of Arenzano, Francesco Silvestrini, told the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica: "There is a risk of further collapses: The wall is very steep, the protective nets are 40 years old and cracks are visible. It will be days before we understand when the Aurelia can reopen." The organisers of Milan-San Remo, RCS, have scheduled a press conference for 25 February, at which new information regarding the circuit for the next edition of the race is expected to be released.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
