This weekend, the prestigious Giro d’Italia cycle race will be coming to Lake Balaton, with a whole roadshow in tow. Postponed from 2020, the early stages of the Italy-wide event are being hosted in Hungary, starting with the Budapest-Visegrád leg on Friday 6 May. From there, riders will be zooming through Badacsony, Tihany and Balatonfüred on Sunday afternoon, 8 May.
One of the most prestigious events in the cycling calendar, the Giro d’Italia was introduced in 1909 by Milan-based paper Gazzetta dello Sport, whose pages are signature pink. Since then, the race has been held every year in peacetime, with the early stages moved to countries such as Greece and Northern Ireland to popularise cycling there.
That honour now falls to Hungary, and landmarks around Lake Balaton have been coloured pink especially for the occasion.
In Badacsony there will be a Giro photo wall, in Balatonfüred a street band and a Giro balloon release while Balatonudvari is where you’ll find the Night of the Pink Lights, with churches illuminated on Friday and Saturday nights.
You can see the route and timetable here.
If you’re travelling around Lake Balaton on Sunday, you can expect main road 71 to be closed between Zánka and Tihany from 2pm to 5.20pm. There will also be parking restrictions in Balatonfüred.
