By Callum Ludwig
The Giro Della Donna event which has called Warburton home since its inception is set for a slight change of scenery this year when it returns in November.
The start and finish line has been moved to Marysville, but Mt Donna Buang and the edge of Warburton will still feature on the course.
Event Director Michael Hands said it is sad to leave Warburton after some great years there, but there are a few key reasons they are doing this.
“I think the first and most important is that in addition to the recreational rides that have formed the heart of the event, we’re actually entering a couple of elite races and criteriums to the program this year,” he said.
“It’ll be part of the national road series of events and that’s good for the event, but what it means is we need a lot more room around the start-finish area for their footprint and also for all the criterium, which is a name for a circuit race.”
The National Road Series is a series of bike races held each year and is the chief domestic road racing competition for professional cyclists to compete against each other. The 2024 Giro Della Donna is set to be the last race featured in the series for the calendar year.
Traditionally the Giro Della Donna consisted of the 55km Gravel Giro on the Saturday and the 125km Giro Della Donna on the Sunday of the event weekend, as well as the free Picollo Giro ride popular with local families also held on Saturday.
Mr Hands said there’s nowhere in Warburton that really works as a circuit, while Marysville does.
“The Sunday races and rides are the same loops as they’ve always been, but it’s just that the start and finish is in Marysville, so it means the riders and the racers this time will be coming up the Acheron Way and then descending Mt Donna Buang into the edge of Warburton before turning east again to head out to Reefton and back up towards Cumberland Junction and Lake Mountain,” he said.
“It is still an event for whole the region and people will need to stay in a whole lot more areas than Marysville, it needs more beds than that, so we’ll certainly be doing our best to promote Warburton and the surrounds and working with the authorities and so forth on that.”
The 2023 Giro Della Donna was postponed to 2024 due to forecast thunderstorms and heavy rain over the weekend it was set to take place, having already been pushed back into the traditional November timeslot at the advice of VicRoads and the Department of Transport while repair works on Acheron Way were completed.
It also has faced backlash from some sections of the Warburton community in recent years for the impact of local traffic conditions, while other residents have welcomed the increased activity in the township and the excitement of hosting a major event.
Mr Hands said they want to acknowledge and thank everyone in Warburton for all the great years while they look forward to continuing in a slightly different way.
“It’s a beautiful spot, there’s great people and we’ve had a great time there, so we certainly are leaving reluctantly, operationally, we just need more room,” he said.
“If I was to put a tag on for it, I’d say it’s the most beautiful ride and the most beautiful place for it, they’re stunning roads and you have the mountains, you have forests, you have the river, have the smell of the eucalypt and the wildlife, it’s uniquely beautiful among rides and races throughout the country.”
