About cycling & running in BolognaBologna Training Notes
Running: Locals run Giardini Margherita when they want clean loops, and the outer roads give you 2km laps. Giardini Lunetta Gamberini gives another circular lap of around 2 km, so intervals are easy to keep honest. Parco Talon in Casalecchio di Reno opens onto the Reno river, where trails are shared with mountain-bikers. Parco Villa Angeletti links into the Navile Canal, and joggers can extend mileage onto the embankment into the Bolognese plain. RunChallenge meets at Giardini Margherita, Porta Castiglione, on Mondays from 18:45 to 20:00. CASAGLIA - SAN LUCA, Maratona di Bologna, and 44° StraBologna are the anchor races.
Cycling: Locals ride the Tangenziale delle Biciclette when they want the city gates in one tidy ring. The city centre crosses well by bike, and Bologna’s gates make a natural crit map. The Certosa to Talon Park bike path starts at Certosa Cemetery and finishes inside Parco Talon. The Navile Canal route starts at Villa Angeletti and runs to Ponte della Bionda. Ciclovia del Sole gives you 46 km from Bologna to Mirandola, and the Navile Cycle Route points toward Castel Maggiore and Bentivoglio. The climbs sit south and west in the Bolognese Apennines, with San Luca waiting as the Giro dell’Emilia anchor.
Season: Spring and Autumn are the best months, because Bologna lets you stack Z2 on the plain and climb work in the hills without changing the whole day. Summer keeps locals on repeatable city loops, the Reno river, the Navile Canal, and early base miles before longer rides on Ciclovia del Sole. Winter changes the feel for both sports, because snow is not uncommon between late November and early March. February 2012 was one of the snowiest months of the past decade, so locals keep options open between Giardini Margherita laps, portico work on Via di San Luca, and lower flat routes.
