Annual Motorbike Pilgrimage Through the Mont Blanc Tunnel
The 16th 'Mémorial Spadino' takes place this Sunday the 19th April
French and Italian bikers will meet on Sunday to pay homage to the Italian motorbike patroller Pier Luccio Tizzani, known to his friends as Spadino, who lost his life saving victims of the Mont Blanc tunnel fire on 24th March 1999.
Annually over 1300 motorbikers and members French and Italian motorbike federations gathered to pay their respects. For this ceremony, the tunnel would be closed for around an hour and bikers were able to travel through the tunnel free of charge.
In the past the event took place from the French side of the tunnel as the convoy travelled through to Courmayeur but this will change this year as the passage of a convoy such as this is no longer allowed from the French side.
So this year the event will be organised by the' Coordinamento Italiano Motociclisti' (CIM), alongside the GEIE TMB (the Italian operators of the tunnel) who will guarantee free passage through the tunnel for bikers visiting the memorial. The memorial ceremony will take place at 14:00 on Sunday 19th April at the main square in Courmayeur - La Grande place Grivel. There will be a reception area here all day for people to meet.
The FFMC 74 (French Federation of Motorcyclists in Haute Savoie) is advising bikers from France who wish to attend the memorial that they should leave plenty of time to travel through the tunnel to Courmayeur. Passage will not be in convoy and instead will be done on an individual basis under normal traffic conditions.
There are likely to be be large queues in both directions at the Mont Blanc Tunnel this Sunday and you should consult the French and Italian tunnel operators websites for more information before you travel.
