A year ago Dino Salvoldi He was approaching the world of juniors. A neophyte, as he called himself, fresh from his triumphs with the girls and called upon to replicate his feat in a completely different context. By his own admission, he needed to take stock, to understand. A year later, the time has come to draw a line.
The junior world championship (opening with the San Daniele GP in Susegana, photo by Scanferla) has been and is being much discussed; indeed, it's safe to say it's at the root of the difficult situation Italian cycling is facing. If a breath of fresh air arrives among the youth, the light at the end of the tunnel will be clearly visible. Salvoldi is aware of this and is convinced of it and in fact, It was precisely on the basis of what happened in 2022 that he formed an idea and began to act, even in a concrete way.
These days, the coach is waiting to get back on the road, after a forced "pit stop" for a minor eye operation. Meanwhile, before retiring, he had arranged an important meeting with all the new players.
«We called 56 boys who will graduate to junior level in 2023 for a series of track tests – he says – but with an eye also turned towards the roadThe track has long preparation times and so we had to anticipate."
After a year of work, what do you think?
For me it was a full immersion in knowledge. We have done a lot of road work abroad and it has been fundamental for us to interact with the world and understand what is needed.The first fact that emerged is that distances no longer exist, young people need comparisons that are always upwards that allow them to learn and above all create perspectives, which at that age are much more important than results in themselves.
The comparisons with foreigners were merciless…
Those born in 2004 in other countries are a more knowledgeable generation, I've noticed, but that's not always the case. Perhaps subsequent generations will give different answers. Maybe we could find the champions that others envy, but we definitely have to change something., starting from an assumption.
What?
We must always keep in mind our experience, our history, which no one can take away from us. That said, let's realize that cycling is now as global as the society we live in. If our kids go abroad to study to find their way, why shouldn't the same be true for cycling? They used to come to us, when all the big teams were here, but things have changed now. There are many problems to face: school, lack of resources, even distances. It's much easier for a rider to travel from Milan to Belgium than from Sicily to Florence... These are difficulties we must get used to in order to find the right countermeasures.
Have you thought of something yet?
I didn't just think, I proposed and got it approved. Until 2022, a junior could compete in a maximum of two stage races, with a 20-day interval between them. This restriction has now been removed. Multiple stage races can be run in the same year, with the only limitation of a 10-day interval. Furthermore, after speaking with various sports directors, we came to the conclusion that the Italian calendar must be enhanced, exploiting the levels for the needs of each clubThe best will compete in national and international competitions, while the regional ones should be a training ground for growth. It's up to the sports director to figure out how to best utilize his players, while always keeping their best interests in mind.
Over the course of the year, you talked about the need to build a small group with which to tackle the international stage races and the Nations Cup. Are you still convinced?
Even more so! Depending on the outcome, having a reference group helps. Kids, aside from their club activities, need a shared and ongoing relationship. I want the national team to become a real team, a group, and this is built with regular appearances. This does not mean that it will not be an open group and that anyone who deserves it will be able to join at any time.
Have you formed an idea of the new generation, that of the students who will move up to junior level, beyond the work on the track?
My collaborators and I have travelled for many races, in particular Italian championships and Gold Cup e The notebooks are full of names and indications. Just by working on the track, we've seen athletes who are potentially good on the road as well. I think there'll be a lot of good material to work with.
You talk a lot about the track…
I've read negative reviews of the boys, forgetting what they've done in major track events. These results demonstrate that the human material is there and is valid.Now we need to take a further step, and the boys will have to be good at doing it by changing categories, knowing that the results depend on many things.
Let's try to change perspective: what kind of year has it been for Dino Salvoldi?
It's been a fun year. I've made myself available to the entire movement, but being a manager also involves painful choices. My feeling, however, is that this category should be redesigned: in my opinion, it should be allowed to remain in place for an additional year to truly have an impact. In the industry, I've found many capable people who do their job well, and others who think they do it well. This means that training and updating cannot be ignoredThis is a message I address to all leaders, myself included, because only in this way can we help Italian cycling overcome its difficulties. Ultimately, the human potential to do so is there...
