From bike to team car is a step that many have taken in cycling, but very few have done it so suddenly. Gianluca Brambilla had mentioned it, in the latest interviews, of the will to stay in the environment, but no one would have thought that everything would happen so quickly. In practically less than 50 days, that is, from the last race he took part in, the Veneto Classic, he did it all!
It is true that we had seen him on social media in Aigle, intent on studying and following the courses within the velodrome of theUCI in Switzerland, However, when we heard from him again to find out how things were going, we didn't expect a message like this: «I directed my first training session as a sports director». A story that deserves to be told, that of Brambilla, who answered us from the Valencian coast, where he is on retreat with his former team, the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. Which isn't really an ex!
Gianluca, we were saying, you mentioned your desire to stay in the industry and, why not, become sporting director, but it didn't seem like such a straightforward thing to do... How did it actually go?
It's true, but that's how it went. Certainly because of my passion for cycling and because the team I was in and where I am has had a huge impact. The idea, however, wasn't so far-fetched: I had the opportunity to immediately take the course in Aigle, it went well, and I continued with the team. As soon as the course was over, I returned as director.
So you're a full-fledged sports director?
Yup, especially after the four-hour marathon meeting with the other sporting directors on the first day of training camp! We need to get started. I've seen that I'm pretty good in the car, I just need to get used to it with my teammates, or rather, with the riders...
What did you do in Aigle? How was the UCI's sports directors course structured?
The course is quite demanding, both in terms of hours and exams. I was no longer used to doing so many hours of school: Theoretical lessons from 9 am to 18 pm, from Monday to Thursday, so four days of true full immersion. And then on Friday morning there was the test.
What does the test consist of?
It's a multiple-choice test on everything they explained to us: regulations, anti-doping, race rules, UCI bodies and organizational chart, the various bodies within the UCI itself that are involved in the races, who to contact when you have a problem or when, on the contrary, you want to request something...
So the course doesn't cover tactics or technical aspects?
No, zero tactics. It's a bureaucratic-theoretical training.
How were the lessons held?
The professors, let's call them that, were numerous and very diverse. Many were race directors, others judges. There was also Bertogliati, who I knew and who was a director (and managers, ed.) Other figures work within the UCI and are responsible for training technicians and regulations. For example, there's been a lot of discussion about the technical rules of the bicycle: handlebar width, setbacks, time trial position... What even struck me most was that there was a former FBI investigator tasked with explaining the controls on technological fraud.
You, Gianluca, were you able to go to Aigle as a professional and therefore had direct access to the third level?
No, I didn't go as a former professional, but because I requested an invitation through the team. Otherwise, as a private player, it would take much longer. Let me explain: If it is a professional team that proposes you, you can directly access the UCI course in Aigle and this is enough to be a full-fledged sporting director.
Is it like a fourth level?
If we compare it to the Italian one, yes. However, I must make a clarification: currently, even though I am a sports director, I want to complete the course with the Italian Cycling Federation. I will finish the second level soon.
What's it like to suddenly find yourself on the other side of the fence? Before, for example, you still called them "comrades"...
True, now I have to call them riders. For now, the first thing is that I have my place as sports director at the buffet... and it's a better buffet! Jokes aside, the first contacts have just happened in the last few days. They've already assigned me a few riders, but the list is not yet definitive.
Emotions? You, Gianluca, are a sensitive type...
I'm very curious and super motivated. Before the first training session, the thing that worried me most was driving the team car among the athletes, but I see that it's going well. I should make my debut in Oman, as the second flagship and it wouldn't be bad there: the roads are wide, straight and the race isn't super stressful. For the rest, I have to start this new relationship with my former teammates.
