LIVIGNO – Francesco Pancani is already in Val Gardena. He has to work on the finish line of tomorrow's stage. the contingent of RAI Sports He moved yesterday after the arrival and is spending the rest day at the foot of the DolomitesAnd while in Livigno the sky is getting gray, in that part of the world the day is clear. Tomorrow, however, should be as bad as here, so much so that according to some rumors, they are even considering not doing the Umbrail Pass: let's hope that's not the case. We spoke with the Tuscan commentator for to tell the story of Davide Cassani's return to the microphones of state television. Collaboration, however refreshed with some presences, which had been interrupted in 2014 (the opening photo is from the 2011 Giro). Since then, Cassani has been the coach of the national team and the President of Tourism for Emilia Romagna, there were even rumors that he was about to build a pro team, he brought the Tour to Italy. For this reason Pancani was a bit surprised when Auro Bulbarelli, director of Rai Sport, brought up the name of the Romagnola.
«We had talked about it with the director at the beginning of the year – confirms Pancani – and initially It surprised me because I didn't think Davide had the time to do it, given his many commitments. This much can be said: I knew about it before it was proposed to him. And at that point I was sure that if he had had the chance to organize himself, he would have said yesHe's always been very close to the company, he's been for many years. He knows everyone, he knows me, I was sure there wouldn't be any problems."
What was it like to find yourself in the cabin with him for the first time?
It's as if I'd left him the day before. We've always had a great relationship, even on a personal level. If there is one person in cycling to whom I have to say thank you, it is him, because he helped me a lot when I started in 2010.We've always had a wonderful relationship, so we immediately clicked. We said it to each other in the early stages: It seemed like we had quit the day before, but it had been ten years since we had worked togetherDespite this, there has always been the pleasure of being in touch, of chatting about things other than cycling, like true friends.
Has anything changed technologically in the meantime? Did Davide need to update his buttons, monitors, and headphones?
No, there has never been a problem with this, because he has always been a disaster with buttons and little buttonsAuro had also told me when he passed the baton to me: "Look, be careful, because with the 'Cassa' it's a disaster." And in that respect he hasn't changed. In fact, he has headphones with a long wire and the box with all the buttons is very far away and I operate it.If you wait for him, you'll do yourself harm.
Meanwhile, the roles of commentators have also changed significantly, becoming much more technical. What's Davide's response, and what does it rely on?
Passion, curiosity and competence, first of all passion and curiosityFor a year we did all the reconnaissance together, and to help him with the editing and preparation, I stayed with him. I was amazed by his curiosity.Wherever we went, whether it was a stage committee or a Pro Loco, he was constantly asking questions and getting information. I must say that he taught me a lot in this regard too, because I believe curiosity is the foundation of journalism. Now he tries to act like a wise old man, but he's still a man who lives on a bicycle.So if there's something new, some innovation, some change, he definitely knows about it because he spends his days in the saddle.
In terms of public feedback, through numbers and social media, how was it received by the public?
Good, very good, even if I I'm not a huge fan of social media or Auditel data.
Perhaps he can be accused of being too realist: for him, escape is always a dead end…
In my opinion he should say what he thinks, he does well. Yesterday for example, when Pogacar started, he immediately said that he would win this stage too. There was still Quintana 40 seconds in, so I gestured for him to wait a moment. Instead, he returned the gesture and repeated that Pogacar would win. And in fact he won.
It's like you left off yesterday, but you had to catch up in the news?
No, everything's fine. In this regard, too, I think Davide is excellent, as was Silvio Martinello, another person with whom I've always had a very close and special relationship. They have the gift, which in my opinion you don't learn, of having television timeSo since you have 300 signals coming through your headphones at the station, between the commercial to launch, the line to the motorbike, the line to the Trial and everything else, sometimes you need to change things in the blink of an eye. So I turn off the headphones to both Davide and Fabio Genovesi, to avoid them getting confused., but if we need to wrap up a conversation in three seconds or extend it by 15, we have no problem with Davide.
So you're the only one with the heavy traffic on your headphones?
Exactly, and I assure you it's a real mess. There's radio racing, or the director pressing the wrong button and sending us messages intended perhaps for Rised on the motorbike, so the signals in the headphones are really mind-blowing. But it's a matter of getting used to it.
Compared to the first Davide who had his notebook and computer, today's Davide only has his telephone...
He has two phones and a tablet. So It doesn't have the big computer like before, but it has three small ones and the result is the same anywayHe always has everything under control. Another fantastic thing about Davide is that he shares everything.
That?
In my opinion, this is a fundamental rule for working well with a technical commentator. I used to do it even before when I followed volleyball. You shouldn't be jealous of what you findIf I find a piece of news, a curiosity, something that can enrich the commentary, I don't necessarily have to say it. In my opinion, the nice thing is that there is rhythm and exchange of voices. In this, for example, Davide is fantastic. Before the stage, he arrives and reels off 250 things that struck him. Or He called me at half past midnight to tell me that something could be said the next day And you can't make him understand that he could tell you the next day. He's always done it this way, which is a testament to his enormous passion and desire to share everything. I think that's also why we get along so well, because we laugh and joke. And then (laughs, ed.), luckily he's someone who doesn't take it personally...
