In an interview in the Gazzetta dello Sport in the aftermath of presentation of the 2023 Giro d'Italia, the president of RCS Urbano Cairo spoke quite explicitly about a negotiation between the group he chairs and "friend Dagnoni" to organize the U23 and women's Giro d'ItaliaIt was clear that something was cooking even during the interview with the Federal President at the end of the Australian World Cup. His visit to the Gazzetta dello Sport and the sudden end of hostilities by the gossip paper on the subject of federal sponsorships have led to speculation on the one hand to a sort of requested and obtained bow, on the other to an armistice from which both sides would have benefited.
What is still not clear, however, is Who will organize the next edition of the U23 Giro d'Italia?, given that for the women's race (the one that is truly dear to RCS after the success for ASO of the Tour de France Women's cycling) there is still a year left. In 2023 it will still be a matter of PMG Starlight, Roberto Ruini's company, which has organized it for the last two seasons, apparently matters less about the under-23s.
Selleri speaks
After the years of the Giro delle Pesche Nectarine, Marco Selleri was the organizer of the Giro d'Italia Youth U23, together with the partner Marco Pavarini and the staff of Extra GiroHe did so at the invitation and kind pressure of Davide Cassani, who in his role in FCI took the need for a stage race of a certain level for the Italian movementWe spoke with Selleri to understand the current state of the art from his perspective.
Good morning Marco, has a call for tenders been issued for the Giro d'Italia you may be participating in?
I asked a question a few days ago fa in the Technical Department and they told me they didn't know anything about it, so the body that manages the amateur competitions, let's call them that, is probably not informed of anything and this could apparently lead one to think that there is a division between what the Federal Council or the Presidency itself does and the rest of the world.
Have you been contacted in any way?
Not recently. When Fusar Poli, who chairs the Technical Structure, came to the Giro d'Italia last June to ask if we were interested in doing it, I told him that in my opinion there were no longer any possibilities. But as I also told President Dagnoni, we could have sat around a table to discuss, talk and see what could be born. We have never been called, probably because they have other problems or other solutions.
Are you sorry it ended like this?
Partially yes. There is a lot of passion, but without money you can't do anything.Davide Cassani used to own 80 percent of the financial resources, but he can no longer provide this type of support. It's not in his interest. The Giro d'Italia Giovani U23 is a mission he created, with the aim of comparing our riders with the rest of the world. With everything that's happened, given the way it was released, he cannot be asked to guarantee the same commitment.
Was the 2022 edition organized with your own resources?
Cassani gave us a good hand, also for to respect the agreements we had with the previous Federal Council. We had a three-year mandate and we knew it would be the last year. The Giro done our way is expensive and obviously I hope it continues to be done, especially for the young people who need this lifeblood. I read that it could be RCS and it seems that they will also bring home the Giro Donne in 2024. If that were the case, it would mean that Cycling in Italy is theirs and no longer the Cycling Federation, at least for the big events. So if they centralize all the resources, or share something with others, or in my opinion this is the way to undo cycling.
Is Extra Giro continuing?
Extra Giro is a new company, with its own races and registered trademarks. The name Giro d'Italia Giovani doesn't belong to the Federation, but was created with us, so they they can call it Giro d'Italia under 23 and not Giro d'Italia Giovani as indicated in the UCI calendarStrade Bianche di Romagna is a registered trademark of Extra Giro and we will do it again on March 12th. On April 23rd we will have a new and very beautiful race for elite and U23, called “On the roads of Marco Pantani”. From Cesenatico to Carpegna, with the finish likely to mirror that of the Tirreno-Adriatico. The finish at the Cippo is not possible because there's no room at the summit, but we'll climb it twice. The race is on a very important date, because two days later there is the Liberation Grand Prix in Rome. We also have on the calendar a 5-day international stage race which would start on April 27th and end on May 1st.
More or less the same dates as the old Giro delle Regioni…
The name will be Extra Giro d'Italia Giovani and it is a concrete project we are working onWe're still in the early stages, we still have a lot of contacts to make, and the race could take place across three regions. We are waiting for politics to take its course, because the new Government has just taken office. And to hold events of a certain level, the support of the institutions is also needed. We add to the list of races the Italian under-23 championship, the last Saturday of JuneWe would have liked to do it in Imola on the World Championship course, but there are concerts there. We asked to move the date, but the request was not granted..
What remains of this great adventure?
The desire to move forward. For 2023 it is not possible to do much more, because the calendar is already defined.But we're also working on another stage race for 2024, the revival of a race that's already been done. So, the Giro experience the ability to organize events in Italy remainsExtra Giro is made up of members, I'm the director, but there are decisions to be shared. And we'll certainly also move a little into the world of cycle tourism and bicycle travel, which Marco Pavarini is dedicating himself to. But We want to stay in the world of racing, because otherwise our fun will disappear too..
Is there time to organize a Giro d'Italia for July?
We are close to November, I see it as very difficult to do it in such a short time aheadWe've always worked year after year, and then there's the political aspect to consider. When it comes to such important events, the lack of political stability affects all aspectsWe are living in a very critical period for everyone from an economic point of view.
Then?
So it is logical that Municipalities must first support people who cannot afford to eat and heat themselves. As a result, there isn't much funding for cycling races or other sporting events. Furthermore, for the past two years, costs have increased by 30 percentHotels are no longer willing to accommodate you, because they also have much higher overheads. This makes it easier to organize shorter trips, 3-4 days maximum, with teams staying in the same hotel. We'll see. I really don't know what scenario to expect.
