ROME – It's a moment that Italian cycling knew was coming, but that few were truly ready to experience: Mauro Vegni is retiring in February, closing a very long career. He began (and ended) with RCS. Sport and at the helm of the Tour of Italy, the race that more than any other has marked his professional life. We met him in Rome, a few minutes before he took the stage at the Auditorium to present the 2026 program, the last one he's created. His expression was the composed emotion of someone who knows he's left a profound mark, along with the serenity of someone who feels he's given everything. "But I've also received so much," he insists.
His words reveal the pride of a director who has managed transformations, crises—some of them dire, like the 2001 Sanremo blitz—new departures, new stage styles, and even climate change… All this in a sport and its media coverage that are evolving at the speed of light. Vegni himself told other newspapers that he started with average speeds of 37-38 km/h and now they're going up to 44. And then there are the needs of the teams: many more vehicles, regulations and more stringent road laws.
Mauro, well, here we are. Farewell after so many years. By the way, how many are there?
It's been 31 years. Thirty-one years of this company, RCS Sports, and 31 years of Giro d'Italia (the first as director was in 2012, ed.). The time has come to say enough.
What Giro leaves behind?
I leave a healthy GiroWhat's coming for me will certainly be a great pink race, which leaves room for several options. As usual, it's the riders who make a great race or not. However, I believe all the ingredients are there to witness a great race.
You mentioned a healthy Giro: is there anything, over all these years, that you've been left unfinished? Something you haven't been able to do?
Unfortunately, desires are something that stays in your head, but you always have to contend with reality. And on that front, I can say I feel okay about what I've done.
What was one of these wishes?
I would have liked to shorten the gap between the Giro and the Tour a little further. I'll say it openly: I would have liked to reduce it. This is one of my desires, one of my things to do, that I would have liked to fully address. But it's a broad, long, and complex issue.
We can understand. Sponsors, politics should be brought into the equation... And what about the crowning achievement? What made you most satisfied?
There are many. Perhaps first The 2017 Giro comes to mind, the one that celebrated its centenary. In that edition, we touched the two major islands and then headed north. It was a complex Giro to complete, but certainly important. And another was being the first to leave the continent for the Grande Partenza when the Giro d'Italia started in Israel.
Can we suggest one to him? The arrival of Rome: as they say these days, it's "a big deal"...
Well – Vegni smiles with satisfaction – it's a legacy that can be left. It's a lot of stuff, especially after this year in which we somehow celebrated the new Pontiff. We were the first athletes, the first event, to be welcomed as the Giro d'Italia by the Pope. I don't think that happens often.
How did that day come about? Tell us…
It's a long story. Through some important figures close to cycling, we came into contact with people at the Vatican who liked the idea. They brought it forward with us, they proposed it to the Pope and he accepted.And so we managed to create that day when the Pope himself blessed the Giro caravan.
Has your work changed over the past 31 years? Looking back, what differences do you see?
It has changed significantly. The investment of time, compared to 30 years ago it is at least 7-8 times higher. Now everything related to administrative practices is really complicated, also because you have to answer to everyone: public authorities, police headquarters, prefecture, public order and safety, teams... It's become very complex, believe me.
In 31 years of the Giro d'Italia, you will have seen many champions from the roof of the race direction car: if you close your eyes, who comes to mind?
Some come to mind two in particular: Marco Pantani e Alberto counter (with him in the opening photo, ed.), but Marco was… beyond that. He was something that brought everyone together. The other, Contador, is because he was a great champion but also a great man: I can tell by the way we interacted. Both of them knew how to really ignite the people I saw on the roadside.
What do you wish for “your” race?
That those who follow me will be able to do even better. This is my greatest wish.
