CAMERINO – The view encompasses the world. The morning brightens, after dawn has blanketed the countryside in an unusual fog in this quiet corner of the Marche. Pellizzari looks down, after having told the story of a tunnel that would connect the Rocca dei Borgia where we are with the castle of the VaranoHe says that when they were children they tried to walk along it, but found a grate.
Let's take a stroll. Have you ever been to Camerino in the last eight years? It was a lively university town, after the 2016 earthquake it is a ghost townThe city center is deserted, shored up, caged, scarred. Except for a few construction sites, it's as if time has stopped since the earthquake. Many people still live in their homes, others have left. This is why when Julius attacked on the climbs of the Giro, it was as if he also carried the beating of their hearts in his chestThey told him this on Tuesday evening at the welcome home party, with such a spirit that it brought tears to my eyes. There were almost 700 of them in the Benedict XIII Auditorium, named after the Pope who founded theUniversity of Camerino. It was an emotional and dignified meeting., with the pride of the Marche region that rose above the difficult daily life.
Wake up at dawn
Casa Pellizzari is a small house divided in two, the other half of which housed the family bed and breakfast, now occupied by an aunt. When we texted to say we'd arrived, Giulio came down to open the door with the eyes of someone who woke up earlyIn fact, at 6:30 the WADA inspectors also rang: when you join the group of the top athletes, the checks become more frequent. A coffee will do both of you good. Il Tour of Italy it ended two days agoWhen we learned during the Rome stop that he would be welcomed to his hometown on Tuesday evening, we asked him to attend and then chat the next day. It was all new; meeting his people was an unexpected experience.
"Well, it was exciting," he says. "I didn't think there were so many. Here in Camerino we all know each other, because the town is small and many remember me as the kid who always rode his bike around the city with his friendsAnd yesterday many people told me: 'So it was a serious thing!' It was nice to hear that too..."
The boy who rode his bike: were you like that?
Yes, always. We used to run races, starting from my friend Mirco's house, 500 meters from here. We'd go downtown, but someone would cheat and take the escalator. Then we'd go down from the Rocca and come back. We always did the same lap, always the race: it was like this from 7 to 15 yearsAt home we had a mountain bike, the fastest way to get around. Then every now and then, when we ended up down below, we'd load them onto the shuttles. But only when there was a good driver...
Massimiliano Gentili, your cycling godfather, says that on your first outing with him, at 16, you looked him in the face and then took a shot…
It's true (he smiles and lowers his gaze, ed.), it happened on the Trevi climb, near Foligno. I've always had this thing about arriving first uphill., even when I was younger and trained here in Matelica. I always wanted to climb the mountain to sprint. The climb is what I like, the symbol of cyclingAs a child, I watched the Giro d'Italia, especially with my grandfather Mario and my friend Mirco. I remember the 2015 Giro with Aru in the white jersey; in fact, his dogs were named Aru and Contador.
On Tuesday you were moved by the memory of your grandfather…
Mario, known as Mariuccio (nods, ed.). A gentleman next to me told a story about him: I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't. Now the older people recognize me as Mariuccio's grandson and say he would be proud of me. I found out at the bar through friends that he was a big cycling fan, and his father even more so. I look a lot like him. When grandma died, I went to sleep at his house and we even ate at the table the same way.We tore the meat with bread and ate bread and ciauscolo in the morning. Grandpa passed away in 2015, the year before the earthquake.
Do the people, your comrades, know that there was an earthquake here?
I remember that 3-4 months later, my mother happened to meet people who asked her where they were going to go downtown. And she had to answer that the center was no longer there.A few weeks had passed and there had been a lot of talk about it on the news…
Did those days change you?
If I think about it now, maybe they didn't change me, though I'm sorry I didn't experience the splendor of Camerino as a grown-up before everything collapsed.The center of my cycling challenges is no longer there. And then I think of the new generations. I could leave my bike leaning against a wall for two days and still find it; today, in the shopping district they've built down the valley, I don't know if that's still the case. Cars didn't pass through the historic center, There's traffic down there now and I don't know if the kids can do what we did.
What do you remember of those days?
It was Wednesday and I was at Mirco's house, where I practically spent my childhood. A storm was coming, so I got on my bike to head back, and it was already starting to rain. In the mechanized parking lot, the one with the escalators, the lights were turning on and off, there was thunder and lightning.We were here that evening and suddenly everything started dancing. Two of us walked out that door, one of us got under the table, which was the right thing to do. The two of us walked out the other side. I see several scenes, one is that of the cups falling and breaking. Right after that, on Sunday, my grandmother and I went to Bassano to visit my father's friends, but only the three of us. Mom and Dad stayed behind because there were also thieves around.
The journey in cycling
His journey began at the age of 16, when Massimiliano Gentili he had a vision and pointed him out as a possible stage racerThey entrusted him to him, acknowledging their great trust in him. "His father Achille," the Umbrian said the other evening, "has always been there, but always a step behind." Achille smiles and thanks them, discreet and therefore elegant. He knows that parents can be a burden, so he preferred to let them do their thing, keeping a watchful eye. And that's how, as he grew up, Giulio Pellizzari found himself catapulted out of the protected and cosy dimension of Camerino, to go and discover the world.
Your peers were here living their normal lives, while you were already wandering around airports at 18. Were you ever afraid?
Yes! Especially since I was 18, I'd never been on a plane, so as long as I was flying with the team, I had no problems. But alone was another thing, I had my anxieties. Beyond all the experiences, this one also helped me grow. I found myself alone on the other side of the world, in a huge airport, with my bike bag and my English a bit broken. A bit of anxiety creeps up on you. But now I've learned to manage that too. My friends tell me, “Lucky you, you’re always out and about!” And I tell them, “Lucky you, you’re staying home!”There's no middle ground. Traveling the world does a lot, it helps you grow, but sometimes I really miss home life.
But you finally got to do the Giro d'Italia...
It was nice. After Tour of the Alps which went well, the Giro became a testing ground. I didn't just want to gain experience, I wanted to do well. At first I was worried, because three weeks is a long time. Then I discovered that it becomes a routine and you even lose count of the daysOnly 3-4 stages from the end do you begin to realize that it is about to end.
You've had some exciting days and some tough ones: what was it like running for three days with antibiotics in your system?
It's heavy, you feel weak. You can't push. Being in a group is never easy, because you go full steam ahead every dayLuckily, the only safe start of the Giro was towards Francavilla, where I was feeling worse, so I saved myself. I kept falling behind and falling back, falling behind and falling back. Luckily, the next day we reached the Marche region, and I recovered, but getting to Francavilla was really tough. I wanted to give up, but they convinced me not to do it and I have to say thank you for thatOne thing I have never told is that during the rest period in Livigno, the day before finishing second in Monte Pana, I dreamed that I had retired and the next day I was crying, praying to Roberto Reverberi to let me return to the race.
Your friend Pogacar?
Before the Giro, the dream was to run with him, now the dream is to detach him. Slowly, obviously, but in the end if you outrun him, you win the race. The difference between me and him is that he's a real phenomenon, but I see myself a little in his way of doing thingsIf I had his engine, I'd race the same way. Always to win. In the end, if you have legs... We run to win, right? I read an interview with Gianetti, he said that they pay us to win and it's true...
How did you manage to rejoin the breakaway on the day of the Grappa, just 100 meters from the GPM, and take the points for the blue jersey?
I had set out to race, the team wanted me to break away. I felt good and knew the breakaway wouldn't happen, so I didn't want to throw everything away. But I wasn't sure if I found myself with the top twenty, I would have the legs to attack them. I couldn't hear the radio very well, because the reception was poor and there were so many people. I didn't know how far I was, and just to be on the safe side, I started out 3 kilometers from the summit. In the end, everyone asked me how I managed to film them 100 meters from the GPM, but I really think it was also luck.
Do you need motivation to go on the breakaway knowing that Pogacar is aiming for the same stage?
In the end, it's a losing battle, but you try: you never know how it'll go. If I'd taken a minute longer, he would have caught up with me a little later. Maybe he would have left me behind on the climb, but giving up is not something I am capable of. It was great to ride in Rome wearing the blue mountain jersey, but the dream is to arrive wearing a different color. At the end, we said goodbye, and I congratulated him and wished him good luck in the Tour.
What's it like when the lights go out the next day?
I miss it a little. When there are so many people cheering, the towns in pink, you breathe in the festive air. You get used to it eventually, but it's always exciting.In the last few days, I realized it was almost over, but at the same time I'm tired, it's time to recover. So I'll play Slovenia, the Italian championship, and then I'll take a break for a bit.
We leave him at his home, in his heaven, with his family and friends and go for a walk downtown. In the evening for Giulio we experienced first-hand the prideWe leave with the hope that his voice will continue to tell the story of Camerino and its people. As long as he continues to be himself, the Giulio he always is.. Perhaps then, along these streets, oblivion will no longer be the only possible destiny.
