The Giro d'Italia returns to Corno alle Scale and, as often happens, it's an opportunity not only to revisit the finish line—in this case, the climb—from a technical perspective, but also to reminisce about the memories. And the album of memories immediately takes us back to the first clash, all "made in Saeco" from Damian Cunego, then winner of that Tour of Italy (it was 2004), and Gilbert Simoni, that he won that stage.
And we'll see it all again with Claudio Corti, who at the time was the team manager of that Saeco with the flame-red shirts, packed with champions. A Saeco that on that very day in Corno alle Scale experienced perhaps the finest moment of that edition of the Giro d'Italia, as we will see.
Claudio, let's start with the climb: what kind of climb is Corno alle Scale?
It's not an impossible climb and comes after a fairly fast stage, but it remains challenging towards the end, especially after the town of Gaggio Montano and even more so after the last village (Madonna dell'Acero, ed.). However, you get above 1.400 meters, it's a ski resort, and you start from the bottom. It's a real mountain. For us, that day was a celebration.
Why?
Because Gaggio Montano is the hometown of Saeco. That's where some of the factories are located, at least one person per family works there. and so seeing our two boys win was a great celebration, a joy for everyone. Our patron himself wanted the stage Sergio Zappella. Simoni was the outgoing pink jersey… Cunego had won the day before in Pontremoli, so the enthusiasm was sky-high.
But what happened during that stage? Simoni first, Cunego second: were these the first disagreements between the two?
No, maybe not that day. I repeat: the atmosphere was wonderful. We were racing at home. Cunego had won the day before, and Simoni took the stage and the jersey. If anything, in hindsight, there was a first "signal" of Simoni's condition. Gilberto, in fact, made a run and took a slight lead, but he didn't completely break away. In fact, Cunego actually gained ground on him towards the end. Was it Gilberto who was down or Cunego who was going strong? But at the time, we didn't give this detail too much importance, given all the euphoria that was going on.
When did things change?
Clearly on the Falzes stage. But that day, too, requires a thorough recounting of how things went. On the Furcia, Yaroslav Popovych was marking each other, but the Ukrainian didn't start; the two just stared at each other. Cunego attacked and Simoni was even happy with that attack. He was right behind Popovych, making him work, and that was fine. If anything, he might have expected to lose a minute less at the end of the stage. Or even that Cunego would slow down a bit in the final stages.
Which was what everyone expected: he was a young man at his first major Giro…
Instead Damiano was very good and very strong throughout the Giro.
So when did the problem arise, if Corno alle Scale and Falzes were still united?
After the Bormio 2000 stage. Gilberto attacked from below, but again, as at Corno alle Scale, he didn't gain much. In the end, if I remember correctly, at the two kilometre mark, they caught him again. It was Gontchar who was pushing hard. Cunego then went on to win the sprint and then the stage, strengthening his pink jersey. At that point, Simoni realized he wouldn't win the Giro and was clearly angry at having lost the stage.
Moreover from a teammate…
After arriving, Simoni left alone. He was angry. Luckily, the owner Zappella was at the hotel that night. We talked—me, him, the boys—and, all things considered, things settled down. Then, of course, everyone had their own feelings. The next day was still a tough stage.
That of Presolana…
By now it was decided: we had to run to defense and bring home the jersey. In the end, we at Saeco were in good shape. And instead it happens that Garzelli attacks early and Simoni swoops down on him. The two ran away. Perhaps his pride was hurt, he was the defending champion. Luckily for us, Gontchar's team started pulling.
Why fortunately?
Because by doing so, he avoided the unpleasant situation of having to choose who to back. Should we let Simoni go or close on him to save Cunego? Those aren't good choices. We didn't actually find ourselves in that situation, especially since Cunego had a large lead. However, I would like to say that, apart from a few tense moments, for us at Saeco that was a great Giro. Looking back at those times! We'd won so much, we had the pink jersey from the previous year and the one from that edition. It was a pleasant Giro, that's it...
Today, Claudio, how would you handle a similar situation? How would you handle two captains, one of them so young? Let's think, for example, of Almeida and Del Toro...
What happened in our case during that Giro was a peculiarity. When had we ever seen a very young boy go so fast, grow in that way and above all win the Giro? Then let's also add that perhaps the other wasn't in top form the year before. And there's another element: that wasn't a Giro d'Italia with big names... In short, it's hard to say what would happen today. But even if a Del Toro or an Almeida were to find themselves competing for the leadership, it would be more of a momentary opportunity than a clear superiority of one over the other.
