Classics and rolling courses were his favorite terrain when he raced and won. Time Valentina Scandolara he is at ease in any type of race… as a race regulator. A task that adds to those of sports director, talent scout and manager, being able to serenely say that she is becoming a complete (former) athlete.
In this phase of his post-competitive career, a giant of the past is playing an important role such as Guido Bontempi which is a pillar of motorcycle technical escort services. At the men's and women's Tour of Guangxi, the final WorldTour race of an increasingly endless season, Scandolara made his debut on the bike ridden by the former Carrera sprinter, forming a very high quality pair for that type of work.For a globetrotter like her, it was a new experience that sparked another spark in her.
Valentina, how did it go in China?
It went very well. I was excited because I saw the Tour of Guangxi evolve in many ways, especially in terms of safety.I work for the ProTouch Global Robert Hunter, the former South African pro, is a sports management agency. We not only manage several athletes, but we also closely monitor certain competitions. The Tour de Suisse We organize it completely ourselves as well as the men's Tour of Guangxi, while we help organize the women's race.That's why I felt this way at first, but with someone like Guido by my side I immediately calmed down.
Is he mentoring you?
For me he is an absolute reference. Guido really did everything after he stopped running: sports director, race director, and now an expert motorcyclist. He taught me a lot and had been recommending I become a race director for a long time. He pushed me to take many courses because, as he always tells me, they can always be usefulIn fact, recently I took the technical escort and motorcycle relay courses organized by the FCI.
Thanks to his advice, did you have fewer difficulties managing the race?
That without a doubt, also because it takes three thousand eyes to pay attention to everythingWe are neither judges nor commissioners, but people who know the race course very well and who have to manage the non-sporting part. We cannot say anything if an athlete stays in the slipstream of a team car for a long time, however. we can intervene on the motorcycle maneuvers of photographers or TV operators who are too close to the ridersOr, as in China where there are no alternative routes to the race, we organize the passage of the convoy of other vehicles.
How important is it to have been an athlete?
Certainly, because you immediately understand many things. You know how a rider thinks during a race or how he or she might react in certain situations. For example, the trajectories they take when and where they want to rejoin the group after having passed the traffic of flagships and other vehiclesOr at other points along the way. For roles involving safety, I think it's important to have a former athlete.
Do you have any anecdotes to tell about the Tour of Guangxi?
Not many, to be honest, just a couple that stuck with me. As soon as I arrived, both after the meetings and especially at the start of the race, I noticed some looks of skepticism at seeing a woman as a race regulatorI'm used to these things by now. Luckily, having been in the flagship, I know how to make myself understood right away. The other anecdote concerns a moment during the race.
Please explain.
I'll go back to what I was saying before. In the final stages of the women's Tour of Guangxi, Anna Henderson (who went on to win, ed.) had gained a lead on the descent and was closing in on her at high speed. I had left an organization car driven by a Chinese man behind her, but I quickly had to return to them because he was dangerously ahead of her. He hadn't realised, and perhaps hadn't expected it in the slightest, how fast girls could go downhill too.I told him to give her more space and everything worked out.
Did your discharge from the Italian Army allow you to be active on multiple fronts?
I've been with them for twelve years and I'm grateful for the support they've given me throughout those years. I had permanent service, but It was my decision last year to leave. I had some projects in the pipeline and some of them were and are taking shape.I'm also always involved with the Down Under Cycling Academy for cyclists who come from far away or from other sports with the aim of taking them to a higher level.
How is it going?
That's very good too. Initially, thanks to the my work history in AustraliaWe were taking elite athletes from Australia or New Zealand, including women under 27 to allow them to compete at least in the open races in Italy. Since last year, we've also expanded to include U23 or junior athletes who come from Israel or Canada. We have a base in the Verona area in Ronco all'Adige where they do two-month camps teaching them European cycling and following Luca Zenti's tests and programs, preparer of the UAE Team ADQ. This year we managed to get two Australians to participate in the Giro Women's cycling with Mendelspeck (McCarthy and Nicholson, ed.).
Is Valentina Scandolara's schedule already full for 2026?
We'll see what this new role as regulator has in store for me. I enjoy being on this side of cycling, and I enjoy this task. I had never really considered the organizational side of the races, but I would like to continue following it and maybe discover other aspects..
