Philip's long season Ganna It has finally reached its conclusion, with a huge balance in terms of titles and medals. Another leap in quality from the man who is not only the Italian cycling icon of the moment, but is also one of the most prominent figures in a period that has perhaps never been so prodigal for Italian sport.. The photo of a very young Ganna winner at the Chrono of Nations had aroused much curiosity to understand where such a phenomenon came from. We therefore dug into the Piedmontese champion's past and the search for his roots led us to Verbania, to Barale cycle mania.
The shop has been bustling with activity every day since 1998. Florido Barale brings the same enthusiasm to his business that he instills in his team in cycling. One day, Filippo appeared among those team members: "He ran with us for two years as a rookie and two years as a student. How can you define him? One word: predestined.».
What did he have that set him apart from the others?
It was immediately clear that he had something special, a notable competitive nastiness that led him to attack often, to follow his instinct, so much so that he always won by a wide margin: in his last year he won 16 races, but the thing that drove him literally crazy was that he also won flat races by a wide margin, meaning that even then he knew how to maintain incredible paces. Ten years ago I said Filippo would take over the world and they thought I was crazy: what a revenge I got…
What was he like outside of racing?
A calm, serene boy, always attentive to what was happening around him. He immediately entered into our philosophy: We have never asked our boys for results, if they come good but what matters most is the interpretation of the race. A victory while always being on the back foot is meaningless. Being submissive in the middle of the pack isn't part of our philosophy. We always tell them they need to take the heat. Filippo was the perfect example of this principle.
How much did your father's presence influence your education?
Very very much. We call him the "German" precisely because he is strict and irreproachable in the care of the activity, attentive to the smallest details., but it never influenced his choices or his cycling training; he left it up to the company's technicians. It had a significant impact on his character, instilling in him a sense of work ethic. Even today, with Filippo living in Switzerland, his father helps us manage the cycling club.
His father, however, came from a very different specialty, canoeing (he was also an Olympian in Los Angeles 1984)…
They are less distant than you think. For example, I am convinced that Filippo's predisposition for time trial specialties is also the result of his father's experience.Marco has always worked on timing when training, and he's passed this on to his son. If you've had an athlete parent, this can only help...
Have you stayed in touch with Filippo?
Of course, especially through social media. Our families are very close, around the kids' activities. The parents stayed here, and when he's around, he always makes a quick getaway.
And how is he seen by the young people in society today?
It's a reference. We have around forty members between beginners and students, we do a lot of activity and it is an important result considering that we are living in a period of crisis., of difficulties in many Italian areas where the vocation among the youngest is beginning to disappear. This is not the case here: consider that the province of Verbania has a population equal to a simple district of Turin or Milan, yet in the space of a few square kilometers there is an extraordinary concentration of champions. Elisa herself Longo Borghini it is only about thirty kilometers away.
And speaking of champions, there's one in the Barale household...
Exact. Francesca (Italian junior champion, ed.) I really hope she can follow in her family's footsteps: His grandfather Germano raced in Coppi's time, I had a short career but I did a couple of Giro d'Italias at the beginning of the 1990s in Amore e Vita. Then, if he manages to do better, to reach Filippo and Elisa's level, I'll be the happiest person in the world. I told you, cycling is at home here...
