All Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2002, at the finish line in Ans, there was one of the most iconic arrivals in the history of cycling: Mapei's historic double, with protagonists betti e GarzelliIn what's known as the "Italian Classic," and never could a name have been more fitting. If we look closely at the order of finish, we'll notice how the Italian flag flies in the top five. Behind the Mapei duo were placed: Iván Basso, Mirko Celestino and Massimo Codol.
It's Stefano and Paolo themselves, who, twenty years later, remember that day. The days before, the jokes, the thoughts of the night before and the emotion of having written a piece of history, in the land that welcomed so many migrants from our country. Who fought and suffered in the mines of Belgium, and for one day, they took a great revenge: that of seeing Belgium bow to the strength of Italian cycling.
The memory of the "Grillo"
«Liège has always been a special race for me – says Bettini – since I first won it in 2000There I understood that I could do great things in cycling, and so it was. In 2002 we arrived with a very specific team project, I was the man who was supposed to win, while “Garzo” (Stefano Garzelli, ed.) had come to support me.. Also because the second stage of the Tour of Italy (stage won by Stefano himself, ed.)».
«Even in the days leading up to the race – Paolo continues – there was a particular atmosphere. During the reconnaissance on Friday we had arrived at the attack of the San Nicolas, in the heart of the Italian neighborhood. A right turn, the climb begins, and we dive into the heart of the Italian community in Belgium. It was filled with tricolor flags, an immense spectacle. The desire for revenge was truly palpable., of the deep bond that those people had with their land of origin."
And those of the “Garzo”
It's not uncommon to make plans the night before such an important race, partly to ease the tension, partly because dreaming costs nothingAnd never before, as before, at Liège, had words anticipated reality.
«The night before at the hotel – says Garzelli – we imagined the race, we thought about where to attack and that it would be nice to get to the finish line together. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Dreaming it is one thing, but making it happen is…
When we ran, the night before the race we spent so many wonderful moments together, joking and laughing about everything. We would sometimes talk about the race and how it would be or how we hoped it would go, I remember that that evening there was something magical in the air and so it was».
The race
«Our attitude during the race was risky – confesses the two-time world champion – we saw that with 80 kilometers to go the group was still large. So Stefano and I, on the Cote du Rosier, looked at each other and said “let’s fight!”We pulled out the first group, which already had a lot of Italians; out of 30 riders, there were 15 of us.
«On San Nicolas – explains Paolo – I was afraid that Garzelli might jump and that they would put me in the middleWe wanted to take the pulse of our opponents and I told Stefano to extend, no one followed him and so I understood that they were all cooked. So with a power action I decided to bring myself back under, knowing that if they had followed me, I would have had to slow down and let the others work. Instead, no one followed us, and once together we "led" until the last 600 meters.
«In 18 years of career I have never been as fast as that day – Stefano continues with still-living enthusiasm – out of 70 kilometers of attack I spent 40 in front setting the pace. On the Redoute I pushed hard and further reduced the group.On the San Nicolas, Paolo did something really smart from a tactical point of view. He let me break away and then, since he was still feeling good, he also broke away and came back alone.
All for one and one for all
«At Mapei – says Bettini – they would never have dared to tell us who should win or not. This is why I consider it a triple victory: for Stefano, Mapei and for me.If you look carefully at the images you can see that I take off my radio earphones for the final part, look at Stefano and thank him with a nod."
«I remember that in the last kilometer – Garzelli replies – the sporting director congratulated us and then told us to play our cards rightI was tired and slower in the sprint than Paolo, but he was the sole captain of the day and deserved the victory. I gave one hundred percent for the team and my condition allowed me to take second place. I've never held back in working for a teammate and friend like Paolo; that's true team spirit."
A changed movement
Twenty years later, Liège has ceased to be a classic for Italians; the last victory dates back to 2007 with Di Luca. A few placings were achieved in recent editions (Nibali and Formolo finished second in 2012 and 2019, respectively, and then nothing).
«It's a bit of an Italian cycling syndrome – says Garzelli – Bettini's and my generation had an incredible abundance of talentsWe're struggling more now, but I don't see it as a generational issue, rather an "evolutionary" one. Cycling in Italy hasn't grown at the same pace as abroad, remaining anchored to certain traditions. The lack of a WorldTour team certainly contributed to the decline of the movement».
«If you think about it – he continues – Italian kids are strong as juniors and under and when they turn pro they lose their way. Perhaps in these categories the riders are pushed too hard and the result is sought straight away. Because that's what the sponsors want. I turned pro at 23, now if you don't turn pro at 20 you're considered bad. The kids, especially at this young age, feel the pressure. My impression is that the under 23 category no longer exists in Italy.Now teams make Development teams, it's nothing new, Mapei had done it 20 years earlier. But in these teams the boys are followed with the objective, and the security of working towards entering the WorldTour team after a good growth pathWe work for everything and immediately and that's how you burn the kids out."
