Sicily is a land of art, culture, good food, and the sea, and paradoxically, it's also a land of velodromes. Not many people know that There are four velodromes in Sicily: Palermo, Paternò, Vittoria and Noto. Of these only the last one mentioned is active and it is due to the passion and commitment of some people and of Cinelli.
To have this story told to us, we contacted the lawyer Marcello Marina who revealed to us how he managed to involve Cinelli in the activity of the Noto velodrome.
«I am a cycling enthusiast and I am a friend of Antony Colombo the patron of Cinelli – Marcello Marina explains to us – I am also part of the Board of the Gruppo Spa company that manages Cinelli and Columbus. It all started five years ago when I also opened a bike shop. Cinelli Catania, is called 110+RpmWe dedicated ourselves to fixed gear and gravel, what I call alternative cycling."
But how did the collaboration with the velodrome come about?
Three years ago, intrigued by local events, I read that the Noto Mayor Corrado Bonfanti had obtained funding to renovate the velodromeI contacted him and told him I was interested in the initiative and that I would do my best to support him.
How did you support him?
I called Antonio Colombo, explained everything to him, and invited him to Noto. He was very pleased with the idea. You should know that Noto is famous for its art, the Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the velodrome is in the city center. It was easy to combine Cinelli which represents the art of cycling with Noto which is a city of art.
How Cinelli supports the velodrome's activity
Cinelli supplied 40 Vigorelli bicycles, all specially designed for the Noto velodromeBefore Covid we had started organizing a series of activities with the Cinelli Team to make promotional eventsWe have organized competitions of Scratch and speed and we combined them with gravel initiatives. The goal is to make the velodrome a meeting center, a cycling gym. For the velodrome to be sustainable, amateurs need to come and ride there.. You think that while the children were training with the Professor La Rosa, which follows the youth categories, the fathers would take a Vigorelli and ride around the velodrome. Only by involving amateurs can long-term plans be made.
So the velodrome as a cycling school, right?
Yes, exactly. And I'll tell you more, with the climate we have in Sicily, we can do activities all year round. Imagine what that means for athletes from Northern Europe. Not only do they find the perfect climate, but also a backdrop of art, food, and beauty.The velodrome can become a driving force for tourismI would like us to be able to create a system in Italy and create a Italian Traveling Track Trophy, with Vigorelli leading the wayThis would give visibility to Italian plants abroad and help the entire movement.
The Professor's Experience
In addition to the lawyer Marcello Marina we also heard the Professor La Rosa, 75 years old, most of which spent on velodrome tracks. He is the manager of the Noto velodrome and oversees the youth category activities.
«In Sicily we would have great potential, but we would need the velodromes in Palermo and Vittoria to reopen. Consider that the Noto velodrome is technically sound, it is equipped with lighting, has a concrete track with a 35,5-degree banked slope, and is also approved for the Olympics. The national teams of Villa and Salvoldi also came to ride here, the track is good. Think that Vittoria's would be even more cutting edgeIt's a shame that the municipality of Vittoria is under special administration and therefore the priorities are different."
What is the state of business in Sicily?
The numbers are lower than in other regions of the North, even if there is good movement on the trackPlease note that every Tuesday and Thursday the velodrome is open and Groups of young people come from all over Sicily, but as you can imagine the distances are great and the roads are not always excellentThere have been many requests to come and shoot on Saturdays and Sundays and we have always been available, precisely to help the entire regional movement grow. In Noto there would be a service building with a mini guesthouse, but it is not finishedIt would be important to have it operational, so kids coming from the more distant areas could stop to sleep one night.
What do you think of the initiatives of Cinelli to open it up as much as possible to amateurs too?
It's positive, amateurs are welcome, then it often happens that the kids are training and their fathers stop to ride on the track. Cinelli he had started to take some initiatives and they went well, the results were starting to be seen, there was interestNow with Covid we have had to stop, but we hope to start again soon. If only there were sponsors like Cinelli, so maybe we can reopen other velodromes too.
And we hope that we can start again as soon as possible.
