«Why the Michele Bartoli Academy? Because we wanted to teach kids about cycling. How to ride, how to navigate, how to avoid danger, how to run a red light on the road or if someone opens the door unexpectedly. And cyclocross is the best discipline for that. Mauro Bartoli, brother of Michele, with his Tuscan accent, speaks simply and directly. And the concept is: the athlete comes first, then, eventually, the champion.
Fun and passion
«The team was born almost as a joke between September and October last year – says Mauro – A local entrepreneur passionate about cycling, Mauro Donati, who is 80 years old but has a young mindset, immediately said yes. In the past he had sponsored people like Luperini, do you driveMichele brought the rest of the sponsors."
But why cross and not the road?
«Because there are some things on the road that we don't like. At 6 years old, they're already looking for results; "over here," the fun factor is greater. And then, maybe it's because our family comes from cyclocross. Not everyone can become a champion like Michele, but everyone can be passionate about it. And that's our goal: to entertain them and get them passionate."
The boys have fun when they're together. Mauro talks about the trips they made for the Giro d'Italia Cyclocross and the most recent one for Lecce.
"The best thing was that they grabbed each other's necks at the end of the race, not so much because of the Italian's fifth-place finish, but because they were happy, pumped. They were celebrating. For them, these were their first experiences without mom and dad in a hotel, far from home. They bonded immediately."
Obstacles and races
Michele and Mauro Bartoli's boys train a couple of times a week, plus the Sunday run.
«There are those who work Tuesday and Thursday and those who work Wednesday and Friday "Then on Saturday we go to the race site and ride around a bit, but it's just a small thing, just to get familiar with the terrain. And on Sunday they race, so in the end it's three real training sessions."
The kids also ride a bit on the road, of course, but not all of them love it. For example, Mauro's son has a passion for off-road riding.
«We simulate changing bikes, going up and down stairs, we put up obstacles, skittles, wooden planks to overcome… I must say that they listen a lot. And then when Michele arrives they are really excited. Even for my son, his uncle's judgment... is his uncle's judgment."
Towards 2022
It must be said that the Michele Bartoli Accademy is a cyclocross-only team (For now). The athletes are temporarily loaned from the clubs. The number will grow from six, as more will arrive ahead of next season. This year, they had five rookies and one U23.
«And in fact many are already desperate because the season is coming to an end – concludes Mauro – However, for 2022 we are thinking of expanding our activities to include mountain biking and road cycling. Mountain biking for sure. We are also currently evaluating our own area to build a track and set up our cycling school there. We've identified an area near Montecatini that seems ideal since it also has showers and changing rooms."
