Have you ever thought or heard that intersections go crazy when the traffic police arrive to manage them? It's hard to say whether it's an Italian phenomenon, but undoubtedly in some situations one might think it's true.Those who experience the dynamics of certain junctures on a daily basis have, over time, found ways to shorten waiting times and integrate with others, creating mechanisms that are not always orthodox, but undoubtedly effective. When the person responsible for enforcing the rules arrives, the mechanism goes haywire. Are the traffic police really the problem, or has traffic become anarchy and can't abide by the rules? Even in Italian cycling, this feeling sometimes arises, and if we don't first conduct a more honest analysis, one might think that pointing the finger at the Federation (and the traffic police) is of little use.
In fact, at the base there is a movement that refuses to become aware of itself and lives expecting everything to continue as usualIf anything, it's up to others to fix the anomalies. We won't get very far this way. We get indignant when the kids are packing their bags and they go abroadLet's try to look at it from their point of view: what do they need and why can't they find it here?
Too many 13 continentals
Nearby prospects, professionalism, high-level activities, career opportunitiesThey could find them here too, provided that our home teams were able to guarantee competitive standards. 2023 has seen in Italy 13 continental, but how many have actually offered qualified activities (within and especially beyond national borders), providing their athletes with truly trained staff? Maybe two, no more than three.
When the FCI pushed for the creation of these teams (a consequence of foreign dominance in the Giro d'Italia U23), it probably didn't expect such a massive turnout. We all thought that in the Italian cycling scene Only teams with the financial means to undertake a higher level of activity would be promoted. It was understood instead that this would not be the case, when the continental teams themselves rebelled against the impossibility of participating in the regional competitionsThey had thought and perhaps still think that the change was only superficial. The fault for this is not of the Federation, but of those who think that the rules serve to fill useless pagesFaced with this mentality, the kids leave.
Bullying of the big ones
And in the meantime, however, a short circuit has been triggered. If 13 continental teams are going to make their voice heard in the races of the national calendar, the smaller teams are left with nothing. A bit like when at the Coppi and Bartali Week 8 WorldTour teams are starting and the only thing left for the professionals to win is a semi-stage sprint.
You run to gain experience and maybe even to win. The goal of the smaller teams is to work to raise the level of their athletes so that they get noticed by some… tenant on the upper floors. Certainly having too big opponents underfoot means that… the possibility of having constructive experiences is lost.
In the opinion of the writer, therefore purely personal opinion, The continental teams should be reserved for the U23 international calendar races and the professional ones, in Italy and abroad, which you have the opportunity to participate in. Likewise the share of WorldTour in “class 1” races, which should be the terrain for professionals and continentals, should be significantly reducedWe're told that in that case, several organizers would consider ceasing their activity: in this the Federation (national e international) should have a weaving role, to make the calendars homogeneous.
The day of the Stelvio
It makes one reflect on the fragility of certain teams that at the Giro di Sicilia (where there were 5 WorldTour teams), out of 59 Italian continental riders, 25 withdrewA few years ago, we were shocked by Mastromarco's decision not to participate in the Giro della Valle d'Aosta, as it only had very young riders who wouldn't have learned from that challenge. This is the right way to think: a constructive and responsible attitude.
The same can be said in front of the 31 disqualified riders in the St. Valentine's Daytelvio? A couple of teams disappeared from the race in just one day: 11 riders from Italian U23 teams, 11 from continental teamsThe rest were foreigners. The riders were fools, convinced they were clever. But their technicians came out even worse, with all the distinctions between the cases.. You don't go to the Tour of Italy Just to show off their shirts. Did what happened that day only lead to fines, suspensions, and punishments, or did it open the door to more serious reflection? The Federation could perhaps capitalize on this and take advantage of it to restructure the system, but it's not to blame. Faced with that mentality and the superficiality of certain managements, the boys leave.
The gold rush
About all this The work of the riders' agents, who have an easy time proposing contracts abroad, looms like a shadowWhat's unfortunate is that their work has meanwhile also been reduced to the student category, where decisions should be made by parents and not by the children, who are easily persuaded with promises from a land of plenty. Many will come back: not everyone finds gold.
The indiscriminate departure is not the fault of the Federation, but of the promises and inadequacy of some teams. It would be nice if a junior would choose to race in a small Italian team because it was capable of offering him the basics of the profession from which to take flight and not because you were forced to retreat due to a previous failure.
