When things work, it's good to talk about them. The period of self-criticism currently underway in the Italian youth sector is not without its exceptions. The emerging talents and stories that hide between the Alps and the Apennines are alive and well, and discovering them isn't that easy.One of these is that of Luca BagnaraBorn in 2003, a true Faenza native, he has had many insiders eyeing him since the junior category.
His story is unique yet common, the perfect definition was given to us by those who decided to trust him: Iván Basso: «It's an Italian story». Exactly because Luca is a talented son of popular cycling, the one who raises the kids from the beginning, educates them and brings them to run with the big boys. In fact, his growth has always been guided by Roberto Drei, historic sports director of the SC Reda Mokador who accompanied him from the students up to the U23 category, creating a team for him and his friends and companions. From next year Ivan has decided to take him on board Contador Foundation U23 with the intention of taking him to professional football when he is ready.
A sports director, a boy and his friends
With the 90's generation getting ever closer to their thirties, the youth cycling is in the hands of the 2000s. Agents, sponsors and the frantic race of teams in search of talent mean that every decision made at this age becomes increasingly delicateThe story of Luca Bagnara who Ivan met is the narration of a timeless Italian cyclingSitting at the Mokador bar in Faenza, which is also the team's sponsor, Basso listened to the story of a sports director, a promising rider, and his teammates.
«In our youth scouting – says Ivan Basso – Luca was one of the riders who had been reported to us several times since the junior categoryA few days ago his sporting director Roberto Drei told me that he would have the pleasure of meeting me to tell me his story. They told me I was very impressed by his potential and how he has grown over the years. I was also amazed by his sporting director, with How much love followed this boy and all the other teammates on the student, junior and under 23 paths, in a journey that lasted five years. But I was also surprised by how the rider felt the same way towards the sports director.. And so does his family."
Values and will
"This is how it should be, the young person and the family growing up for years with a sporting director who accompanies and advises them." From these words you can perceive how Basso emphasizes a healthy and peaceful growth path, a sort of exception from the stories he has had to deal with since he built the Eolo-Kometa.
"In Luca's case," Basso says, "it was a unique situation. Usually, I'm the one who tries to convince them to run with us, but in this case, the situation was the opposite: their will was very clear. It struck me and it was a negotiation that I followed first hand. The parameters are those of an athlete who it has huge margins, with qualities that have been seen in previous years also thanks to how he was raised sportingly. He's a boy who wants to become a professional riderI said to him: “Do you want to wear our jersey and become one?” By telling him this, I advised him to take a few days off. He he didn't hesitate and immediately replied that he had already made his decision».
The paradox of normality
During the call with Ivan the words of surprise and amazement are repeated So much so that our question became necessary. Ivan, what makes Bagnara's story special?
«He was a boy – says Basso – who he often fell into the youth categories, so his sports director told him: “Let's change the way we race, go to the front and try to attack the races.” It was a bit of a tiring tactic though the boy responded well and achieved important placings. Another curious aspect is how these students took a shift off, not for rest but for the junior race organized by the club. Instead of going for a run, they volunteered to go see where they would be running the following year.
«The other thing that struck me is that the six boys, they did all this journey together. It's a very particular story, very Italian, in which the sports director regains his value which is often unfairly delegitimizedSometimes you find riders who have been mentored for many years by youth category sports directors. However, when these directors give them advice on what to do, for example in the U23 category, instead of following their advice, they listen to something completely different. The older one grows, the more external influences increase and eventually one distances oneself.
«Here I rediscovered – he explains – that spirit that was once there. The rider trusts, the family trusts and I really enjoyed it. I feel a duty, along with my collaborators, to continue this story and enhance it. And be careful, this one hits hard.There are few riders with the characteristics that allow them to be very strong on climbs and strong in time trials. Luca is a rider we will try to develop in these two areas."
Low in Faenza
Faenza is known from far away Ortelli and Ronconi, is a city in Romagna that lives on cycling. With Cassani today hosts the team's headquarters Technipes-InEmiliaRomagna which from 2023 will be getting a makeover to launch itself into the continental fray with a ambitious projectA “rival” for Basso and Contador.
La Coppolillo's team decided to focus on talents he already had, expanding the roster with Andrea Innocenti. So, after the (sportingly speaking) theft of Bagnara from his hometown, we asked Basso to grant a favor in the form of advice to Innocenti who, like him, experienced a long and forced period of inactivity.
"Coppolillo," Ivan says, "has been doing this job for years. He knows the sacrifice involved and will know how to handle these situations. I've heard this guy's story and I don't want to go into it, but A rider who trains for four years and returns to running deserves all the trust and all the support.
"I don't know Andrea personally," he concludes, "I find it hard to give him specific advice. What I can say is that I admire his dedication over the years. From the outside I see the unbridled desire to get back to running. They also told me about the exceptional values that this athlete hasThe sports directors will have an easy task, because Andrea, knowing what he has been through, knows very well the suffering and everything that comes your way will be easier compared to what he faced."
