It is to be understood, using the crude language of the street, whether the great attention of the 4 candidates for the FCI Presidency towards cycle tourists and amateurs whether it arises from a noble purpose or is rather the way to reach their membership fees. In each of the interviews published in recent days Dagnoni, Insects, Martinello e Perego (in alphabetical order) everyone's common joke was: "We need to offer real activities and not consider them as ATMs.".
Since it continues to seem unusual to us, except in limited areas, that a Federation affiliated to the Olympic Committee should allocate resources to amateursWe turned to those who have been working with them for years and do so well, to see if there was any room for maneuver. And so we rang the doorbell again. Emiliano Borgna, national manager of Acsi Cycling (At the top left, at the Marcialonga presentation). In 2019, ACSI had 53.000 members, 1.900 affiliated clubs, 1.200 organized events, and 80 Gran Fondos. We spoke with him to see if there was scope for collaboration with the FCI. leaving everyone their own role and optimizing resources.
Good morning Emiliano, you told us you spoke with Martinello over the summer. Have there been any other contacts?
With no one, nothing. They probably feel like they're from another dimension., which is true from a regulatory standpoint. Let's see when the reform of the sports system will come into force, if there will be more defined tasksOn the amateur front, the situation in recent years is in our favor and that of other organizations, because they have little activity.
Why are you so strong and why does everything seem so difficult for the FCI?
We've streamlined the organizational structure a lot, we try to help companies organize their events. This isn't the case over there, and on the other hand, you have some... very high race fees, also because for many years there has been no attention towards the amateur world and they have remained behind, but probably having other objectivesThere were hybrid years, when one could believe in amateur competitiveness, when extremes of exasperation had been reached. But now, also thanks to Covid, things have returned to normalEvents are either suspended or extremely difficult to attend. However, people have continued to play sports, as the accident data also shows. And here our idea was born Kom You.
What is that?
The inspiration for give people a goal, because the situation will remain like this for a few months, hopefully not many, and then the recovery will still have uncertainties and critical issues. So we came up with a challenge that gives practitioners the incentive to train, also because the latest virtual events, while still being able to take to the streets, have seen a significant drop in participants. The most beautiful Italian climbs are tackled, following two themes. You can do as many as you like or search for the performance, with the ranking being drawn up via sharing your activity on StravaEveryone can participate, not just our members. There are many people who have started, dressed as usual, initially with improvised bikes. They are new members to broaden the pool and don't limit it to Veterans over 40, who have the financial stability to buy bikes and pay registration fees.
The hunt for newbies is also in the plans of the four candidates...
When the discussion of conventions was born, whereby sport was promoted through promotional bodies in collaboration with the Federations, we were the first to sign, not out of awe, but because we believed in a possible collaboration and we still do. Then they compared the membership numbers and the discussions ended. I don't see the FCI as a competitor, If anything, it's the organizations that don't organize events and don't have any costs that run membership campaigns among my clubs at rock-bottom prices. With FCI, we're worlds apart, a meeting point could very well be found.
We are talking about races for very young people linked to the Gran Fondo.
It could exploit the logistics of the amateur event and reduce costs for the organizers which have increased since the regional competitions became national. But we could also collaborate outside of the competitions.
In what?
The realization of cycle tracks where everyone can do activities. Manage basic business, such as in schools or with disabled peopleThese things are done by the Authorities, not the Federations. They have everything codified with the CONI regulatory references, specialty by specialty, but a way to get people on bikes is foundIf you're involved with young people and beginners in the Gran Fondo, you should also avoid having the kids ride in the dilapidated vans of certain clubs. They go to the races with their families; the father does his Gran Fondo and the kids do their race. It's also the way to share sport as a family.
Are you already doing this?
In some events such as the Marcialonga, the children's event on Saturday, has an exceptional turnout.The Gran Fondo should be the final act of a family celebration.
What if the FCI comes to take the children and offers them membership?
Welcome. We can't compete with children under 13; before that, we do recreational and promotional activities. It's right that little ones do federal activitiesIf they become Nibalis, we'll all be happy. If they don't, maybe they'll come to us as amateurs.
