It is so organized and schematic Daniela Isetti's program, how long that of Silvio Martinello it's a flow of ideas: a reasoning that touches on the various aspects of the proposal, highlighting problems and solutions. Two completely different approaches, as are the two candidates. A 25-page document, divided into chapters like stations on the journey.
«I imagine a Federation – we read at the beginning – that returns to work primarily with and for the grassroots, supporting their Regional and Provincial Committees with a new merit-based criterion for allocating contributions. The CRs and CPs will have to return to their primary function: representing the operational arm of the central structure on the ground. The FCI will have to help them recover lost ground. after years of centralized management which has effectively stripped the peripheral committees (apart from a few cases useful for managing consensus) of their prerogatives."
Among the various points of the full program, some have caught our attention.
Support for companies
The program states: economic and training support for grassroots companies, will allow us to interrupt and reverse the downward trend, allowing us to once again be attractive and competitive compared to other sports disciplines.
«I mean the companies – explains Martinello – employed throughout the supply chain, from the very young to the juniors. We need protect them from that kind of cannibalism implemented by the richest teams, which has led to a general impoverishment. It's already difficult to cope with the promotions, but if the order of arrival is decided by sporting directors who, thanks to money, have access to the best talent, even the real level of competition is undermined.
"Companies," Martinello continues, "must be helped to grow. After this pandemic, we will have to support them, searching the budget for resources to avoid paying membership fees. This is what we did in 2020, when €2 million was allocated specifically to support them. And then we need to find a way to ensure that… the richest squadrons have a membership requirement to respectIt's a problem that has been known for years, but no solution has ever been found."
The role of RCS
When the program addresses the road sector, the analysis of the movement is clear. Despite a prestigious history, the organization of cycling in Italy is guilty of presumption and the system is shaky. The big ones are getting bigger, the small ones are on the verge of asphyxiation. The example of the role played by Aso in the relaunch of French cycling it is an excellent connection.
"It's a point of arrival," Martinello admits, "otherwise we won't get out of it. Rcs takes 20 million euros every year from the Rai, why not ask for 21 and invest that million in promoting professionalism? We need to sit down at a table and deal with the entire national calendarWe can imagine a format for all races that includes 90 minutes of live coverage, with a studio at the start and one at the end, with a producer that could be Rai. When Friends will leave, who will take charge of the situation? RCS has its own structure, why not think about an economy of scale, which puts the pros at the centre of the system?
«French cycling – Martinello insists – was in a terrible state 15 years ago, Aso he carried it on his shouldersRaces were disappearing and sponsors wanted to invest in the Tour. And what did the Tour do? He invited them to invest in new teams, granting them the wild card. The two WorldTour teams (with the exception of the Fdj which was there before) and the four French professional teams are the result of this work. It is legitimate for a company to make a profit, but If you don't build the movement, what do you have left? Did they explain the situation in these terms in Cairo? It's an ambitious project, but at that table... the Federation can mediate, having the awareness of the risks for the entire movement».
The national teams
The blue jersey is the jewel in the crown, but according to Martinello the organization on which the national teams are based is the product of outdated legacies. The Anglo-Saxon world has shown the way for years now.
«The project – says Martinello – plans to put a Team Manager at the head of the national teams with direct coordination and organizational responsibilities. It will not be a private team, as it will still report to the Federal Council. This is the continuation of the project I brought to the Federation in 2005.
«Today each group works with its own staff, while I imagine a team of mechanics and masseurs across all sectorsA much leaner structure, also made up of employees, who organize materials and the warehouse when they're not on the job. Greater operational efficiency is needed, after a multi-year work program was agreed in light of the competitive events. The national team must be the family jewel And it must also enjoy worthy communication. It's impossible for Cassani, thanks to his personal following, to be the only one capable of making it visible. Communication is a weak point, the blue jersey must be an object of desire even for those who want to invest in cycling. an analysis of the balance sheets between 2003 and 2019 It emerges that in 2003 there were 810 thousand euros of income from sponsors, in 2019 we are at 219 thousand...".
The speed
After years of darkness and disinterest, Fortunately, speed on the track has become everyone's obsessionMartinello calls it “a shameful gap.”
«Daniela Isetti's interpretation of the causes of abandonment – says Martinello – is partial and superficial. Speed requires great planningWe need to develop a system to support athletes, with the military forces, but also imagining the birth of a team to be entrusted to the team managerThe Dutch speed prodigies all come from BMX, so much so that next to the velodromes, there's always a facility for this specialty. Why wasn't this considered when designing the one in Spresiano? They are interchangeable specialties and BMX is still an Olympic disciplineWe need high-level technicians that we don't have right now. I'm not saying we should import them from outside, but our people should be sent to do internships abroadNew Zealand, the size of Tuscany, achieves results in every Olympic discipline. Why?
«Our track has achieved exceptional results thanks to two great technicians like Villa and Salvoldi, but they cannot be the ones to deal with speed because they do not have the expertise. This is demonstrated by the fact that Miriam Vece was sent to Aigle, as happens in developing countries. But if we had sent another girl, we would have an Olympic sprint team by now."
The security
Safety in organizing races, safety in everyday use. If a child can't ride a bike to school, they may never have the desire to get there before their classmate, and the bicycle will increasingly be out of reach. The road sector is at risk.
«There has been some intervention in the Highway Code – says Martinello – but We are stuck on that 1,5 meters which is not the panacea for all illsThe legislator should sit at the table with the Federation, working on an educational model. We are paying a very high price in terms of lives and membership. In countries where real investments have been made in security, membership numbers have also increased.. Therefore, we need to invest in closed facilities that allow for safe operations, but at the same time, we need to help those responsible for legislating to ensure they act appropriately.
«On the other hand, on the organizers' side, who have considerable costs, the same economy of scale that has been discussed for television productions must be created, providing the regional and provincial committees with infrastructure and resources to be made available to the clubs. Race directors, who carry an incredible burden, should also be supported, perhaps even with legal assistance.
The topics are still many and range from the federal website to doping, which stigmatizes the UCI's management of anti-doping and also the retroactive nature of the controls, in which the punitive aspect is accompanied by the educational one. Reading the program in this case it will complete the picture perfectly.
