Milan recently hosted a crash course to show new Italian professionals what to expect. The initiative has become a traditional event involving all the main players in the national movement, from the Federation to the League. This year, the event, held at the Palazzo del CONI byACCPI involved a greater number of kids than usual, as many as 22 new entries thanks also to the move to the Professionals of theMBH Bank. With them also the neopro Matilde Vitillo, landed at LIV AlUla Jayco, while they were absent Francesca Pellegrini (Uno-X Mobility) e Federica Venturelli (UAE Team ADQ).
The president of ACCPI talks about the initiative Christian Salvato, who immediately strongly believed in its importance, even more so today when cycling seems immersed in a blender from which continuous novelties emerge: «It all started years ago, if I remember correctly the first edition dates back to 2010. The story of the genesis of this initiative is curious: the idea was born because I had seen an article about Danilo Gallinari, when he arrived at the NBAHe was already a professional player, but as soon as he arrived they took him to a hotel for a three- or four-day full immersion course where they explained to him all the rules of that world, from the circumference of the ball to how to manage his post-career money. We certainly aren't the NBA, but we thought of this course to give them explanations about the rights and duties of a rider."
Has the course evolved over the years?
Very much so. We've grown, adding more and more features and contributions. We see that it's having a good success, and it's appreciated by the kids. For example, this year we have dedicated a special space to the explanation of the Adams Protocol for anti-dopingI explained to the kids that over the years they might change teams, friends, girlfriends, but what won't change is the Protocol itself as long as they're professionals...
Would you have needed a similar course when you turned professional in 1995?
Of course... When I stopped by, no one explained anything to me except the usual roommate who would mention something. Those were different times, for sure. There were also managers from the Wild West and having an education would have been very important as far as contractual rights were concerned.The contracts were like sheets and the payments were a little more… loosely woven, let's say they were more “creative”.
Has the situation improved?
Definitely. Aside from the fact that contracts are year-to-year, I encounter very few complaints, especially because there are guarantees and rights. But there's another aspect that strikes me, and that's the increasingly younger average age. When I turned professional I was in my fifth year as an amateur, but it was quite normal, also because there was the Olympic blockAt 21, the phenomena passed away. Now, however, a freshman is already here.
How was the course structured?
We had numerous contributions, each with a specific team: they talked about the Adams Protocol Martino Pezzetta of the UCI Anti-Doping League Service and Carmel Chabloz of the ITA agency. Other topics included Professional Team Contracts and Institutions. Athlete Well-being and Mental Health. Runners' Rewards, Rights, and Duties. Media Relations and Social Media Use.The boys followed everything with great interest, getting excited when the video link from Ghent was made. Elia Viviani, in a break of the Be Giorni.
A sign of the different maturity that young people have?
In some ways, yes. In my opinion, it's even more complicated for them to find their way around, especially for such young players who also have an additional point of reference in the agents and whose interests don't always coincide with those of their protégés. The example I always give is that of Lorenzo Finn, an absolute talent, winner of the world title as a junior and immediately after also as an Under 23. He could have gone straight to the top, but instead he chose to spend two years as an amateur, because he knows that the experiences he will gain will be useful to him.I think he's the perfect example of how one should become a professional.
How do you judge such a massive presence of riders?
Certainly the MBH Bank group added presences, 8 from that group alone, but there were also 6 from WorldTour teams with only one absentee Augustine because he was competing in cyclocross. All boys, the slightly older one was Gaffuri.
What signal is this?
I still believe in a renaissance of Italian cycling. It's a good thing that we have four professional teams, unfortunately they are not of the highest level for the budget available, not because of the quality of the sponsors and even the managers who support them. But the god of money is increasingly in control.
One thing that's increasingly emerging is that many kids are dropping out of school to pursue their cycling dreams. Was that also the case in your day?
Let's just say, back in my day, there were more of us who sacrificed school for cycling. Nowadays, school has changed a bit. I remember that in my day, there were teachers who looked at me askance when I asked for time off to go to a race or a training camp. Now the kids have facilities and much more understanding, it's much better.Among the boys, we had Gaffuri, who already has a degree, and 2-3 other boys who are taking university courses, so the situation is better than you might think.
How did the boys behave?
Better than I thought. We're talking about young people; keeping them locked up in a room for a day is almost torture. Yet I saw that they kept their cell phones in their pockets and were interested in what was being said, also because over the years we have increasingly refined what we offer them.. For example, the intervention of Marco Velo about the safety devices, about how the caravan is built on the road. He asked questions, and most of them didn't know how to navigate it or where the various parts were located. I could see they were attentive.
Did you have a sense of awareness of where they are, of what awaits them?
That's a good question. It depends a lot on the person. Compared to the past, the leap to becoming a professional is much bigger, I saw a professional as a star. Now the guys are already in contact with the pros in open races, there's a different contamination, so they're more prepared, accustomed.
