Tino Conti, protagonist of the afternoon
At the invitation of the municipal administration of Nibionno, on the afternoon of Saturday 22 June, in the multipurpose hall of the Cibrone oratory, the former champion had the opportunity to present his work to the community, under the gaze of relatives and friends who have accompanied him over the years. During the interview, conducted by the press and communications officer of the Province of Lecco, Samuele Biffi, he was joined by the sports journalist Sergio Meda and Gianfranco Josti, together with the former cyclist and sports manager Marino Vigna.
”On behalf of the municipal administration – began the mayor Laura Di Terlizzi – we are happy to be here to remember emotions and significant moments of this great champion, citizen of Nibionno. A few months ago, in fact, Tino arrived in my office and brought me his creation, in a somewhat disheartened way since he had written by hand, without help. So the Municipality took this opportunity to celebrate all the deeds of our great Nibion pride: as Samuele, one of many, including Ernesto Donghi, Antonio Penati and many others present here, also remembered. Cycling is an important sport for the whole country, which is why we wanted to pay homage to this athlete with this day of sharing not only efforts, but also emotions and joys that you citizens give us”.
In the center the mayor Laura Di Terlizzi and next to the councilor Davide Biffi
Antonio Penati, race judge and cycling enthusiast, who contributed to writing the book, was also invited to take the stage. ”I had kept a lot of material – said the expert – so we got on track and carried out research. The first part concerns the youth section, in which I collaborated, while the second concerns a more recent fragment. I’m happy with the result and I’m also thinking of those who read it, especially because Como cycling is a bit off at the moment. In this book, however, he shows Tino’s successes: starting from third place in the World Championship, his golden year in ’67 up to the Olympics. Accumulating fourteen victories as a student is no small achievement: this important objective will always be remembered in this writing”.
Victories and successes which, as the protagonist of the initiative himself underlined, can only be achieved with the right people at your side. ”I think that for an athlete, a wife is the most important person there can be: at the end of a race, whether it turned out to be a success or a failure, you need a person who gives the right morale. Luckily, I had my wife who, despite everything, put up with me and gave me the right advice, as well as keeping me in line” the runner fondly recalled.
In addition to the fundamental presence of his better half, heartfelt thanks were also addressed to Ernesto Donghi. ”The passion for cycling was born with him: together with his brother, we used to take the Torpado bicycle. The first time I got on a bike was in the oratory: I was playing marbles when they asked me to go for a ride to Onno. After this ride I was exhausted and my friends were forced to accompany me home, but everything was born from there, from the races in the oratory to my professional career” said Conti.
In the text, however, moments of difficulty and sacrifice are also recalled, which color the life of a professional athlete. ”I also made mistakes: I started making them in ’67, the year in which I wanted to race and compete with other professionals, including my tense relationship with the general director of the team I was part of, Vincenzo Giacotto. In the pages I tell some episodes and injustices that have happened to me and how I faced them. For this reason the project is aimed at young people: through my experience I would like to give them an example, so as not to make the same mistakes as me and how to face difficult moments”.
This food for thought encompasses the spirit of this sport which, on the surface, might seem individual; on the contrary, without a team that supports the athlete, the individual is unable to overcome obstacles. An opportunity for discussion which then continued during a small convivial moment, which opened the sale of the book to the public.
