Gianfranco Battaglia is 82 years old and some would believe that, after so much time spent in the world of cycling, he could now enjoy a well-deserved retirement and beautiful grandchildren. But no, the call of the forest, or rather… of cycling sport, is still very strong and Battaglia senior continues to dedicate himself to cycling in various forms, such as the organization – together with his son Angelo, president of the now historic Lucchese Cycling Union – of the prestigious National City of Lucca Trophy for amateurs, which will celebrate the 53rd edition on September 29th, together with the memory of Giacomo Puccini who was a cyclist before his time. Nothing better than having a chat with this great Lucca sports figure, originally from the hamlet of Fagnano.
Can you summarize your history in cycling?
«I have lived for 55 years in this sport that I continue to love, starting in 1969. For 31 years I carried out the role of National Judge and for 20 years that of president of the FCI provincial committee of Lucca, with 48 organized races under my belt . CONI recently awarded me the Silver Star, while the Bronze Star went to UC Lucchese. I have three children Mario, Serena and Angelo, with whom I still take care of organizing competitions.”
– The best memories of your career as a judge at national level?
«They date back to when I started being in charge of services in important races. I started with the Tre Valli Varesine, then I took part in stages of the Giro d’Italia, the Tirreno-Adriatico, Classics and Italian championships on the track, on the road such as the one won by Saronni in Arezzo and the 2013 Junior World Championship in Florence” .
Ever supported any of the champions?
«Coppi was my favorite, but I remember with nostalgia the era of the rivalry between Moser, a generous man, and the shrewd Saronni, a period that did a lot of good for the popularity of cycling.”
Moser won the last two time trial stages of the Giro d’Italia held in Lucca and this year the Giro returns to our city, what do you think?
“It’s a nice return, but the route of this year’s stage doesn’t seem too demanding to me. There was even the idea of organizing a time trial stage between Torre del Lago and Lucca, but the RCS didn’t like the proposal.”
Is it true that you had the plan to organize the Italian Professional Championship in Lucca?
«Yes, when we took over the leadership of UC Lucchese in 2022, Angelo and I gave ourselves a three-year program to try to set up the professional tricolor. We already had the consent of the Municipality of Lucca, but after the elections the administrators changed and the Giro stage was preferred to the Italian championship. And to say that, with the certain support of the Puccini Foundation, and with the same amount needed to have a stage of the Giro, the tricolor week could have easily been set up in Lucca, with all the cycling categories taking part”.
Ultimately, is the 53rd City of Lucca Trophy on September 29th your flagship?
«Certainly, UC Lucchese has turned 80 and this match is the most important in our province. I am the organizational manager and in January we already had about ten teams from other regions joining. Then, what other race can afford such a beautiful and spectacular arrival on the city walls of Lucca? We will also stop and depart from Piazza Cittadella, in front of the statue of Giacomo Puccini. In the meantime, I confirm that for next year we have requested the organization of the Italian Elite and Under 23 championship: we are only two clubs in the running and therefore we have an excellent chance of obtaining it.”
How is the health of cycling in Lucca?
«Bad. Unfortunately there is very little to be happy about, only in the Capannori area is something positive emerging. At the same time we have too many Amateurs, a very self-referential category that does not attract young people to cycling. On an athletic level we hope that Edoardo Cipollini will continue to grow, while Carlo Palandri’s Gragnano should be admired for its commitment and results obtained.”
Ultimately the situation is bad: sponsors, money and young people who choose cycling are missing.
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