A kaleidoscope of colours, smiles and emotions characterized the 4th Francesco Cesarini Memorial, which took place on Saturday 1st June in its best version ever. As many as 200 little cyclists, aged from 6 to 12, belonging to the very young category, literally invaded the splendid circuit of the Giro della Rocca di Spoleto, contributing to the organizational triumph of an event, promoted by the Bici Club Spoleto, which in just a few years has become one of the most anticipated and appreciated on the national scene.
The sunny day, with ideal temperatures for cycling, made a one-of-a-kind race location shine in all its splendor, with architectural jewels such as the Rocca Albornoziana, the Ponte delle Torri and the Spoleto Cathedral as a backdrop to the numerous challenges in the afternoon. Challenges and fun which in some cases even doubled compared to what was expected on the eve. The record-breaking field of starters in fact pushed the jury to revise the race programme, which saw the G3, G4, G5 and G6 categories compete in two separate heats. A solution that proved to be a winning one both in terms of safety and entertainment, thanks primarily to the enthusiasm and competitive spirit that the little protagonists of the day were able to transfer to the pedals.
At team level, the Zero24 Cycling Team from the Marche region excelled, rising to the top of the participant rankings by virtue of their 28 members present at the start. Instead, the Tuscans of GS Olimpia Valdarnese lifted the trophy for the points classification, always dedicated to clubs, and were star performers especially in the women’s field with 3 individual successes. In the very rich series of awards, space was also dedicated to the Lombards of SC Busto Garolfo, awarded the recognition for the team coming from the furthest away. This data certifies the national character of the event, with Umbria, Lazio, Marche and Tuscany as the most represented regions of a startlist capable of gathering participation from every corner of Italy. On the podium together with many small champions were also the children of the 4th AE 4th B classes of the San Giacomo Primary School, winners of the “Pedalando nei Sogni” drawing competition, to whom a special tribute was dedicated by the president of the jury Claudio Menichelli, among the promoters of this beautiful collateral initiative.
Great satisfaction at an organizational level for the Bici Club Spoleto, which once again, thanks to the commitment of the patron Siro Castellani and the team manager Paolo Orazi, demonstrated the importance of knowing how to create synergies between sport and territory. Synergies that have found support in the increasingly profound and effective collaboration with the Municipality of Spoleto, as also underlined by the passionate presence of the deputy mayor with responsibility for sport Stefano Lisci. It was the latter who opened, before the awards ceremony, a moment of discussion involving the main guests of the day. The former pro Danilo Di Luca (winner of a Giro d’Italia, a Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a Giro di Lombardia), the two current spearheads of the Umbrian Junior movement Mattia Proietti Gagliardoni (Team Franco Ballerini) and Giacomo Serangeli (Foligno Cycling Union), the lawyer Carlo Moriconi (former deputy commissioner of FCI Umbria), Emanuele Crisi (former MTB pro and collaborator of the Soudal team) and Cristian Baroni (President of the “Il Sorriso di Teo” Association) were the protagonists of a brief dialogue on the past, present and future of cycling which revolved around the figure of Francesco Cesarini. The memory of the late champion originally from San Giacomo touched the emotional chords of all those present through the projection of contributions from the time on his victories, combined with video messages from his former captain Giuseppe Saronni and Davide Cassani. The latter testimonies were collected by Donatella and Francesca Cesarini, who this year too have put their heart and soul into promoting the event, making themselves among the main architects of its success. On a day of great prestige for Umbrian cycling, the regional sports institutions could not be missing either, with Massimo Alunni (President CR Umbria FCI) and Luciano Bracarda (President CP Perugia) also speaking during the afternoon and present on the circuit board for encourage the runners. Also at an organizational level, it is worth highlighting the work of the Pro Loco San Giacomo, of UC Foligno, which through their respective presidents Giuseppe Gasperini and Moreno Petrini (served for the occasion as race director) guaranteed extremely valuable support for the conduct of the competitions and for the preparation of the prizes.
