“Cycling and marathons absolutely represent the best commercial for our country because they are the greatest possible means of promotion. There is not a place in the country where cycling is not practiced”: these are the words of the president of CONI, Giovanni Malagò , during the press conference to present the exhibition-event “Ciclismo Tricolore – The most representative jerseys”, at the Galleria dei Presidenti in Palazzo Montecitorio. “It is the first time that the jerseys of a national team have been displayed. Italy has always been at the top of world sport, cycling is the third in terms of medals – continued the CONI president -. It doesn’t seem easy to me to overcome the athletics given how it went at the Europeans, but I’m not ruling anything out. Malagò then concluded: “The first cycling medal dates back to 1900, and this represents a long link between this sport and the Olympics”.
feelings
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“Cycling represents something important for me too; it’s a question of feelings. I’m a big fan of our cycling champions, then there was 1994, a particular year for me because I had serious health problems: immobilized in bed I could see the Giro d’Italia from morning to evening. The day he left the hospital there was a stage in which this 24-year-old boy called Marco Pantani emerged, who won his first stage Non lo mai known but I have a bond with him: his victory represented my rebirth after a very bad moment. In cycling you are only against yourself before you are against your opponents, you need the courage to overcome adversity and your own limits, this sport is also a gym. of life”: these are the words of the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana, during the conference of the event which saw the participation, among others, of the deputy Roberto Pella and the cyclists Giulio Pellizzari and Antonio Tiberi. Fontana expressed particular thanks to the two of them: “You don’t just represent sport. So thank you.” The President of the Chamber was given a pink shirt. “It is an honor to have Tiberi and Pellizzari here – echoed Pella – they can represent the future of our nation, like Coppi and Bartali”.
