He has never run, but he runs like a madman. He never stands still: he is perpetually out of common and for someone who is deputy vice-president of ANCI (since 2018, ed.), the association of Italian Municipalities, it is a beautiful paradox.
Roberto Pella has been the new president of the professional cycling league since April 30th. Born in 1970, that of Marco Pantani just to name a name, Pella was born in Biella on 6 March, but lives with Mrs. Elisabetta (gynaecologist, ed.) and her daughter Carolina (19 years old, ed.) in Valdengo of which he has been mayor since three consecutive mandates (in the last round he was re-elected with 86% of the preferences) plus two from 1995 to 2004 as the second youngest mayor in Italy (24 years old, ed.), interspersed with roles at the presidency of the Province and at sports department of the capital city.
«I have always had a passion for cycling, for two reasons. The first for two of my cousins: Adriano Pella, professional rider at Germanvox and Scic, Zonca and Selle Royal, from 1970 to 1977 and also winner of a stage at Paris-Nice (half stage in 1970, ed.). Adriano had a teammate by the name of Celestino Vercellialso a professional from ’69 to ’78 and founder of Vittoria shoes, which married my cousin Ileana Pella and he passed away too soon in 2020. Well, thanks to these two cousins of mine – one by marriage – I basically grew up around cycling. Those who are starting to have some gray hairs will also remember that immediately after the Giro d’Italia, the Castello circuit was contested in Valdengo, which over the years has been won by Gimondi in Balmamion, Saronni and many others. But those who really made me fall in love with this sport were not just my cousins, but my beloved grandparents, Adelina and Augusto who were two huge enthusiasts. Since my parents – mother Mariangela and father Ezio – were very busy running our companies, I grew up in their house. And it was with my grandparents that I contracted this authentic “disease” for two wheels. Racing, of any kind and type, absolutely did not go unnoticed in their house and I became passionate about it like never before, without ever having ridden a bicycle.”
Who were you rooting for?
«The nice thing is that my grandfather supported Moser and my grandmother Saronni. I, who adored them both, as a good Christian Democrat (Forza Italia MP for two legislatures, ed.) have always kept to the double track.”
However, now he has Beppe Saronni as vice president of the League.
“And this is a great fortune: having a man of his experience on our board can only be good.”
What do his parents do.
«Dad, born in 1942, followed in the footsteps of my grandfather, who had created a trucking company, although today it is run by two of my cousins. My mother, born in 1948, is still on the job and is responsible for managing our three textile companies, of which I am CEO.”
Only child?
“Yes”.
What do you like about cycling?
“All. I like cycling itself and what it generates. I love racing and the love of the fans who choose to take to the streets to meet, party and celebrate the runners. It’s not for nothing that I have always given a great help to the organizers of children’s races, which are commonplace in Valdengo.”
Now that he is president of the League he will have to do some bike rides…
«I pedaled in the Giro E during the Valdengo-Oropa, I almost lost my coronary arteries. Even though the bike was pedal assisted, 3 km from the summit of Oropa I ran out of battery. Luckily there were many people who recognized me and literally pushed me up, otherwise I would never have been able to get to the top. Believe me, the last 300 meters of cordoning off seemed interminable to me, I will never do anything like that again.”
However, it has a special relationship with the Giro d’Italia.
«It is our flagship in the world, I have a special relationship with the president of RCS MediaGroup Urbano Cairo and the CEO and general director of RCS Sport Paolo Bellino, as well as with the director of the Giro Mauro Vegni, who with Stefano Allocchio are honorary citizens of Valdengo. The Giro, like all Italian races, is the main vehicle for enhancing our beauties, our culture, our food and wine territories. I brought the Giro to Valdengo twice, in 2014 and 2017. This year, as I just told you, a stage of the Giro E started from my small town.”
What do you like about cycling?
«I read that football clubs try in every way to make stadiums family-friendly, well, cycling has always been that way. Cycling is about meetings, toasts and roadside chops. It’s aggregation, sharing. It’s a beautiful experience. Statistical data tell us that every time there is an event of this magnitude, tourism increases seven/eight times and the economic return from an investment made is five/six times.”
Cycling is also a lifestyle.
«Exactly and it must be more and more so. In addition to sport and youth policies, like Anci I am also delegated to health: the use of the bicycle is one of the greatest possibilities we have for reducing public health costs. The bicycle helps new lifestyles. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have invested and are investing in cycling for this very reason and my intention is to open discussions as a League with the Minister of Education Valditara and the Minister for Health Schillaci to accelerate, perfect and promote cycling and cycling as a lifestyle, ideal for fighting non-communicable diseases.”
The League must also think about facilitating the television broadcast of the various events.
«And we will move in this direction. We must support these events and for this reason I want to achieve self-production and a very strong collaboration with Rai to make Italian cycling known throughout the world. Just think that if a race in Italy is followed by 100 people, 500 people follow it abroad. The Italian model is very popular. But we must also lay solid and continuous foundations for commercial growth. I believe that a strong League can also be of help to the Federation. We need to generate new revenue.”
It must be a strong League, also supported by politics.
«In this regard I wanted to provide for the establishment of an Institutional Political Committee with the presence of members of Parliament, Regions, Municipalities and Provinces to define framework agreements, a convention to facilitate the management of cycling in the Institutions».
Will there still be room for the “Ciclismo Cup”?
«It is clear that it is a format that needs to be revised and updated, but it is necessary to propose something similar again».
With RCS Sport there may be a need to create a negotiation table to guarantee an invitation to the Giro d’Italia and beyond.
«It is the clear priority of the “Ciclismo Cup” project».
You know that one of our flagships is Radio Information, which has been a model for the whole world.
«I believe in it very much and it must be strengthened for better diffusion, just as it is essential to renegotiate ministerial tariffs for radio frequencies».
Do you know that the organizers expect a lot from you?
«I know, but I’m not alone: if we work as a team, we will do great things. Cycling has enormous potential: the important thing is to all pedal together, in the same direction.”
A dream.
«I have many, but the first, more than a dream, is an urgency, a great necessity: to make our roads and our races increasingly safer. We must work together, accelerate this educational and awareness-raising project in every direction. We have many challenges, this is at the top of the list.”
