Mauro Vegni - on organizing the Giro d'Italia

As the road season is back on tarmac (or snow for those living in northern Europe), I turn to look more behind the scenes of organizing events, the Giro in particular. I was able to get in touch with Mauro Vegni, operations director and RCS executive, to get to know more about him and learn how the RCS approach the organization of the giro.

Vegni interrupted while enjoying a gelato

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Mauro Vegni - coincidents shape lives
At a very young age he got involved in cycling as he moved to Rome from the small city of Cetona in Siena district. As one of the rare moments when coincidence happens to set direction to a life, his closest  neighbor turned out to be Franco Mealli, long time organizer of cycling events and owner of the Velo Club Forze Sportive Romane. From his early teen years Vegni followed Mealli around, watching and learning.
"Master" Franco Mealli put me up front quite soon and I became actively involved in the Tirreno-Adriatico, Giro del Lazio, Giro dell'Umbria, Giro di Puglia Ruato d'Oro, Trofeo Pantalica, Trofeo dell'Etna, Settimana Ciclista Internazionale - just to mention professional races."

Before turning 25 years old Vegni becomes managing director and often takes over the reins of the sporting event, managing on his own, upon appointment by the patron. Having learned from Mealli through the years, Vegni quickly pays attention to the different details necessary to organize events. Vegni becomes more and more involved due to the health situation of Franco Mealli. In 1994, Vegni is heading the decentralized management structure in four different race fields. A very demanding job which required the utmost dedication and commitment to succeed. On the following year, the transfer og the cycling races belonging to Velo Cluc Forze Romane to RCS Sport becomes effective, making Vegni move to Milan under the watchful eye of Carmine Castellano.
In 2003 he is charge of the entire cycling department and in 2005, when Castellano concludes his career in the RCS Sport, Mauro Vegni is the one to jump into the Giro d'Italia and the other classical races of the RCS flagship car, calling the shots.

A lifetime in cycling has also granted Vegni different federal appointments, like member of the Professional Council, a body of the Italian Cycling Federation.

Creating a Grand Tour
Having years of experience Vegni still enjoys making the giro as good as possible.
"The good result of a great giro is related to a number of fundamental key factors:

The technical and sport side: a stage race, important like the Giro is, cannot leave out of considerations such elements as effort, tradition, routes, thus without omitting innovation and respect vis-à-vis the athletes. In short, a hard but well balanced route (is what I look for).

The choreographic aspects: a huge event as such cannot disregard collateral and choreographic activities which shall turn it into an important communication opportunity: samples of the foregoing are the Olympic Games opening ceremonies"

"Phase one is what I call the "Construction of the Giro project", starting from the city which will host the Giro d’Italia “Big Departure” it shall be necessary to begin designing a route presenting a technical soundness. (As the thumb rule there are) Two/three time trial stages, six/seven sprinters’ stages, five/six summit finishes, five/six average mountain stages, providing that the most significant stages are planned during week-ends.

Once the plan is ready then starts the period in which to liaise with local institutions so as to identify the approximately 40 locations able to host one ore more stages of the Giro d'Italia."

"Phase two is the "Technical on-site inspections", which are the time when the Giro project effectively takes its shape, when the RCS Sport and Host broadcaster’s teams visit the stage locations, defining in detail all the areas which will be interested by the race: the finish area, the, race headquarters, the departure area, the last kilometers and the distance of transfer to kilometer zero, etc."

All set - in the flagship car

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Inspections - details are everything

During spring and summer several RCS officials are on "site inspections" at cities hosting the arrival or departure of the (next year's) giro. 

"A typical on-site investigation day can be summarized as follows: 

- Morning: RCS Sports team, together with the technical finish representatives and the TV crew take part to a first presentation meeting together with the members of the local organization committee (or stage committee). On this occasion all organization requirements and the support requested to the stage committee are expounded to the last detail.
Following the meeting, and after examination of the local committee possible requests, the teams proceed to the identification of the various areas, finish, open village (the sponsors’ village open to the public), race headquarters (the headquarters of the organization which host the press room, the conference room and the other organization-related offices).
During this phase all necessary steps are taken and the finish feasibility is assessed, also based on the kind of stage (sprint finishes require wider roads, etc).
Starting from such areas, then parking facilities, deviations for flagship cars, helicopter landing pads and so on, are due to be identified.

- Afternoon: RCS Sports team, together with the technical finish representatives and the TV crew move in the departure location. After a first presentation meeting with the local committee all the areas interested by the departure are identified. That is to say: the signature podium area and the departure village, the parking facilities for teams’ buses, the transfer route to kilometer zero, etc. Also in this case all remarks that will then be necessary for drafting the technical notes and the location maps are duly addressed.

- Evening: Once arrived in the hotel the work of the organization goes on with the drafting of the technical remarks and preparing the drawings and the location maps which will then be sent to the local organization committees in order to have all interventions required to realize the stage duly taken care of."


One could wonder how much personnel Vegni would need to make the Giro happen, but in fact it is not as heavily manned as I expected it to be, at least in the planning phase. 
"Only considering the technical-sport aspects, the planning phase activity, which allows to start from an idea and to then reach the final design of the Giro d'Italia, ties down 5 persons.

The on-site inspection phase requires two teams:
1 RCS Sport team composed by approximately 20 persons including people in charge, technicians and designers holding specific skills as regards departure, arrival, race headquarters and last kilometers 
1 Host broadcaster team composed by approximately 10 persons, in order to  control, under a TV broadcasting standpoint, the production requirements of each stage 

Always considering the sole technical-sport aspects (without counting all the forces operating in the logistics, marketing, press fields, etc.), the operative personnel dedicated to the event amounts to approximately 160 persons."

Glory days - Vegni with Acquarone and Scarponi in Denmark 2012

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As Vegni look into the crystal ball he glazes backwards to, comparing the old days to the present. 

"The Giro d'Italia has changed a lot in respect to the past, especially for what concerns the approach and the philosophy grounding the event: a real demand for innovation linked to an increasing attention to internationality, trying to avoid habits and repetitiveness. This becomes a concrete reality through taking some more risks, looking for new and original spots: Zoncolan, Galibier and Assisi, by way of example, derive from this approach.

But there is more, the stage’s planning and feasibility technical assessment phase has taken a  highly professional aspect, leaving nothing to chance or to last minute management."

Teamwork, spirit is one more important factor, which for sure represents a great added value, he adds. 

The giro - the core and the beauty

There is something about the giro. For many years, my focus was solely on the tour and the classics.  The standard way of approaching the sport as a fan, I suppose. But as in-depth knowledge and interest increases, so does the horizon, right? The sport is constantly evolving, races started as a mean to sell newspapers now evolved into multi-million dollar arenas for business, brands and R&D. All rather neatly tied together in an eternal battle, organisers vs organisers, town vs. town and country vs. country. To the enjoyment for thousands of fans all over the world.
Many have written their reviews of the giro 2012, and probably way better than me so I felt a need to do something a little different, I wanted to explain why the giro has become dear to me.

Development on all sides
For many, being the little brother is a constant struggle, always struggling to gain the upper hand. For others, being that kind of brother is all good, being the "attacker". After all, choosing to set a new course is a lot easier with a small organisation than a big one. I don't know if or how the organizers behind the Giro, the RCS, felt during the years. Plus the fact that the RCS really are not a small organisation as a whole. Just take a look at some of the interests they have on this "wheel of fortune".

Wheel of fortune 

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The giro organisers have set a new course. Those of you who know this blog have probably seen the interview I did with giro boss and twitter nice guy Michele Acquarone before he became giro general, as well as the one with marketing and communication manager for the giro, Marco Pansana. In these interviews we get to know more about the individuals working there and the ideas that formed into strategy for the RCS.

True to the core
For what is worth the giro hasn't changed much. From the outside that is. Still considered the second largest of the GTs, still taking place in Italy (mostly), and it features many of the climbs the race has given us epic memories from. So far so good. In business, this is called "true to the core". The giro has found its place so to speak. It is not the pinnacle of the sport, that is obviously the tour, but why pick a fight when there is plenty for both? 

As Acquarone tweeted earlier; "the giro is the toughest stage race in the world." How is that for a vision? I'm sure it will have an appeal to riders, not only the ones originating from Italy. It can tip both ways, as the RCS learned during and after  the 2011 edition of the race, which ended in Zomegnan's exit. The RCS claims to have found the balance this year, but still say the giro is "the toughest race in the world's most beautiful place."
As a sidenote I remember a conversation I had with the eminent photographer Jered Gruber during RVV. Knowing that Jered is deeply connected to G'bergen I asked what he thought about the route change this year. His response was something like this: "It's not that I disagree with the changes, it should change from time to time, but there are so many other beautiful places in Belgium!" This is one of the many challenges an organiser face, how let people (the TV viewers) see different parts of the country, while being true to its core?

Much have been said about the RCS' social media strategy, and I see no point in repeating my post from before. The basics is that they have made themselves available, both to me who has interviewed some of them, and to everyone else. Not only clever and by no doubt a strategic choice, both interviews and everything else they do related to media, but at least they are open about it.
Being able to navigate in the technological landscape of today will benefit the RCS, reaching out to fans and communicate with them will strengthen both the brand, build loyalty and keep the interests from fans without much hassle than a mobile phone. At least I have kept my interests in the giro and even wanting to learn more.

Seeing is believing
Another reason I like the giro because of the country. Being one of cycling's holy grails, Italy has been a home to not only champions but bike manufactures for decades. Some of the finest riders the world has seen origin from Italy, Coppi, Bartali, Binda and Moser to mention a few. Historical climbs and roads frame a race from a spectator point of view, bringing the Dolomites, Alps and Apennines to the TV. Breathtaking scenarios, spectacular descends. However, I truly believe the RCS can learn a lot from Jean-Maurice Ooghs, the gentleman responsible for the TV images from the tour. With 260 cameramen, 2 control rooms (one international), 4 helicopters, 5 motorbikes 1 aeroplane and 27 TV cameras the possibilities to get more out of the lenses then previous years should be there.

With the news today that RCS may be sharing tv rights money with teams, this economical aspect should have high focus. As the eminent INRNG once wrote, the majority of the viewers don't tune for the cycling but for the scenery.

The Dolomites

Photo by Rüdinger Kratz, downloaded here.

With as much as 2085 (2011 numbers) media representatives present, divided as 1021 accredited journalists, 433 photographers, 371 operators and 260 TV-radio operators, a big chunk of the effort needs to be to take care of those. The last thing an organiser wants to deal with angry and fed-up journos.

Culture, food art and fashion
These are some of the things I associate with Italy. These are matters I hope the giro is able to provide during the three weeks of racing. Because the giro, to me at least, is far more than just racing. Small clips from Italy's hidden treasures, with famous food, small mountain villages and white roads will without doubt boost my interest and enthusiasm to Italy as a place for my future vacation. With a slogan saying the world's most beautiful place, it sort of commits, doesn't it? Development in business says that those who are able to combine two or more specialities and use the synergy effects, will make it big. So that's next then, combining fashion, TV image rights, food, art and culture.

Summary
I have much respect for the organisers of the giro, not only because they have been available for me and every other cycling fan, but because of a mix of different things. They have managed to find their place which they seem to be standing comfortable in, being true to their core but still keeping a modern touch. A balanced giro with time bonuses in the beginning of the race will amp up the sprinters, giving a extra touch to the race. I'm hoping to be able to get to the opening, after all it takes place in Denmark. The giro might find it useful to really take advantage of the possibility to showcase the whole country. Displaying culture, art, geography, food and fashion needs to be taken seriously too.

Milan-Sanremo - Eggs, baskets and tactics

Team Sky ready to roll at Milan-Sanremo

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Last Saturday we witnessed the first monument of the season unfold, la classica di Primavera. Just taste the word for a while, it carries memories from a past and promises to the future. It is a magnificent race and as the longest of the calendar as well as being a monument, it is a prestigious race to win.

Much have been written about Mark Cavendish, Team Sky's primary hope, since he got dropped 90 kilometers from the finish line. Almost too bad since I feel we all should write about Simon Gerrans and his brilliant win. His win was nothing short of impressive, Gerrans win proved he was the smartest rider, smartness triumphs strength any day.

Questions to ask

Over the years I have learned that "one never questions decisions taken in the heat of battle". One can bring them up when the timing is adequate, to study and to learn, but since we didn't have the shoes on at the time, who are we to judge?

However, the things we can question are tactics and strategy. Those are made prior to the race, making is easier for the roadcaptains and riders to act and react without always checking with the team car. Act upon intention, if you like.

Tactics are meant to maximize the team's strength and possibilities while at the same time reduce risk. Giving the riders and staff the comfort of having the upper hand is crucial. Tactics and planning should identify key terrain, address the team's advantages and make a systematic approach to gather and present the information surrounding a race. Another important issue is war-gaming or what-if's. Take a look what Petter Northug, x-country WC and Olympic champion said after winning the Worlds:

When the start signal goes, I feel prepared because I have done those 50 kms several hundred times before, going through every scenario possible in my mind.

Sessions like these are important to athletes. Being mentally prepared can make the difference between success and failure. Knowledge of training, nutrition and technology have been researched thoroughly over the recent years and information about these matters and training methods are merely a click away. One could say that this has levelled the battlefield for the riders, and the main difference that remains, is mental coaching.

Team Sky Saturday 17th of March

Two favourites for the race, how plan and create tactics to match both? As Steven De Jongh said to procycling.no after the race, the team was supposed to ride primarily for Cav, if there was a minute or less gap at the Le Manie, the team would drop back and help Cav getting back to the bunch again. To me this is a strange tactic. Yes, the MSR was one of Cavendish' main goals for the season. Yes, Cav is lighter than last year and has shown good shape, but tactics are supposed to exploit possibilities, not minimizing them.

Eisel and Cav at ToQ  -  Cav, the season's long with many possibilities

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EBH, Sky's second favourite, was left with Löfquist, who did a good job bringing EBH to the front over the Cipressa and near the front on the Poggio. But still just one man in support.

To order the whole team back to help a rider showing weakness with seven more climbs 90 kilometers left, kind of limits your options, doesn't it?

I'm not in any position to say things would have been different if EBH got more support, I usually refrain from if’s and maybe’s, but I think it's a strange tactic by Team Sky. Eisel, Cav’s wingman explained what the team tried to do when bringing Cav to the peloton failed (via Velonation):

“After speaking to him it was me who originally made the call for the guys to stop riding on the front of that chase group,” he said. “But then we changed our mind because if we got back on then it meant some of us could work for Edvald instead, so that's what we tried to do.”

One would expect Sky to learn from last tdf where the whole team was set up to bring Wiggo to the podium. We all know what happened to Wiggo, who unfortunately broke his collar but Team Sky had a great tdf without him. This shows the potential in this team. EBH nabbed two stages, G in white for days (losing it when the whole team waited for Wiggo), Uran in white for days too.

Cav was humble enough to let the team know he wasn't feeling too good on stage 3 of the Tirreno-Adriatico, giving EBH the chance to sprint for the win, so I believe Cav has a clear understanding of his capabilities and he has shown leadership before, taking care of his teammates.

Question is, to what extent do the management provide sufficient resources to other riders? Team Sky is a British team, with roots all the way back to BC and track. Is it more difficult to divide resources to others when you have the reigning WC onboard? As far as we know, Cav felt good right upon the beginning of the race, but tactics need to cover all aspects and be known in advance. 

Norwegian cycling experts have questioned on procycling.no how much influence Brailsford and Ellingsworth had on Saturday's tactic. Of course, one could say Norwegians are biased in this matter as nationality goes, but questions like these do have a rightful place.

Summary

I hope to see a different set of tactics later in the season. Team Sky has such a strong roster that they have many cards to play. If a rider is given a protective status, perhaps it is better to have more than just one man in support. How will Team Sky solve tour de France?

There is nothing wrong in having options, to have the eggs in different baskets, you never know when you'll need them.

Milan-Sanremo - preparations meet tactics meet luck



La classica di Primavera

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On Saturday the 103rd edition of the Milan-Sanremo will take place, a race often referred to as "la classica di Primavera". I wrote a post last year including some of the race history, you can find that here. 

Shorts
As the Italian name suggests, Spring is finally here, at least in countries close to the Mediterranean. At 298 kilometres long, Milan-Sanremo is the longest race in the season, normally the longest races don't cap 280 kilometres, like the worlds. Some have criticized the race for being boring with the action only taking place the last 20 kilometres with the Cipressa and Poggio as the ultimate pinnacles the riders deal with. I see this as a beautiful race going through a nice part of Italy. However, I can relate to the fact that the race is on fire the last 30 kms.


One for the sprinters?
The race is also called sprinters' classic but I find the race as not always living up to this name. It is difficult to pinpoint one single reason for this but 298 kilometres is very demanding any day of the week, not to mention this early in the season. The distance makes even the smallest climb difficult, which is why the Cipressa and/or Poggio often determine the winner or at least define the decisive break. Normally, the fastest sprinters doesn't win. Actually I don't like this term, as the fastest guy is the one to cross the finish line first, right? The ones who have prepared the best as well as being lucky, will be there in the final. Often those two go hand in hand, just read what Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, said about luck:

"Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck."


Wide open for the opportunists
As I often repeat it is impossible to predict the future and guessing the winner is difficult. It is easy to name ten-fifteen riders who can be among the winners on a given day, but that does not impress anyone right? So let me just name some of the riders I expect to rock the race, and quite frankly, I see them all up there. But remember, this is racing and anything can happen. Last year Hushovd was in great shape but found himself caught behind a crash just before the Cipressa. I guess he won't be that far back on Saturday.

Ready for the long haul?

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I have narrowed it down to these five riders. There are many more, but what fun is it to mention they all? The list is based on form, capacity and former achievements. Of course, choice of tactic play a part here too.

Peter Sagan
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Oscar Freire
Fabian Cancellara
Tom Boonen


Tactics and strategy
How do you control all the different outcomes in a 298 km long race?

Normally a break takes off early, often gaining a significant lead. One thing is certain though, the ones in that breakaway will never make it to the finish line first. This Monument in cycling is so prestiguos to win that teams have brought their very best hoping to win, making sure a breakaway will not survive. The ones in this breakaway will be riders from teams getting a wildcard, who will honour the sponsors as well as the race itself by being in the front. Teams with a favourite might also sneak in a rider or two as well, for two reasons. 1) having an exuse not to use strength rallying the break in later 2) the possibility of having a rider up there who can provide cover if the lead man comes up or just to be a free asset.

The last 30 kms - who will be the strongest?

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Watch closely 10-15 kilometres or so prior to the Cipressa, riders slip backwards to get bottles and food from team cars, as well as receiving final advice/orders from the DSs. Some riders will try to help their leaders to the front in hope to avoid any chaos that might occure in the peloton. The sprinters will fight for their lives to stay near the front, to avoid sliding too far back on the climb. All this while the riders who picked up fluids and food try to make their way to the front to support to their leaders with some crucial food or drinks. The pro teams have own nutrition experts, like Team Sky's Nigel Mitchell, who have sorted a menu suited to each rider on every step of the way.
We'll have the usual attack on the Cipressa or the Poggio by Nibali and Garzelli or other punchy riders. In addition to this, the Italians will try to snatch a win on home soil. Count among them Pettachi, Viviani (evil tongues will say Sagan will ride him in like Nibali if he can) and Sacha Modolo, remember his 4th place last year?

Radioshack-Nissan could use Italian star Bennati or Fabian for a late attack whilst BMC could do the same with GVA or Gilbert.

Summary
The first of cycling's five monuments is here, and the strong men will battle it out. I'm excited to see how the different teams play their tactics. Having just one egg in the basket can bring a devostating result as the peloton is tired, teams not all that organised this early and everybody wants to secure a place in the spotlight. We will see if Roald Amundsen's words is valid still on Saturday.

Let's have a look at the frenzy in the last kilometres Milan-Sanremo 2011 where Matt Goss won.

BMC - the pressure is building

The World Tour circus has been ongoing for one and a half months now, travelling from Down Under to Asia and the Middle East. The riders have enjoyed some nice weather and been riding with their new kit, some with their new team for the very first time. Some teams have been winning "every race" (as I wrote here) while others have yet to open the champagne.

Worried yet?

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Winning is contagious
Yesterday I talked to Mads Kaggestad, former Credit Agricole, on twitter. He mentioned that the pressure is now on for the big teams who have yet to win. I support this fully.
Of course, the riders on teams that haven't won anything yet will shrug the shoulders, look distant and say that "the season is still young" or that "the goals are the classics" and so forth. But, beneath all that, I suppose there is a tiny piece of uncertainty building. Nothing big, nothing you'll loose sleep over. Yet.

Thing is, big teams have big riders. Big riders get the support, meaning that "less experienced riders need to seize the possibilities", as Kaggestad said. So far they have not, meaning that the team's stars need to step up to do the job and win. After all, that is what they are paid to do.

Take BMC, having last years WC, tour winner, and rider of the year. The pressure on these guys is intense. Luckily, the three of them have been in the spotlight before and are familiar with pressure and how to deal with it. Have in mind, being mentally strong has nothing to do with being emotionless or "switched off", it is how you deal with pressure.

Solutions
There are many things one can do to deal with this, in my work I see this all of the time. Getting on the offensive and in that "zone" is critical, over-analyzing the preparations, the training and the team, are just some examples of how not to do it. Hopefully, staff and riders have been in situations like this before and have a strategy to cope with it or race coaches who are trained to work on these matters. Let's not forget another fact in favour of the stars; having adjusted your form during the better part of a decade helps too.

Summary
The season has been on-going for nearly two months now. Teams like OP-QS, Lotto, Sky and LIQ have all nailed a victory or three each, bringing the riders' shoulders down and creating smiles all around. Meanwhile, other big teams, like BMC has yet to prove themselves. This may lead to pressure building, both within the team, from sponsors and from fans. Will discipline remain? Who has the mental strength to perform? Only time will tell. 

The Giro unveil the story behind their social media strategy and their secrets

Marco Gobbi Pansana

PDR: Thanks for the opportunity Marco Gobbi Pansana, I appreciate you taking the time for this interview. Could you start by introducing yourself to the readers, where do you come from and how did you get to where you are now?

”My name is Mark Gobbi Pansana, I was born in 1979 and I’ m the Marketing and Communication Manager of the Giro d’Italia and the other cycling events of RCS Sport.”

”I graduated in 2003 in Public Relations and Marketing at the IULM in Milan. I started work in 2004 a RCS Pubblicità, in the New Brands Sales Marketing office, where I managed special projects, loyalty and frequency programmes, sponsorship and events for the Gazzetta dello Sport brand.”

”From 2006 I moved to RCS Sport, covering several roles and the strategic repositioning of all the brands and events in the RCS Sport portfolio and developing their value and communications via special projects and advertising, side-events and PR.”

”From 2009, I’ve been the head of the Marketing and Communications for cycling.”

PDR: The giro is a big event in Italy and the World for that matters, but what does the Giro d'Italia mean to you personally?

”My first memories of the Giro d’Italia where in the early nineties, cheering for ‘El Diablo’ Claudio Chiappucci, hoping he’d beat more talented riders such as Bugno, Indurain, then Berzin and Rominger. I then discovered ‘il Pirata’ Marco Pantani, who was one of Chiappucci’s domestiques and fell in love with the way he raced: with his heart and full of courage. Few riders have ever excited the fans like he did. I didn’t follow cycling closely for a few years but then got back I to it in 2000 as a student. The first CV I sent out was to try and work for the Giro d’Italia.”

”Today the Giro is a mash-up of logic and passion, of work and personal emotions, of professionalism and enthusiasm. It’s a good relationship that is very rewarding professionally and so I try to give a lot back.”

”The thing I like the most? That my group and I are managing to what many people thought was impossible: after transforming a race into an event, we’ve now changed it from an event into a brand.”

PDR: To be recognised as a brand is a complex journey. I have for a long time admired how the RCS utilize social media, and you have received praise from all over the cycling world because of it. You have been active on twitter all year and you have had campaigns on Facebook. Can you bring us back to how this started, why did it happen like it did and when did it begin in the first place?

Also, who was involved and what was the key to succeed in making this turnover when it comes to social media? What was/is the vision?

”Our first ‘revolution’ started in 2006, with an attempt to change our approach to the way we work. The Giro consists of 21 stages, with a lot of racing and a huge effort by the riders. It’s an event that is much more than a race, it’s also a party that involves everyone: the local and national authorities, our partners, and the pro teams and their riders. We build a team around each event and create projects to reach specific targets.”

”The second revolution started in 2009 with the arrival of Michele Aquarone (Read my May 2011 interview with Michele here.) The Giro became a brand that lives and breathes 365 days a year. An event is based on communications done by others, a brand communicates itself. The Giro has built its own brand equity; it’s rediscovered his history and values. It communicates in a certain way and has its own personality. But the Giro isn’t a consumer product or a service, it doesn’t happen every day. So how do we turn these values into concrete actions?”     

”The social media was the answer. First via Facebook and then Twitter and soon on YouTube. The Giro now has its own channels of communication that we can manage directly and cost effectively, that are international and interactive. Finally, without going through intermediaries, we’ve got the chance to speak about the Giro, to keep it constantly alive, to know what our fans think, to play and inform people and share our passion for what call ‘the toughest race in the worlds most beautiful place’.”  

”We decided to use social media openly and honestly. We think it’s the right way to create a relationship with our fans around the world. The Giro isn‘t ‘ours’. It belongs to all the fans because they’re the ones who make it so special: it’s their passion, their interest in it, and their love for it. That’s how we understand what they like about the Giro and so we asked the fans to help us develop the Giro.”

”We were the first organiser in the world to ask the fans to choose the climb that had to be in the 2012 Giro. The Stelvio and the Mortirolo came joint top and so we created a stage with both climbs: it’s the FAN STAGE of the 2012 Giro d’Italia. We also asked the fans about the iconic race leader’s maglia rosa. We asked them to enrich it with their passion and feelings via twitter. We also made the fans the stars of the promotional campaign for the 2012 Giro.”

PDR: Everybody need some inspiration from time to time. I’m curious, where do you look for inspiration?

”We’re curious, we surf the net and look for inspiration in and out of sport. We study what Real Madrid and the NFL do and also companies like Coca Cola, Diesel, Nike and Nespresso. We try to be creative, remember Tweet Your Maglia Rosa? We try to be the first to be original, including our symbols which are climbs, maglia rosa, Italy, we share our history and our values.”

PDR: During the 2011 Giro, I think you had at least four people running the Giro d'Italia twitter feed, if I remember correctly. How have you organized the staff?

”The 2011 Giro d’Italia was year zero for us from the point of view of the social media. During the event two people focused on managing our Twitter profile with the objective to reveal aspects of the race that aren’t generally seen, either because they’re exclusive or because they’re considered of little interest by the traditional media.

We tried to report what happens behind the scenes, cover the race from the race director’s car or from team cars. The fans loved it. During the so-called ‘off season’ a member of my team manages our social media profile. I can promise you that there will be a lot of new things regarding our social media in 2012. Keep following us.”

PDR: Sounds good from a fan’s perspective. How do you see the future for social media and cycling in general?

”It’s difficult to predict. I wasn’t on Twitter two years ago and didn’t know about Facebook five years ago. The important thing is to be fully up to date on what is happening.”

”Regarding the social media, I think the integration between different platforms, devices and on-off is inevitable. Mobile will change radically. I think it’ll be difficult to identify what isn’t mobile because desktop PCs and laptops as we understand them today, will change rapidly. This means the content will be more interactive and include film, music, books, etc. A few years ago teenagers seemed set to be more and more closed in their own worlds with their PlayStation and IPod. Now socializing has comeback strongly because the way of doing things has changed. I think this concept of community is the ‘fil rouge’ that will set the direction for the development of social media.”     

”Regarding cycling, after a decade of damage caused by doping scandals, a lot of people thought cycling was dead. But the strength of cycling comes from the passion of the fans. If this sport can understand how to promote its best aspects (that it’s free to watch, the possibility to see and touch their heroes and so be part of the event), and use social media to do this, then I think the Giro will continue to develop internationally and grow. But it’s got to change and we can’t invent races that don’t have any sense or have a soul.”

”Cycling has to radically improve its TV and media product. Fans aren’t like they were in the eighties; they expect a lot more. They want to be part of the race and feel involved. They want to know gradients, speed, and biometrics, hear the rider’s voices and perhaps even the smell of their sweat and the smell of the grass of the Dolomites. They want to see the race from a new perspective via onboard cameras on motorbikes, bicycles, etc. Today TV struggles to highlight the race and does virtually nothing for everything that is around it.”

PDR: Thank you so much for your time Marco Gobbi Pansana.

Wild cards to the people

Last year's course

downloaded here.

The RCS Sport announced the wild card invitations to the giro and other major races earlier today. They opened up the process for these invitations by naming the 14 teams still in the competition just as the new year settled in. That meant that eight teams did not try to apply as there are 22 pro conti teams. The wild cards comes of course in addition to the 18 pro tour teams who automatically are granted a ticket to start the race.

The RCS Sport also emphasised the requirements the teams were to be measured by, The general director of the RCS, Michele Acquarone even informed more about the process on a blog on cyclingnews.

The people who made the choices, forming the RCS wildcard cycling commision, consisted of Giacoma Catano (CEO of RCS Sport), Michele Acquarone (RCS general director and at the giro helm), Mauro Vegni (RCS cycling technical manager), Marco Gobbi Pasana (marketing and communication manager) and Pier Bergonzi (Gazzetto dello Sport). These lucky or unlucky, if you prefer, were the ones responsible for choosing the lucky four wild cards winners.

As you all know by now, Androni Giocattoli, Colnago-CSF, Farnese Vini-Selle and NetApp got the upper hand.

What does this mean?
First of all, I appreciate the initiative from the RCS to be as open as they have been regarding the process. To me, I was surprised the presence of Italian teams was so high (3 out of 4), at least since Acquarone earlier talked about the globalisation in cycling. That said, I don't know how the voting was inside the commision, and since the giro is an Italian race, no one should really be very surprised.

What I truly liked is that the RCS had the courage to shut out Acqua Sapone, where Garzelli and Di Luca is a major force. Not that I have anything against that particular team or the named riders, but it shows that the RCS values other things very heavily too, not only former palmares. Every team that wants to race the giro need to step up their game according to the requirements given and not rely 100% on previous results.

Personally I would have loved to watch Marcel Kittel go head to head with Andrea Guardini, but I can be more than satisfied by watching Sacha Modolo of team Colnago-CSF do the same. These two Italian youngsters are a pair to follow closely for the future.
The boldest choice today was no doubt NettApp, the German team. Cycling in Germany has struggled earlier with the TV broadcasters pulling their plug on the tour, allegedly for  for the role doping has had in cycling.

Another thing to remember is the one Marco Gobbi Pasana tweeted me earlier this evening, that there are more races to consider. This is an important fact. The RCS gave out wild cards to several races like the Milan-Sanremo, Tirreno-Adriatico and Il Lombardia. If you consider the cards given with a broader scope, they are balanced, in my opinion.

La classica di Primavera

Milan-San Remo (MSR) is one of my favourites. It is a true sign of spring, and normally it is the first time all the spring favourites are in the peloton. Before MSR we've had the Tour Down Under, the first Belgian classics of the year, we have had the Tirreno-Adratico and Paris-Nice. This Monument in cycling is actually the longest one-day race of the entire season, at 298 kilometres, and is also referred to as the sprinters classic.

Cav overtaking Haussler with the smallest margin in 2009

Photo by bikeworldnews.com

History
The race was first held in 1907. Much the same as in France and le tour, a newspaper was behind it. The lead editor of the newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport visited San Remo and spent some time in a café, talking to locals. Apparently, the area was known for a car race but the interest had dropped significantly. The people who organised the car race used to send people out on bikes to check the route before the cars, to report on status and accessibility. This gave the guys the idea to start a bike race. Lucien Petit-Breton won the very first edition of the race, while later that year, he won the tour de France. Many distinguished riders have won this beautiful race, Merckx seven times(!), Coppi, Bartali, De Vlaeminck, Kelly and Fignon to mention a few.
In the early years some thought that the big Passo del Turchino was placed too far from the finish to make an impact on the outcome. Therefore, the organisers introduced the Poggio in 1960, with the Cipressa being introduced as late as 1982.

René Vietto abandons on the Turchino in 1947, getting alcohol and sugar...


Photo downloaded at www.milansanremo.co.uk

The longest race took place in 1910, making the winner finishing in 12 hrs 24 minutes in a snowstorm, while Freire used some 7 hours last year. This of course depends heavily on the weather, and the forecast for this weekend indicates much rain, making the riders more likely to finish in 7 hours than 6:30.

What to expect
The race is very long and this is what wear the riders out. The race takes place early in the season and riders tend to forget that it is a whole other game when a race exceeds 200 km.
Normally a breakaway takes off quite early, but there are many teams who want a piece of that cake so they will do what they can to get it back, hopefully before the final climbs.
There is not that many climbs these days in the race. However, the last two climbs normally does it, those who are strong enough there can attack and make it to the finish line in San Remo. The last two climbs are called the Cipressa and the Poggio, the last one translates to "little hill". The Cipressa comes with 20 kilometres to go. With 278 km in the legs, that will hurt. The riders' pace will now be furious and teams will not be present with many riders at this crucial time of the race, they will vanish back of the peloton, or what's left of it. 
The pace will continue to be frantic as the riders are getting close to the oh-so-decisive Poggio. Being only a few kilometres from the finish, this is where the Italian favourites will try to escape along with a rider like Gilbert. The sprinters will have made it to the front before the climb in hope to be there by the end. After a fast and dangerous descent the final kilometres are flat, giving hope to the riders with power in the legs, but the sprinters will continuously try to get the best position while preserving some energy for the final.


Who will be victorious and win this great Classic? I don't know about you, but I have cleared my schedule on Saturday. I am ready to find out.