Alessandro Tegner, the man of champions. “A special relationship with Alaphilippe”

The passion for sport can sometimes become a job. This is the case of Alessandro Tegner’s passion, specifically the passionaccia for cycling.

Sospirolese, born in 1974, Tegner, who now lives in Montebelluna (where his company, ATCommunication, a company that deals with the communication of companies, sporting events and athletes) is one of the backbones (actually number 2) of the management of Deceuninck – Quick-Step, the Belgian battleship that in the world of professional two-wheelers is one of the historical references, both in terms of results and in terms of company organization.

It is the team whose jersey in the past have worn Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen and for which the world champion Julian Alaphilippe and the very young Belgian talent Remco Evenepoel compete today.

Quick-Step, Tegner saw it born (on the legacy of Mapei), and grow, first dealing with the press office, now with marketing and communication and the management of sponsors. A work, that of Alessandro, which was born, as mentioned a few lines above, from a passion.

A passion that is, above all, familiar.

«I was little and I went with my father Flavio and my uncle Ivan to see the stages of the Giro in the Dolomites, it was the time of Moser and Saronni and I began to breathe cycling deeply. The passion stayed with me and one evening, during my military service, it was 2001, he had the opportunity to become a job ».

What does the naja have to do with it?

“In the moments of rest between one guard shift and the other on guard, at the Zannettelli barracks in Feltre, I leafed through one of the sector’s reference magazines. At one point I read that Mapei was looking for a person to be included in the press office. I go to the quartermaster, I go to the computer and write an email to apply. A couple of weeks later, none other than Aldo Sassi (technical manager of the squadron which at the time also included Franco Ballerini among its ranks, ed) calls me. I manage to get a license and go to Castellanza. After my military service, I started working for Mapei: on probation for three months, then hired ».

You immediately found yourself in great cycling.

«It was all very fast and I had the opportunity to meet and work side by side with great champions: above all Paolo Bettini and Tom Boonen. I was lucky enough to follow crazy athletes, to work in a very strong team, a team that in recent years has been the most successful of all, which in its history has brought home over 800 victories ».

You started as a press officer to become responsible for communication and marketing today. How has the way of communicating changed from the beginning of the 2000s to today?

“At the time, not all professional teams had media people. There was only one person at Mapei, me. Today, there are six people working in communication at Quick Step. Back then, the channels were limited, now they are multiple: traditional media, internet, social networks. Today everything is more exasperated and exasperating: in a very short time you have to know how to create the news and identify the right means to spread it. Today you never touch the ground, you are always connected. It is certainly a stressful thing, but in many ways even more interesting: for example, you have the opportunity to interact directly with the fans of the team that you did not have before ».

Now that you no longer follow the press office directly, do you travel less?

«I hoped so, but in reality it is not like that. I am less in contact with the riders, and I miss that, but I still travel a lot. I spend ten days a month in Belgium. I can say that I know every tile in Brussels airport. Right here was one of the episodes that I remember with the most pleasure of my work in the world of cycling. I was in one of the airport bars waiting for the flight, a salesman approaches me and tells me: “Years ago my dad took me to the Tour and you gave me a Quick Step cap, I’ll gladly offer you a cappuccino”. Here, it is a small gesture that is significant, however, of what the potential of cycling is, a sport that breaks through people and is a very powerful commercial vehicle. For a company that invests in two wheels, the return is at least six times what it invested ».

Tell us a little about today’s Quick Step champions: Alpahilippe, Evenepoel and the Italian guys.

«I was on the finish line in Leuven when on 26 September Alaphilippe won the second world champion after that of Imola. It was one of the most beautiful emotions of recent years. Julian has always been with us and is, together with Mark Cavendish, one of the riders with whom I have a special bond. Alahilippe is an energetic and spectacular runner and a sincere person. He is a boy who keeps his feet firmly on the ground: this is his strength. Evenepoel is very young and is growing fast: he is a methodical boy, who wants to understand the why of things. Very soon he will do great things. The tricolor group is a beautiful group: from Davide Ballerini, the most Flemish of the Italians, to Andrea Bagioli, a diamond to be scorned. Mattia Cattaneo and Fausto Masnada are very precious for the cause of the team ».

A professional dream?

«We have won everything at the level of classics, I would like to win the Tour de France one day, the most fascinating race».