A great fan of cycling, the Biancoceleste coach was interviewed by Riccardo Magrini in ‘A free wheel’: “My house was bread and a bicycle, the anomaly was football. For me, going racing was a responsibility”. No doubts about the idol: “Moser made me emotional. When he was running and I was playing, I calculated the bookings to see him in Paris-Roubaix”. And on the Tour-Giro differences: “It’s like between the Premier League and Serie A, there’s a media-economic dominance”
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A passion that dates back to childhood and still lives on today. It is that of the bicycle for Maurizio Sarri, coach of Lazio, conquered by father Amerigo (excellent runner in the 40s and 50s and then organizers of cycling events) before trying his hand on two wheels. In the end he chose football but, as told to Riccardo Magrini in the interview contained in ‘Freewheeling’, Sarri reiterated all his love for cycling: “My passion has always been there. My father, grandparents , uncles … My house was bread and cycling. It was normal to get passionate about and ride a bike. It was all natural, the anomaly was football not cycling. In my opinion I was a good cyclist and a mediocre player. For me, going racing was a responsibility: I felt that I came from a family of cyclists and I had to win. It weighed on me a bit, but my love for cycling has always remained”. The anecdote about the nickname ‘Parapei’: “It was my grandfather’s. Here in Tuscany everyone knows each other by nicknames and I even wrote it down in front of my house. Then it became my father’s nickname and I was the ‘dry Parapeino’ because I was the last to arrive and because I was 187 cm and weighed 69 kilos. I was the skinny”.
“Moser made me emotional. To go see him…”
Sarri analyzed what his cycling style was: “I was more of a fast passer, I enjoyed the descent a lot, but still… I think I’d be a classic rider in Belgium and not a grand tour”. Few doubts about the absolute idol: “My first memory is a Giro d’Italia won by Gimondi at the ‘last corner, I was really small. However, Francesco Moser gave me the total blow. Moser will remain an idol for life: he made me emotional. When he ran and I played I tried to calculate the yellow cards to see him in Paris-Roubaix. I followed it with enormous passion. I found him once in Versilia, he was wearing a Filotex shirt and I started following him at a distance. I had followed him even when he was still an amateur because he raced in Tuscany at the Bottegone and my dad always told me there was a strong boy.”
deepening
Prof. Sarri: lesson in Coverciano for the 2006 champions
“Tour-Giro differences? Like Premier and Serie A”
The comparison between his ‘Sarrismo’ and ‘Landismo’ is interesting, which refers to Mikel Landa and a free and instinctive way of running: “They are those beautiful philosophies – said Sarri -, but almost always losers. The beauty is the journey, not the destination”. Finally, the Lazio coach focused on the differences between Tour de France and Giro d’Italia: “It reminds me of the one between the Premier League and Serie A, a media-economic dominance that will be difficult to fill. But let’s hope that the big teams have more interest in the Giro d’Italia so that these names can also be seen here. We are in a moment where we are waiting. We have riders who can do well in one-day races, what is missing is what can make even young people passionate. As far as I’m concerned, being in love with cycling, it doesn’t matter whether there is a Slovenian or an Italian, but for the system a name that wins and that makes children passionate about cycling would be important”.
deepening
Lazio-Sarri, market leader: Kerkez ticks
A league
All retreats and friendlies of the teams of A
Last weeks of vacation for Serie A players. The clubs are hard at work planning for next season and several clubs have already set the dates for the summer training camp: the newly promoted Frosinone will be the first team to restart. While waiting for the latest official news, here’s where and when the teams will start training and when the friendlies will be played in view of the 2023/24 championship
ATALANTA
Training venue: Val Seriana Date: meeting 11 July in Zingonia, from 14 to 22 July in Clusone FRIENDLY 16 July: Atalanta-Rappresentativa Città di Clusone (Clusone, 5 pm) 20 July: Atalanta-Rappresentativa Val Seriana (Clusone, 5 pm ) 22 July: Atalanta-Lugano (Clusone, 5 pm) 29 July: Bournemouth-Atalanta (Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, 4 pm) 5 August: Union Berlin-Atalanta (An der Alten Försterei in Berlin, 3.30 pm)
BOLOGNA
Retreat location: Rio Pusteria (South Tyrol) Date: from 12 to 22 July
FRIENDLY
Waiting for communication
CAGLIARI
Retreat location: Asseminello and Chatillon (Valle d’Aosta) Date: 10-21 July Asseminello, from 24 July – 4 August Chatillon
FRIENDLY
July 21: Olbia-Cagliari (Stadium “Bruno Nespoli” in Olbia)