Patron Bonsembiante: “The idea is a triptych of the event in Veneto and a date close to the Giro, also to contain the high costs”
«The spectacle of cycling in the center of Belluno also in 2022? Yes, as long as you sit around a table, verify the real interest and plan ».
The day after the Cycling Stars Criterium, Enrico Bonsembiante, organizer of the event together with the former world champion Alessandro Ballan, analyzes the event staged in the afternoon and on Monday evening, an event that, on the circuit created between Piazza dei Martiri and Piazza delle Erbe, first saw a hundred girls confront each other and boys, then former professionals and, finally, professionals.
After the full house in 2019 (when Giulio Ciccone’s flash of Elia Viviani and Vincenzo Nibali lit up the night of the capital), on Monday evening there were not a lot of people. And big of the pedal, apart from Giacomo Nizzolo, former Italian and European champion, have not been seen.
An edition in a minor tone, of which Bonsembiante is aware and which he explains calmly.
“I don’t want to make comparisons with 2019: then the context was totally different, for many reasons”, the organizer from Treviso begins. «Coming back after a year of stop and on a date other than that linked to the Giro d’Italia was not easy, but we took the opportunity of the European Championships in Trento to restart with an event that is loved by the two-wheeled public. The balance is therefore positive and I consider Monday’s event a small success, especially since we got it up and running in just fifteen days. The national media response was also good: the event was also followed by Rai ».
The lack of communication and promotion has been stressed from many quarters.
«In this we have sinned and I recite the mea culpa. But let us return to the question of the limited time available. We sent the request to the Municipality at the beginning of August, when the Veneto Cycling Promotion project started, and we received the permits at the end of August. I do not want to enter into the sphere of public administration times, but I say that we have waited many days, days that could have been used to take care of the event more and, of course, also the promotion. Then, it must be emphasized, in the last fifteen days the Municipality of Belluno has done everything it had to and also the Municipal Police has given us a big hand ».
Could the world of city trade be more involved?
«In the morning among the city exhibitors I saw many long faces due to the closure of the center, I perceived a feeling of annoyance. In the evening, with the beautiful movement of people that was created, the atmosphere was decidedly different. But I wonder if it was only up to us to involve more, or in any case to inform, the operators ».
Will the Cycling Stars Criterium return to Belluno?
“An event like this has important costs: the two-year one around 150 thousand euros, the one on Monday between 80 and 90 thousand euros, costs covered for the most part by private sponsorships, for the rest by the Region and Province. It is not like in France or Belgium where the post Tour de France kermesse require the public to pay. My idea is to re-propose the Cycling Stars Criterium in 2022, divided into three events in three consecutive days, after the conclusion of the Giro d’Italia, in order to be able to contain costs and have several riders in the area: one could be in Belluno, one in Jesolo and one in Veronese. However, you need to sit around a table and decide what you want to do, plan ahead. There are also other territories, such as the upper Treviso area, which have fanned the possibility of hosting the event ».
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