Michele Acquarone, about being Fired

Michele Acquarone, speaking publicly in Milano yesterday about being fired from RCS, read the following statement:

"I have already dedicated 14 years of my life to the RCS Group, the last five of which I spent working tirelessly on strengthening and growing RCS Sport. As director of Giro d'Italia I sought to develop the prestige of this event as part of Italy's heritage and for cycling fans all over the world. Looking at the results, I would say that I have succeeded.

"It was much to my frustration however that I could not participate in the presentation of that which I consider one of my most accomplished creations, the 2014 Giro d'Italia, and I apologize to all the friends I could not meet with," it continued.

"Those who know me are well aware that my professional style is based on three key concepts: fairness, respect and dialogue. Those who know me also know that I hold the trust of fans and of people involved in the industry, at the center of my heart, and if today I can benefit from such trust it is because I have always worked with greatest transparency and honesty, as well as with total dedication and loyalty to the RCS Group.

"For the ties linking me to Giro fans and to the people involved in the industry, I want to strongly reassure everyone of my non-involvement in the matters that have been reported in the mass media over the last few days. Today the life of a company is permanently marked in time and I am certain that all the facts will soon be completely clarified.

"I only dream about the day I can return to my team, and get back to working towards the 2014 Giro d'Italia, with even greater enthusiasm than that which has driven me over these years."



www.cyclingnews.com reported the following quotes (also including statements after the official statement):

"I'm here because I need to get rid of the mud that has been thrown at me. I've not been able to speak because I was an employee of RCS. Today I need to say what I feel, to shout that I'm totally extraneous to what has happened. "I'm not under investigation but I can't see a single reason why I should be. I've never taken one Euro more than my salary. That'll be the most difficult thing to convince people. I was in the headlines, on the BBC and in the Washington Post. I hope I'll have the same headlines when I'm cleared. I want to prove my dignity to be 100% restored."

"I was suspended and to be honest initially I wasn't worried. Everything seemed perfect when I came back from my holidays in September and we were ready to start working on the new season of events. After I was suspended, as the days passed I was hoping that things would be clarified. That didn’t happen until I was accused and then fired, with RCS saying "that I could have and should have stopped certain irregularities happening. I asked RCS to explain how I should and could have done that and asked for the reasons for me being fired. They replied that my request was an excuse and shouldn't have been made."

"People think I've fooled myself about being cleared but I'd hoped to go back to work right to the end. To find myself out of RCS Sport is devastating and feel I've been stabbed in the back three times."

"I've spent a long time thinking about my tomorrow. I'm 42. I've run a marathon in the past and now I've got to run another and start from scratch."


You can see an interview with Acquarone, in Italian, here from yesterday (after 15 second ad).


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Michele Acquarone, Giro d'Italia Director, Fired

Michele Acquarone, Managing Director at RCS Sports (owner of the Giro d'Italia, MSR, Il Lombardia, +) and director of the Giro d'Italia, has reportedly now been fired. He had been suspended in October as a precautionary, "non-disciplinary", measure while an investigation of a shortfall of 13 million euro was taking place. Mauro Vegni will assume the role of Giro d'Italia race director.

Acquarone will be holding a press conference tomorrow at noon in Milano.

Back in October, Acquarone made the following statement:

" I have dedicated fourteen years of my life to the RCS Group, the last five of which I spent working tirelessly on strengthening and growing RCS Sport.

As director of Giro d’Italia, I sought to develop the prestige of this event as part of Italy’s heritage and for cycling fans all over the world. Looking at the results, I would say that I have succeeded.

It was much to my frustration however that I could not participate in the presentation of that which I consider one of my most accomplished creations, the 2014 Giro d’Italia, and I apologize to all the friends I could not meet with.

Those who know me, are well aware that my professional style is based on three key concepts: fairness, respect and dialogue.

Those who know me, also know that I hold the trust of fans and of people involved in the industry, at the center of my heart, and if today I can benefit from such trust, it is because I have always worked with greatest transparency and honesty, as well as with total dedication and loyalty to the RCS Group.

For the ties linking me to Giro fans and to the people involved in the industry, I want to strongly reassure everyone of my non-involvement in the matters that have been reported in the mass media over the last few days.

Today the life of a company is permanently marked in time, and I am certain that all the facts will soon be completely clarified.

I only dream about the day I can return to my team, and get back to working towards the 2014 Giro d’Italia, with even greater enthusiasm than that which has driven me over these years.

Thank you for your support, and see you soon.

Michele Acquarone"
Content for the Italian Cycling Journal is now based upon contributions from readers. Please contribute. Stories about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com. 

 

Dubai Hopes for Giro d'Italia Start

The Dubai Tour, a four stage race from 5 to 8 February, 2014, was established by an agreement between Dubai Sports Council and RCS Sport back in May of this year. The Dubai Tour will now open the Asia Tour calendar.

That agreement, coupled with the exemption obtained from the UCI rules to allow a rest day during the first week in this next year's Giro d'Italia (the first three days will be in Ireland, followed by a rest day, before the race resumes in Italy), opened the door to consider a start in Dubai. "It's something we're working on and which will be discussed as part of our strategy," said a UAE official. "Next year we're going to see the stages in Ireland and see how they do. Then, we'll open the negotiations with RCS Sport and the Giro to accommodate one or two stages in Dubai."

As a result of the UCI exemption the 2014 Giro will be the first foreign start for any Grand Tour since the implementation of a new UCI regulation prohibiting rest days on three-week Tours until the completion of at least seven days of racing. When that rule was implemented RCS Sport stated that because of it was highly unlikely that the Giro could ever start in the USA.

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Le Bellezze del Giro d'Italia

The beauties of Giro d'Italia:


We also take this opportunity to mention "La Carovana", the publicity caravan that proceeds the riders on the course. It became part of the Giro for the first time in 1933. Now, it's also become a rolling party. Lots of fun!


The start of the 2013 Giro d'Italia will be in Naples on May 4 and finish in Brescia on May 26 having covered a distance of 3,405.3 km. It will leave Italy only once with a stage in France, stage 15, for the Col du Galibier, one of the classic climbs of the Tour de France.

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Best Moments in Giro d'Italia History

The most popular entry responses in a survey of journalists by the Giro for best moments in Giro d'Italia history:

1. Which are the most dramatic moments in the history of the Giro d’Italia?

On 30th June 1946, during the 12th stage of the Giro from Rovigo to Trieste, some anti-Italian activists who wanted Trieste to be part of the newly formed Yugoslavia stopped the Giro 2km east of the village of Pieris, blocking the road with cement blocks and throwing stones and nails at the riders. The Giro organization had already decided to declare the stage end in Pieris and neutralised the general classification for the day, but some of the riders, lead by the Trieste born Giordano Cottur insisted on riding to Trieste anyway.

2. Which are the three best Giro d’Italia’s of all time?

The Giro in 1949 won by Fausto Coppi, the Giro of 1988 won by Andy Hampsten after the epic stage on the snowy Gavia Pass in the storm, and the Giro d’Italia 1998 won by Marco Pantani.

3. Which are the three best stage victories of all time?

17th stage of Giro d’Italia 1949, from Cuneo to Pinerolo (254km) which had the fantastic solo ride by the ampionissimo. Coppi earned the Maglia Rosa after going on the attack for 192 km, climbing the Col de la Madeleine, the Col du Vars, the Izoard, the Monginevro and the Sestriere alone, finally arriving in Pinerolo with an 11'52" advantage over Gino Bartali and almost 20’ on Alfredo Martini.

4. Which Champions have best represented the values of the Giro d’Italia?

Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi and Felice Gimondi are the three Champions that have truly represented the values of the Corsa Rosa.

5. Which are the biggest sporting rivalries in the Giro d’Italia?

The greatest rivalry, and the most popular by far, was between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali.

6. What are the most iconic images (pictures) of the Giro d’Italia?

Fiorenzo Magni riding the Mountain Time Trial of Bologna-San Luca, 16th stage of the Giro 1956. He was unable to push hard on the pedals due to his broken collarbone, a fracture he had sustained on the previous day’s stage, so at the suggestion of his mechanic Faliero Masi he rode biting a tubular knotted to the handlebar to fight the pain.

7. What are the most poignant gestures of sportsmanship during the Giro d’Italia?

On May 10th 2011, during the 4th stage of the Giro 2011, the peloton along with hundreds of thousands of fans lining the route of the 216km stage, paid homage to Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt, who died the day before after a fatal crash.

8. What is the statement or quotation that best represent the spirit of the Giro?

The clear winner is the legendary phrase of the Rai radio commentator Mario Ferretti during the 17th stage of the Giro 1949, Cuneo – Pinerolo, who at the beginning of his program said: "There’s only one man in the lead: his jersey is celeste and white; his name is Fausto Coppi" ("Un uomo solo è al comando; la sua maglia è bianco-celeste; il suo nome è Fausto Coppi").

9. What have been the biggest surprises of all time at the Giro d’Italia?

The Swiss rider Carlo Clerici, racing the Giro in 1954 as a domestique for Hugo Koblet, won the overall race after one of the most famous "fughe bidone" (Italian term meaning a fluke attack, invented by the Italian press after that specific occasion) in cycling history. Clerici attacked with other four riders during the 6th stage from Naples to L'Aquila, gaining more than half an hour on the peloton. No one was able to recover this entire margin over the remaining stages, despite the
fact Clerici was not a great climber.

10. Which are the most impressive sporting feats in more than 100 years of battles on the roads of
the Giro?

The “podium” of the most impressive feats in the history of the Giro d’Italia has some of the greatest Champions of the sport on it: third is Fausto Coppi dominating Cuneo – Pinerolo in Giro 1949; second is Marco Pantani winning in Oropa, the 15th stage of Giro in 1999 after a glorious comeback from a mechanical problem at the base of the final climb; and in first place, the most impressive sporting feat in over 100 years, is Eddy Merckx - winning the 12th stage of the Giro in
1968 from Gorizia to Tre Cime di Lavaredo.

Photos: Hampsten by Sirotti;  Weylandt by LaPresse; all others by Gazzetta dello Sport


The 96th edition of the Giro d’Italia will start on May 4th in Naples and conclude on May 26th in Brescia.

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The Giro d'Italia....in July?

Chatter on the channels:
The toughest race in world's most beautiful place ("La corsa più dura del mondo nel Paese più bello del mondo”), the Giro d'Italia, is considering, or having, discussions with the UCI to alternate Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia each year during the months of May and July. That is, the Tour would be held in July one year, the Tour in May the following year as the Giro takes its place in July, etc.

The Giro d'Italia is increasingly facing the problem of attracting the top riders to the May event. This year, only four of the top twenty riders in the UCI's WorldTour ranking participated. Mauro Vegni, who represents RCS Sport (organizer of the Giro) at the UCI, is quoted as saying, "Cycling should take care of its most important races, we'll ask the UCI to protect the Giro." And, about alternating with the Tour, "Why not? Think of a stage like Alpe di Pampeago or Passo dello Stelvio during vacation time! Can you imagine how many people would be on our roads?".

It seems to me a proposition that the ASO/Tour de France would never accept.

It does leave open the question as to how to make the Giro d'Italia more relevant in the future and stop it's gradual slide in importance compared to the Tour de France.

Related story:  The Future of Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo and Il Lombardia

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Nutrition, Hydration and Rest in Giros Past

Oh my, how things have changed.

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Who Was the First American to Race in the Giro d'Italia?

I tweeted RCS Director Michael Acquarone today:

ITALIANCYCJOURN Angelo senza la o

@micacquarone FIRST AMERICAN IN GIRO?? Do you have a historian? See italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2010/07/who-wa… Grazie, Angelo

I hope he'll assign someone to give the definitive answer. Read Who Was the First American to Race in the Giro d'Italia?

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Turning the Giro Clock Back to 1974

Featuring Fuentes, Merckx, descent into Sorrento, and a description of how the Giro was organized.



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New Leadership at Giro d'Italia

After seven years as the head of the Giro d'Italia, Angelo Zomegnan has been replaced with a new structure to manage the race. Michael Acquarone, currently Direttore Generale of RCS Sports, assumes direct responsibility for the organizational structure. The management of the corsa rosa will be under Mauro Vegni who will be supported by two former former professional riders: Stefano Allocchio and Alessandro Giannelli. Marketing responsibilities for the Giro have been assigned to Marco Gobbi Pansana.

Zomegnan was thanked and recognized for his valuable contributions in recent years in which the prestige and importance of the Giro d'Italia expanded globally. He will maintain an office at RCS Sport and will work on special projects in a collaborative relationship with the Gazzetta dello Sport. It has been reported that he will become part of the organizing body for the World Championships, Road, in Florence in 2013.

Good luck Angelo! Thank you for raising the level of the Giro d'Italia to new heights.

Photo: Zomegnan (left) with Mauro Vegni

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Reorganization at Giro d'Italia

As we reported earlier, here, Angelo Zomegnan will no longer be the Director of the Giro d'Italia. The announcement of the new management organization for the Giro d'Italia will be made on Monday.

Michele Acquarone, currently Direttore Generale of RCS Sports, is said to be the new Director of the corsa rosa.

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Angelo Zomegnan IS Leaving Giro d'Italia

As we had anticipated, Angelo Zomegnan will no longer be the Director of the Giro d'Italia. His contract has been terminated and now he will become part of the organizing body for the World Championships, Road, in Florence in 2013.

In his place the senior management of the RCS will create a pool of experts to manage the race, and avoid centralizing power.

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The Story of the Giro d'Italia, Arriving Early 2011

Bill McGann, who previously along with his wife wrote the two-volume "The Story of the Tour de France", informs us that he is very close to finishing his new book project which we believe will be the first English-language history of the Giro d'Italia.

Bill writes, "I'm working like a fiend to see if I can publish in late January or early February. We'll do both an Amazon Kindle ebook and a print version that will be distributed out of both the US and the UK."

Bill and Carol McGann have had their lives inextricably tied up with bicycles about as long as they can remember. Their first date was a bike ride. Bill, formerly a Category 1 racer, has been a contributor to several cycling magazines and National Public Radio. He is widely acknowledged as an expert on road bikes and cycling history. He and his wife started Torelli Imports in 1981, a firm specializing in high-performance bicycle equipment.

ICJ Reader contribution contest will run 1 January to 15 February, 2011. Details here.

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Finish Line Voices: Tour de France vs. Giro d'Italia

The famous finish line commentator's voice heard at the Tour de France belongs to Daniel Mangeas. His broadcasting for the Tour began in 1974. He is a talking cycling encyclopedia, never using notes, working entirely through improvisation.

The finish line voice for the Giro d'Italia is Barbara Pedrotti. With sheer determination, toughness, and intelligence she recenty became the first female voice of the Giro. As a young girl she dreamed of becoming Miss Italy. Then, she fell in love with the world of cycling. Pedrotti explains, "I love cycling. Seeing the old families along the roadsides awaiting the arrival of their champions. Grandparents, mothers, fathers, sons and grandchildren, as a celebration of the country, with panini and salami ... it's beautiful, is it not?".
I think we are due for a Barbara Predotti special edition in the future...

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Giro d'Italia Considers Start in Washington DC, Part VIII

From DCIST.com regarding the meeting in Washington D.C. last night at the Italian Embassy:

"City officials, cycling aficionados and business leaders gathered in the soaring atrium of the Italian Embassy in Washington Thursday evening to celebrate what they see as a historic opportunity -- bringing the 2012 Giro d'Italia to the District.

Since last November, rumors have circulated that promoters of the Giro, one of the three grand tours of professional cycling, have eyed the District as a location for a prologue and first stage of the race. As local race promoters have sketched out possible routes, Mayor Adrian Fenty met with race director Aneglo Zomegnan last December to further push the bid along. And while yesterday's event was merely held to update supporters on their progress and corral possible sponsors from the business community, it was clear from the event's slogan -- "History is made but once" -- that officials see the Giro's possible start in D.C. as a huge boost to the local economy and the city's international standing.

Greg O'Dell, chief executive of the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, argued that the Giro's coming to D.C. would be like few other sporting events the city has ever hosted. "The fact that it will bring a lot of economic impact was what made us even more excited about doing this," he said, pointing out that the 2009 start of the Vuelta a España in Amsterdam netted the city 25 million euros from hotel stays and restaurant visits. O'Dell compared the city's bid for the Giro to their desire to see the World Cup come back.
Mayor Fenty, wearing a trademark pink Giro tie (the Tour de France has the famed maillot jaune, while the Giro has the maglia rosa), spoke more broadly of the impact the race could have on the city's global reputation. "It would mean two things. It would help highlight D.C. as a great place for cycling [and] for a long time after, D.C. will be seen as one of the premiere places to ride a bike in the entire world, which is fantastic because it fits with everything we're trying to do in Washington D.C. -- get people out of cars, use bicycles to get around. We think this will be really big for all of those priorities," he said.

We asked Mark Sommers, a local race promoter who has played a central role in promoting the District to Giro officials, how the partnership between the city and race organizers came to be. "[Giro officials] had seen the photographs and the website of the fabulous finish of [the 2008 Capital Crit] framed by the U.S. Capitol, so they contacted us about the event. We had been thinking in turn, 'Why not Washington, D.C. for a grand tour?' That was the synergy that really started the discussions."

Sommers also noted that stage routes would include the city's most famous sites, many of which were inspired or made by Italian artists and architects. "There are certain monuments, buildings and structures that we will want to integrate into the course that showcase the grandeur and beauty of the nation's capital and also the various structures that Italians and Italian-Americans have contributed," he said, mentioning the Watergate, the Memorial Bridge, the Italian Embassy and the U.S. Capitol.

As for when the District may get final word on the Giro, Fenty noted that it's really up to the Giro d'Italia deciding group.

"I think they like the city, but they have to run the final processes, so we've got our fingers crossed. It looks good but we're taking nothing for granted," Fenty said."

Photo (accompanied articel): New York Knicks' Danilo Gallinari, Mark Sommers, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Angelo Zomegnan and Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata

cyclingnews.com also reported, "Under the banner ‘History is made but once’, a pre-recorded presentation video emphatically stated that the Giro d'Italia would start in Washington in 2012, but the chair of the working group responsible for the bid, Mark Sommers, and Giro director Angelo Zomegnan were more cautious in their pronouncements. Zomegnan expressed optimism about bringing his country's biggest race to the US capital, promising to prepare "something special" and to bring "great days to a great town". Speaking with Cyclingnews, he said that the city is one of three bidding for the 2012 departure, but Washington is "the front runner".

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2009 Giro d'Italia Statistics and 2010 Start

The Centenary Giro d'Italia was unforgettable, right down to Denis Menchov's crash 800 meters from the finish which could have robbed him of victory. The cast of characters was impressive: Armstrong , Sastre, Menchov, Simoni, Basso, Di Luca (who was found to have doped during the race), Cunego, Garzelli, Leipheimer, Pellizotti, Petacchi and Cavendish.

Interesting statistics about the race:

• 300 million viewers around the world;
• 160 countries watched the Giro, of which 123 live;
• 1693 accredited media representatives (including 1296 journalists and 397 photographers);
• 1.866 million unique visitors to the Giro website;
• 33.8 million web page views (+44% compared to 2008),

Amsterdam will host the start of the 93 ° Giro d'Italy in the heart of the city. Two other Dutch cities, Utrecht and Middelburg, will host the next two stages before the race moves back to Italy.

Verona will be the setting of the final stage with a time trial.

Photos: from the 2009 Giro d'Italia

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1909 Giro d'Italia Program Pamphlet

This piece of history, a program pamphlet from the 1909, and first Giro d'Italia, has appeared on ebay.

At the start of this first "Corsa Rosa", at 2:53AM on 13 May, 1909, there were 127 riders, all Italian except for 4 French riders. Only 49 of them finished in Milan. The race was won by the Italian rider Luigi Ganna.

One hundred years later the start of the race was re-created starting in the same Piazza Loreto in Milan at 2:53AM.

Photo: 1909 pamphlet

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Giro d'Italia Considers Start in Washington DC, Part V

Another step was taken this week towards bringing the Giro d'Italia to Washington D.C. in 2012. Two important meetings took place in Washington between a delegation from RCS Sport, led by Angelo Zomegnan, and Mayor Adrian Fenty and city authorities. Zomegnan presented Mayor Fenty with a pink jersey as a gift.

The two meetings followed the first meeting last Wednesday in which contacts with various agencies of tourism, sport and safety were established. Under a proposal presented to race organizers, the District would play host to an opening prologue and a first stage -- both of which would stay within the city's geographic boundaries. The prologue would likely take place around the District's federal monuments, while the first stage would be a circuit race with a finishing circuit around the federal core and a longer circuit weaving through the city's neighborhoods. There will be other preparatory meetings in early 2010 to arrive at an overall plan, including logistics, for this complex project.

Photo, left to right: Italian ambassador to the United States Giulio Terzi, Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Angelo Zomegan

Previous stories: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IIII

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Giro d'Italia Considers Start in Washington DC, Part IIII

The "2012 Giro d'Italia Working Group" has been formed to bring the Giro d'Italia to Washington DC in 2012.

Mark Sommers, promoter of the ING Capital Criterium, is the chair of the working group which now also includes Robin Mortin, CEO of g4 Productions. They are already involved in the planning process of the proposed Giro prologue and Stage 1, and expanding the working group to include RCS Sports (owner of the Giro d'Italia), Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, the DC Metro Sports Sport Alliance, and the Tourist and Convention Center Authority.

Read Parts I, II, and III of this series.

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Giro d'Italia Considers Start in Washington DC, Part III

More details of the planning taking place, from http://www.dcist.com/:

Mark Sommers, a local race promoter who put on the 2008 Capital Criterium, told DCist that "lots of preliminary work on potential courses" is taking place, and that he remained in active discussions with Giro officials, Mayor Adrian Fenty's office and city agencies. (Sommers not only races alongside Fenty on local team D.C. Velo, but he has also been nominated by the mayor to serve on the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics.)

While the prologue would stay within the city's federal core, Sommers said, the first stage would likely incorporate parts of Rock Creek Park and Massachusetts Avenue up toward the National Cathedral to add climbs to what is an otherwise relatively flat city. (The Italian Embassy is located just off of Massachusetts Avenue along Embassy Row, adding certainty that the race would use the hill as part of the route.) He added that they were looking to include as many Italian-inspired sites as possible along the route, hinting at a pass by the Watergate, which was designed by Italian architect Luigi Moretti. Both the prologue and first stage would remain within the city's boundaries.

Nothing is yet certain, though, as race organizers still have to contend with the cross-Atlantic commute and consequent time differences, neither of which is likely to make the close to 200 cyclists and their support staff very happy. Regardless, Sommers pointed out that interest exists on both sides to make a Giro appearance in the District a reality.

Read Part I and Part II of this series.


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