"My dream? Bringing the European championship or even a world championship to Cagliari». From 2 to 5 May, the board of the International Cycling Union, made up of 18 members representing the five continents, will meet in the halls of Palazzo Doglio. Enrico Della Casa, vice president of the organization, Fifa of cycling, fought for the headquarters of the summit to be the regional capital, to throw us off balance in a football comparison. Della Casa, who heads the European cycling directive (UEC), is originally from Correggio, but is married to a Sardinian: in his wife's country, Gesturi, he spends many of his days free from managerial commitments.
President Della Casa, dreams aside, is Sardinia really capable of hosting road cycling events of international importance, even in the short term?
"In my opinion, yes. The island would be the ideal theater for a European road championship, because the road surface is perfect, especially if compared perhaps to that of Sicily. I say more: if we manage to motivate the Region for a European or even a world championship, the comeback would be remarkable».
Will you meet the Region?
«Let's see if I can arrange a meeting with Governor Solinas, during the days of the board. I repeat, being able to organize at least one European championship in Cagliari would be a formidable undertaking, capable of bringing two thousand people between athletes and insiders to the island».
What topics will be covered by the UCI in the three days in Cagliari?
“We meet three times a year: once at the end of January for the world championships, once again for the road cycling world championships and there is also a third meeting in the middle of the year on various other issues. The place chosen for this year was Spain, but in the end we opted for Sardinia».
At what point, on the other hand, is your European mandate at the UEC?
«It started in 2021, it will end in 2025. So we are halfway there».
What is the future of Sardinian cycling?
«In my opinion, you should focus on mountain bikes and gravel bikes. Nature offers many paths: specializing in this discipline would not be bad».
And maybe try to grow some talent.
"The possibilities are all there."
On a national level, Ganna is the cycling phenomenon of the moment.
«Extraordinary athlete, but we must also look at young and emerging players. I was recently in Trentino and saw Lorenzo at work
Fortunato, an excellent climber. It may be the surprise of the next few years. Even the track sector, driven by Ganna's successes, is giving satisfaction. By the way: I know about the imminent restructuring of the Quartu velodrome: for Sardinian cycling this is great news. If we could take the kids to the track it would be great."
