Talking about Johnny and Alex Carera means going over the cycling history of the last 25 years. The two brothers, owners of A&J All Sports , were in fact among the first attorneys of professional runners.

An ascent that started in 1997 and has never stopped, a parallel life dedicated to two wheels and to discovering talents, which has allowed the agency to become a colossus of sports management with its eleven reference figures (including the of Johnny, Lorenzo, Anna and Carola) and former professor Andrea Noè.

Today it has a roster of about sixty athletes (not just cyclists), with an increasingly numerous female representation, established champions (Tadej Pogacar above all) and very interesting young people with a rosy future. And with a respectable palmares: 5 Giri d'Italia, 4 Tour de France, 14 Olympic medals and 44 World Championships in various disciplines.

Fantacycling interviewed Alex Carera, 47, a manager with great experience and a profound connoisseur of the environment.

Alex, has your world changed completely from the past?

“Yes, there was no World Tour, the teams were from four countries and the calendar was shorter with fewer races. It started in Laigueglia and ended with Lombardia. Cycling was less international. Today there are champions from different nations, everything has become globalized. And the contracts signed by the riders were one-year or two-yearly, today they sign up for six years as well".

With much better salaries...

“More than anything else, the gap has widened. Those who earn well already do it from a very young age, before we started at 26, today at 21. An age in which managing the relationship with money is more difficult”.

Isn't your roster too big?

“The quantity doesn't count, it matters that every single talent scout manages the athlete. And each of us takes care of 10 to 15 professionals. The important thing is to offer a 360-degree service, seven days a week, which we do".

Do you like cycling today?

“The champions we currently have make racing more spectacular, and I'm not just talking about my own. Today we start at full speed and, unlike a few years ago, the races 'break out' already at -100 km from the finish. However, I would change something, for example some scores that are assigned in international rankings are not very true".

And then there's Italian cycling hunting for the new Nibali, is it all the fault of the lack of a World Tour team to represent us?

“It is short-sighted to look only at Italian cycling, I would speak of problems in Italian sport. Having said that, three important things are missing: road safety that can entice parents to let their children practice cycling, cycling in schools and the space that sports magazines and newspapers give to the discipline”.

You have represented Vincenzo Nibali for almost twenty years, what do you think of his new adventure as technical consultant of the team   Q36 . 5?

“The great fortune for world cycling is not to lose its experience. I think he can become a great manager because he wants to learn and get involved. He has to gain experience but he will do it because he is prepared for this role. Of course, he will have to make different sacrifices. If now he will be freer in front of a dish, with the telephone, with which he has never had a good relationship, he will have to have a different bond than before".

Are we talking about Tadej Pogacar, his merit and his defect?

“He is a born charismatic leader. The defect, now, does not come to my mind...".

Will we see him soon at the Giro d'Italia?

“He has already drawn up the program for next season in which he will storm the third Tour de France of his career. I can say that the Giro will race it, sooner or later".

Biniam Girmay is another great talent that you have discovered, what is the secret?

“As a junior he was the only one to beat Evenepoel in one year. And in his first race in Europe, as a prof, he had only been beaten by Ciccone. It was 2020. For someone who understands cycling, it wasn't difficult to understand its qualities. And then he, unlike other compatriots, has honed extraordinary physical skills and has great ability to masterfully ride the bike. I am convinced that he will become the emerging figure in world cycling".

Who of your young people will make a great 2023?

“I name four names. Kevin Colleoni and Edoardo Zambanini are two riders who can make the leap in quality. The third is Antonio Tiberi who has what it takes to do well. Finally Alessandro Fancellu, is a bet that has had a lot of bad luck in the past. I think he has yet to prove his true worth."

You have bet on the world champions on the track and on other leading athletes. Is women's cycling giving you satisfaction?

“The visibility numbers are growing very strongly and it is right that companies also invest in women who put in an enormous effort like men by participating in competitions that retrace the men's paths. We believe in them, they deserve a 360-degree service like their male colleagues".

How has the perception towards managers changed?

“Twenty years ago they hated us...there were general manager teams who didn't want to talk to the agents, one French in particular. Today we have a professional relationship with the various team directors. Let's say they put up with us (he says smiling, ed)”.

What do you like and what do you hate about your job?

“I love discovering a talent, following it as a youngster and taking it to the top of the world. I've been lucky enough to do it several times and it's always an incredible emotion because you walk the route alongside him. Unfortunately, the downside is when you have to call an athlete and tell him that you can't find an accommodation because no one believes in him. Unfortunately it happened to me."

LL

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