They are very close to the runners, following their career step by step, savoring victories and defeats, joys and sorrows, hardships and sacrifices alongside them. Managers are among the protagonists of current cycling : they work far from the limelight but are always ready to intervene not only for a contract to be signed, but also for many aspects of the daily life of their clients.

Today Fantacycling begins a short series of interviews with some of the best known Italian prosecutors to go into detail about a world that is little known but of fundamental importance for today's cyclists.

Fabio Perego , born in 1966, is married and father of Mattia. Financial promoter, he stood as a candidate in the last elections for the presidency of the Italian Cycling Federation. Owner of the Hero Sport Management company, where he works with the lawyer Michele Re, he takes care of the interests of about fifteen runners, men and women.

“One of our first clients was Yaroslav Popovich – recalls Perego – when the company was still called Pro Team. The idea was to give the athletes something extra and not just follow their contractual affairs. Then offer total assistance for any type of problem. Then Hero was born five years ago as an associated studio, my job is to stay in contact with team managers and teams".

Do you follow very young guys, is it a precise choice?

“In the meantime, I would like to point out that I see the manager as a point of reference alongside the athlete's family. We expect this to happen, even if they are adults. Father and mother have an important role, for our part we try to dampen certain enthusiasms that are created, as protection in a delicate phase of growth".

Do you think it happens too often?

“Unfortunately, the big limitation in Italy is our cycling culture. If at 14, 15, 16 you go strong and win, enormous expectations are created and stress increases. It is necessary to have greater patience because it is true that there is a hunger for young people and the desire to find talent at all costs, but young people must be waited for and not forced. There are teams that invest in them but after two years they struggle to get them to have a third season at a high level”.

In Italy we are waiting for the new Nibali. How long will that take?

“Abroad, youth activity is done in a certain way and not with the forced search for a sample. In Italy, an under 23 competes in 80 races a year of which only 6-7 are valuable. You can't always run. If you want to make a youngster grow, you have to guide him by teaching him to prepare and compete in a certain type. On the other hand, there are many cases of riders who were very strong among the youth teams and then stopped racing. We need to ask ourselves questions about these aspects”.

A runner you are closest to?

There are many. I mean Alessio Martinelli, now at Bardiani, with whom I started working when he was a junior. We have always shared his journey with his family and a mental coach to plan all the steps with him and plan his future as an Under”.

And Giacomo Nizzolo?

“From now on he will work with Giovanni Lombardi (agent, among others, for Sagan and Viviani). After ten years together, this shared choice has arrived, which I absolutely agree with”.

Let's talk about Marta Cavalli and her splendid 2022. Did you expect it?

“Yes, even if I thought it would achieve certain results in 2023 and instead it was a pleasant surprise already this year. I'm convinced that you could be the future of Italian cycling for stage races, your growth as an athlete is entirely a function of the objectives set together with the team. Keep living a certain kind of life with one purpose: to become number one."

Shall we close by naming some interesting young riders that you follow closely?

“For the future, I would like to mention Giacomo Villa, a 20-year-old from Biesse Carrera who we will certainly see in certain races with the best, Anders Foldager, a 21-year-old Dane who is already an intern at the Bike Exchange, and Davide Persico, who at 21 rides for Team Colpack. Among the teachers there is Luca Colnaghi of Bardiani, targeted by bad luck but who will soon win races of a certain level, and Asbjorn Hellemose, another 23-year-old Dane who rides for Trek Segafredo. He has a great future ahead of him."

LL

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