An interview with Dino, winner of the 2025 Fantacycling championship.

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22
Oct
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"Ciccone and McNulty turned my season around. My protégé? Tiesj Benoot!"

Sicily has been a fertile ground for Italian cycling in recent years, producing champions on two wheels like Nibali and Caruso, but also producing true fantasy cycling champions. This is the case of Giuseppe Dinolfo , a 27-year-old Sicilian who dominated the 2025 championship and won the Drali bike up for grabs for first place. Everyone knows him as Dino, fantasy cycling coach of the Dino_Team , who crushed the competition by surpassing 80,000 points this season and who further enhanced his year by winning the Fantakings with his club.

 

“How did you start following cycling?”

"I live in Sicily , a land without a particular cycling tradition compared to other regions like Tuscany or Lombardy, but I remember that since I was a child, I used to watch the Tour de France in the summer and gradually I became passionate and started watching the other races too. However, it is thanks to Fantacycling that today I follow all the races, from January in Australia to October in China."

“Which runners do you admire the most?”

" I like those who put their heart and soul into it, who give it their all and who don't always win easily, like Pogacar . Among the most successful, I appreciate Pedersen or Evenepoel, but also, and above all, those who always try like Healy or Benoot... and then obviously Van der Poel, the class turned rider ."

“Speaking of Fantacycling, how did your season go overall?”  

"I had a fairly consistent start to 2025, but I was in the top 100 right from the start. My first big breakthrough came in Liège with Ciccone, who was only a handful of riders, and thanks to him I jumped to second place. My Grand Tours , despite the overall victory, went poorly , especially the Giro d'Italia where I didn't have any riders in the top 10! At the Tour I benched Onley and at the Vuelta Riccitello, but despite this, I always managed to stay in the top positions. The turning point at the end of the season was the acquisition of McNulty , who, between Poland and Montreal, allowed me to fight at the top until the end. Healy 's third place at the World Championships (which I had the night before) practically sealed my victory, and in the last few races I limited myself to playing defense, especially after Lombardy when I had a 700-point advantage over the second-placed rider to manage."

“Which rider gave you the most satisfaction during the season?”

"Without a doubt Lipowitz : I had him from the beginning (when many didn't) and I sold him at the right time, immediately after the Tour, when I understood that he wouldn't do anything anymore."

“Which low-cost runner gave you the most satisfaction?”

"I'm thinking of Movistar's Romeo , bought for 1 fantamillion and immediately placed at the UAE Tour."

“Your pupil at fantasy football?”

"As I said, I love runners who give their all even if they don't win. One above all is Tiesj Benoot : when he races I always take him!"

“What were the best and worst races of your season?”

"The best are Paris-Nice, which I have a special connection with and have been finishing in the top 100 for three years, and the Tour de Suisse with the Onley-Gall duo. The Giro d'Italia, on the other hand, was a total disaster from every point of view."

“I know I can't reveal all the tricks of the trade, but could you give all the fantasy football managers some advice for the coming seasons?”

"As in any game, I admit that luck plays a big role, but a good dose of preparation is also required. As for trades, I keep a file in which I note down all the riders bought and sold during the season. Furthermore, I use a sort of slot technique , which has been seen a lot in fantasy football lately, which helps to always keep the team balanced. The selection of 30 players at the beginning of the year is very important, and in my team I keep a solid core of riders who I think will participate in many races during the season and who I try never to trade. Another tip I can give is to follow as many races as possible , even (and especially) the smaller ones, to get to know the riders better."