In ancient cycling the independents were usual. Runners without equipment that were presented in the races in search of the awards and ran with … A meillot of convenience for that day, which could lend the organizer or some short team of members. Julio Jiménez, the remembered ‘Watchmaker of Ávila’, recalled in an interview in this newspaper a few years ago that “my first victory was an Iberdrola trophy in Zamora, with professionals. You went to the city’s bicycle house or the people of the race and left you a jersey with their advertising. If you earned, they gave you 100 pesetas and if you were second, 50. And so the years passed. In Ávila he won all the races. I had to go out to improve. You had to come to the Basque Country and decided to introduce myself at the climb to Arrate. There were some Galicians in Eibar who spoke to the organizer and let me out. At that time it worked like this, there were no teams. Then I went to the Eibarresa bicycle and told them that I had already done the climb to Arrate. Like me, there were many kids. The organizer was teaming with loose cyclists. He told me that Lambotta was going to take out team, he gave me the jersey and enrolled me. It was 1961. I won the first stage, a chrono -scallop. I did not expect it because Loroño and several foreigners ran. I achieved the blue jersey, I didn’t even believe it. It lasted three days. Dalmacio Langarica congratulated me ».
In Italy, the thing worked the same, but there these cyclists called ‘isolati’ (isolated). Fortuna search engines in pursuit of a hole in the formidable squads of Coppi, Bartali or Magni, which had silk tubular, delicate wool jaws and the best sponsorships, those of the most leading firms. But that cycling has just ended …
Until Sunday.
In the Italian championship, he won, dressed in white from head to toe, without a single commercial brand or in the jersey or the culote, Filippo Conca. Lombardo, 26 years old and 1.88, ran in the ranks of the Swatt Club, an amateur team (not even continental) created by himself and several colleagues without a place in the professional field, and which is basically dedicated to the graph. Before the Italian championship, it had not covered more than ten days of competition, with only two road tests, the Turin-Biella and the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt. Conca, however, is not someone who has appeared out of nowhere since after highlighting in Sub-23 he made the jump to the World Tour with the Lotto team. After two seasons with the Belgians, he signed for the Swiss Q36.5, which was discharged at the end of 2024.
«If I realize that this victory is an earthquake for Italian cycling? Yes, it is certainly an earthquake. I don’t know what will change, nor do I want to think about it. I only know that I am one of the few who believed on this day. I thank you … and I give them to myself, ”said Conca, who beat a quick cyclist like Alessandro Covi (UAE). In addition, another ‘Man of White’, his partner at the Swatt Club Mattia Gaffuri, was fifth, in the quintet that played the victory. Upside down that the winner, he has never made the leap to professionals at his 25 years. The figures did not highlight, as the bronze of Thomas Pesenti, of the continental team of the Soudal. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was seventh.
As soon as the goal is crossing, Conca took his fingers to his mouth in a very Italian gesture: “Pray Tutti Zitti.” Now, to shut up all. Then he did not want to clarify the recipient (s). After this surprise, the question is what will happen to him, if the Italy’s jersey can show off in the races or will be hung from the champion’s house in Lecco, next to Milan. Being amateur, there would be no legal problems to sign for any professional team, without waiting for August 1, when the market opens.
The former Manuel Quinziato is his representative since his professional stage. In the goal of Gorizia the Italian journalists approached him. To ask him how much Conca charges: «But what salary? At the end of the season I gave him two bikes ».
Although it was outside the professional circuit last December, it continues to prepare to the maximum level to return to the platoon. It is trained with Giacomo Nizzolo (Q36.5), Simone Petilli (Intermartché) and Marco Tizza (Bingoal). The Italy championship came after a concentration in height in Livigno, where an accident was about to leave it without a race, by running over a marmot in a descent.
“In other sports, such as the marathon, they prepare for months for a race, and know that helped me,” explained the winner. He believes that another circumstance also benefited. «I knew that many people were tired after Italy’s turn. Before, one left the turn in full form; Now it seems otherwise. And this, despite not having a career rhythm, favored me.
With 26 years, his goal is to find professional team and leave the unpolluted white. Julito Jiménez retained the blue jersey of the Eibarresa bicycle three days. Conca, the ‘tricolore’ will last all year.
