The title evokes and recalls the name of a Puglian cyclist of good standing, born in Trinitapoli, at the time in the province of Foggia and now in Barletta-Andria-Trani, on March 10, 1943, in a large family with eight children. The territory is predominantly agricultural and is located in the northern part of the area also known as the historic Capitanata region, within the natural reserve of Salina near Margherita di Savoia with its salt pans on the Adriatic, the largest in Europe, in a suggestive setting.

From a very young age, Damiano Capodivento shows a particular attraction to two wheels but finds it difficult to store the "racing bike" in the cramped dwelling of a large family, quotation marks mandatory, with which he cultivates his primary passion.

However, he does not fail to contribute with work, taking on multiple and various jobs, to support the large family, carving out for himself, even with sacrifices of sleep and rest, the possibility of pedaling and measuring himself against some friends on a means that, even after some time, he defines as a "gate" that, in any case, allowed him to practice his passion.

He then lands in competitive cycling by registering with the Lanotte cycling team based in the nearby Barletta, the city of the famous, historic challenge. A city that since the 1930s has hosted a velodrome, baptized Littorio, with banked curves, 333.33 meters long with a concrete surface. In the 1950s, the velodrome was renamed and dedicated to Lillo Simeone, a doctor and sports manager. It is currently the only approved track in Puglia but, for a long time, in a state of complete abandonment, unfortunately, like others in the Italian territory.

Damiano Capodivento stands out with multiple significant results and, at 17, wears the jersey of regional youth champion. Victories are frequent, especially in races with significant elevation changes, in youth category races in southern competitions. Capodivento's name attracts the attention and interest of the Technical Commissioner of the "pure" blues, the expert Roman Elio Rimedio, who favored Capodivento's transfer, with a substantial portfolio of victories, to the Compagnia Atleti di Roma where he could train completely, registered with U.C. Vittorio Veneto for bureaucratic sports reasons.

Rimedio himself selects him for the 1965 Tour de l'Avenir, with his tricolor jersey teammate, the Marche cyclist Giancarlo Polidori from Sassoferrato and Aroldo Spadoni, another purebred Marche cyclist, from Corinaldo. Capodivento puts to use his climbing and pacing skills, especially in service of the blue team. Meanwhile, he had registered with Sima di Jesi, a top-tier formation, then also a company of considerable size, where many names later successfully turned professional.

His entry into the top category occurs in 1966 with the Venetian Vittadello with Milanese Cribiori, Vigna and then Vito Taccone, with whom Damiano immediately has a good relationship, thanks also to the help he could provide uphill to the fiery Abruzzese, and Polidori. It's a debut dense with difficulties as he is not always called to races and discovers that the reason is the cost of transfers from Puglia, which weigh on the not-so-princely "budget" of the team.

The following year, 1967, he is hired by the Milanese Max Meyer led by the legendary Gastone Nencini and formed by a mix of young and not-so-young cyclists. His situation does not change much, but with tenacity, he continues his professional adventure with GBC, led by team manager Franco Cribiori, in the following two years, 1968 and 1969. It was a composite formation with many specialists in road, track, and cyclocross, with the presence of multiple international passports distributed among the registered riders.

Capodivento here confirms his combative qualities on uneven terrain and uphill, with significant placements even in the Giro d'Italia where he distinguishes himself in the combativity classification. For 15 stages, he kept the pink cap awarded to the first in the Intergiro classification at the time which he then passed, no less, to Eddy Merckx. And he is keen to remember this, justifiably.

He then receives other proposals to continue his professional career, but as a prudent person, he understands that perhaps it is time to write the final word on races among professionals, but absolutely does not abandon, indeed..., his passion for pedaling and moves north, settling in Caronno Pertusella, province of Varese, halfway between Milan and Saronno, along the old Varesina state road, opening a car wash and a small bicycle shop.

And he enjoys racing among cycling amateurs, with seriousness and constant dedication, where he obtains an extensive harvest of results with tricolor jerseys, passing from category to category up to over 70.

He expands the car wash and the sales and assistance point for bicycles that he still frequents daily, even if, with manual work, he has "lightened the relationship" just as on the bike he now uses only for leisurely rides.

In 2017, he was celebrated by the Municipality of Barletta for his sports curriculum, and at the celebrations Domenico De Lillo also took part, as his father, the famous masseur and physiotherapist Pasquale, was native of Trinitapoli. De Lillo, a "stayer" with a long and varied career, often remembered on this site, has always maintained - and still maintains - a lively friendship with Damiano Capodivento's family, as evidenced by the proposed image.

And his friend Damiano reacts vividly when the famous stayer, first a rider and then a shrewd motorcycle coach, is defined as a "wheel sucker" even on the road. He accepts and embraces the definition of "prince of filing" for his Italo-Swiss friend, for the ability with which he filed the rear wheel of those preceding him, with innate style and elegance, both on the track and on the road, obviously exclusively on flat roads.