For ten years, he has been the great strategist of the F.lli Giorgi Team, the Bergamo-based squad from Torre dé Roveri that is one of the most established and proven talent factories. Leone Malaga from Palosco, born on March 24, 1975, forms a magical partnership with team owner Carlo Giorgi. People of cycling. People of respect. People with passion running through their veins. People who, unfortunately, are becoming extinct. We once labeled him as "sagacious" for his acumen in moving, managing, but especially in approaching and living with the team. Many riders have "come to light" in the F.lli Giorgi Team and are currently undoubtedly valuable professionals, let's list some names: Alessandro Covi, Luca Vergallito, Alessio Martinelli, Karel Vacek, Mathias Vacek, Luca Giaimi. On the eve of the upcoming season (first race on March 16), we had a long conversation with Leone Malaga, touching on many important themes related to the junior category, which year after year is changing its skin and increasingly caressing professional cycling.

Ten years with Team Giorgi. Who would have expected that?
"When I arrived at Team Giorgi, it was almost by chance because I was coaching the Allievi of Bike Tre Team in Villongo. At the end of the season, the president had decided to cease activities: we already had the team, the bikes were already purchased, and Carlo Giorgi opened his horizons to the Allievi category, which at that time he didn't have since Team Giorgi had always been only a Junior team. I did three seasons with the Allievi before moving to Juniors, and it was a long and exciting journey. And every year I must say that we always add something more, something better than the previous season, and the results prove us right".

Would you have ever expected such a decade?
"In recent years, we've had to change our approach with athletes because cycling has completely changed, and it does so at dizzying speeds. In Lombardy, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find athletes, many teams now have their own youth system, and we, being honest people, don't seek riders who already have a future team, so we've had to start expanding our horizons to neighboring regions. We started with Liguria, then moved to Veneto, Trentino, Emilia Romagna".

F.lli Giorgi riders continue to win and dominate...
"There's something good inside the team that makes all athletes feel comfortable. And when an athlete feels good, if they naturally have potential, they almost always manage to express it. The environment is important, and we try to make the guys feel at home, and I must say we succeed. Credit goes to the entire staff around me".

The wave of young champions like Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu Van der Poel and so on, with their impressive feats, are changing the world of cycling and especially the mindset of young people. Are things changing in the heads of your juniors too?
"Unfortunately, but also fortunately, I would say yes. In the last four or five years, the Junior category has become what was once the amateur category, the antechamber of professionalism. Every year, speeds are higher, riders are more followed at all levels, from preparation to nutritionists and so on. In the wake of these new champions who have a 'ridiculous' age compared to champions of the past, today's juniors almost feel pushed to emulate them. I don't know if it's entirely right, but it's certainly the new direction of youth cycling".

The idea circulating among professional sports directors is to extend the Junior category from two to three seasons, also due to school maturity. Having managed boys of this age for years, would you be in favor of this change?
"Absolutely yes! In my opinion, it would be a better choice. Obviously, in this case, the Under 23 category would disappear, and everything would be unified into a single amateur category, and perhaps not even that. I think this could be the right solution".

Ten years of Team Giorgi, and before that many more years always in the cycling support car, you have a family and a job. Where do you still find the motivation to continue with cycling?
"I'm fortunate to have my wife Elena who loves cycling because she comes from a family of cyclists, I had a son Giacomo who raced for fifteen years, so we've always been in cycling. The greatest stimulus comes from the eyes of my boys. In recent years, I've truly had athletes with 'fire in their eyes' and this is an important thing. When boys come to us from other teams where they didn't feel comfortable, simply because they weren't cared for like sons, which is what we do and manage to achieve important results, this is even more motivating for me".

So by looking into the eyes of the team's riders, you recharge your batteries?
"Yes. It's really like that. It's not just the victories, it's their faces that give me the stimulus and desire to do what I do".

from Giornale di Treviglio