With the Trofeo Laigueglia held yesterday on the Riviera di Ponente in Liguria and won by the young and promising 22-year-old Spanish rider Juan Ayuso over the talented Scaroni, the professional cycling season in Italy has opened, and with it the 52nd Golden Lily Award has also begun.

This is the prestigious national award organized by Lorenzo and Saverio Carmagnini with the patronage of the Tuscan Sports Journalists Group of USSI, the Tuscany Region, the Metropolitan City of Florence, and the Municipality of Calenzano. Each year it is awarded to the best Italian professional of the season based on results achieved, with a scoring system that varies depending on the importance of the event. The last winner was Tuscan and Italian Champion 2024 Alberto Bettiol, who received the award last November.

There will also be several other awards, for the absolute Italian title winner, for the Giro d'Italia winner, and for the revelation of the year (Gastone Nencini Memorial). Special recognitions include the Gino Bartali, Alfredo Martini, and Franco Ballerini prizes, the Pink Lily Award for a female cyclist who has particularly distinguished herself, the Franco Calamai Sports Culture Award for a cycling colleague and writer, and to conclude, the Tommaso Cavorso Memorial and the award for the best junior of the season. The 52nd Golden Lily ranking will take its first shape by the end of March when the first races of the 2025 season will have been disputed.

We conclude by noting that there will be welcome novelties for the 52nd Golden Lily, with some important sponsors and special guests for this Award, which was born in 1974 in the "Carmagnini del '500" restaurant, a welcoming place that remains the venue for the awards ceremony in November.