He feels like a hero, because he challenges the giants. Bruno Reverberi is one of the great national cycling animators, one of those who should be given a monument, for what he still manages to do with his son Roberto and sponsors who don't ask for the moon, but are content to carry out a sports-social activity.

"What we can do," he says to tuttobiciweb, the long-time captain, about to turn 83 in mid-August, "is to spread a good message, about us and our sponsors, who love cycling and have embraced our project: focusing on young people, who however year after year are visibly diminishing. As soon as someone shows up and proves to have some potential, they go to a 'Must' team and that's it. The absurd thing is that we're perhaps living through the most beautiful cycling moment in many years, but what should worry us is that the base is being pulverized. We're like a glacier: year after year, it retreats."

Fewer and fewer riders, less and less quality, meanwhile costs have skyrocketed. Take the Tirreno-Adriatico currently being raced: among the ProTeams, Uno X has a budget of 19 million euros; Tudor 25; Q36.5 19. "In contrast, we at VF Group Bardiani CSF Faiané have a budget of 4 million, and Polti Visit Malta slightly above (4.5), not to mention SolutionTech, which I don't think reaches 2.5. We and Ivan Basso are working miracles," continues Bruno Reverberi. "We try to do our best with what we have, and it's a blessing that we have it, but it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to retain promising young riders, like Pellizzari for us or Piganzoli for them. Our activity is now more social than sporting, keeping kids away from bad circles, encouraging cycling and a healthy lifestyle, promoting the two-wheel industry and alternative mobility. We set the bike economy in motion, but clearly it becomes almost impossible for us to win, because you only have winning riders if you can retain them or acquire them, like Q36.5 did by securing Tom Pidcock with a 4 million euro per season guarantee. I read with interest Cristiano Gatti's interview with Ivan Basso: clearly it's a provocation. Help us and consume what we propose on our jerseys, but this also means saying something simple and clear: it has become extremely tough for us, and staying in the market has become incredibly difficult. We, Ivan Basso, Serge Parsani, we move forward, we're still cyclists, but one fact is evident to everyone: if you have budget, you win; if you don't, you chase."