On the specialized statistics site procyclingstats, yesterday Filippo Conca beat Tadej Pogacar and his Swatt Club was more searched than any other team in the world. Today, everyone is talking about this "ex-professional" who beat the greats with a team wearing a completely white jersey. His society, which is true is neither Continental, nor Professional, nor World Tour, surprised everyone and exceeded its own expectations but had aimed for the Italian Championship with the professionalism and determination of true professionals. In fact, those who are so hungry to leave everyone behind that they ride without a salary, but not without sponsors. Those sponsors are there and must be remembered because to respect the style of this club, they agreed not to show themselves on a clean jersey (which they renamed "papal") that shone under the Friulian sun yesterday.

There are no differences is the motto of this group supported by partners like Giant, Maurten, Shimano, Pirelli, and Lazer, who saw far ahead and sided with these "crazy" guys who are dominating social media and the amateur world. Yesterday they achieved a feat that Filippo Conca celebrated with a gesture that has accompanied him since childhood, as shown by this beautiful photo from our Danilo Viganò's archive. It dates back to May 6, 2012, when the future Italian Champion was a Junior and won the Sesto-Inverigo in VC Sovico jersey, directed by Matteo Fontana, now his current teammate in Swatt Club. At the time, he was probably already dreaming of the tricolor jersey and a more linear career than the one he lived until yesterday "because of this cycling".

He wanted everyone to look him in the eyes, and he succeeded brilliantly. How he did it at 26, grinding kilometers mostly on a gravel bike, is explained today by his team on the blog where everything started in 2013: solowattaggio.com. The credit goes not only to Pippo's talents and his brave teammates but to heat training, that is, preparation done at high temperatures since January. "Long sessions on rollers fully dressed, rides during the hottest hours launching the '13:00 Studio Aperto' protocol. All this got out of hand, with our amateurs now going out for long rides even in the heart of June; you guys are exaggerating - they say from the group chaired by Carlo Beretta, with ex-pro Giorgio Brambilla in the support car. - Yesterday's race was the reward for all this. Hellish heat and all five guys in front and brilliant, in an era when trainers preach doing altitude training on Everest without thinking about days like these. Ginestra and Carollo in the breakaway, Conca first, Gaffuri fifth. Pettiti thirteenth and always brilliant up front. A thought for Giacomo Garavaglia, hit by a car a few weeks ago. He would have been the director."

Mattia Gaffuri is the trainer for the entire team while Conca is followed by the "bandit" Luca Vergallito, a professional active with Alpecin Deceuninck, who reached the top category thanks to Swift Academy.

Imagining that Manuel Quinziato's phone, Conca's agent, has been ringing multiple times today, the Swatt Club invites everyone to not miss the next Swatt Crit in Lainate on July 16th. Only after that date will we be able to see Filippo Conca in a jersey different from the one with which, sportingly speaking, he was reborn.

photo archive Viganò