The federal president Cordiano Dagnoni has decided to respond publicly to Alessandro Guerciotti and the accusations raised in the article we published this morning. Here are Dagnoni's words:
Regarding the article titled "Guerciotti's J'accuse after the World Championships...", which suggests that the Italian Cycling Federation is not keeping pace with the teams, implying that athletes were not brought to the Cyclocross World Championships due to economic constraints, it is clarified that the choice made was not born from any intention to contain costs, but was an exclusive technical decision made by the National Coach. A choice that the Federation fully shared. In this regard, it is remembered that the current cyclocross technical staff has brought to our movement, since the beginning of their mandate (2021), 20 medals between European and World Championships, compared to the 13 won from 2000 to 2020.
Questioning technical choices is an exercise in which Italians often engage, and everyone has their own opinions on the matter. What the Federation does not accept is that arbitrary statements, such as choices made to contain costs, are passed off as truths. At the same time, however, teams are called upon, while criticizing technical choices, to also ensure that their riders, when called up to the National Team, present themselves with materials compliant with international regulations, avoiding, as happened with the Guerciotti team, embarrassing the National Team itself, the entire Italian movement and the teams' sponsors, and to collaborate throughout the season by sharing programs and targeted preparation for events.
The Federation is available for any discussion and welcomes all contributions that aim to be constructive, which can be discussed in the appropriate venues and not through press release interviews without any dialogue.