He has an endless list of invitations to the Giro d'Italia, to the point that Mauro Vegni should organize one just for himself, simply to shake hands and satisfy all those who want him at lunch or dinner. "If I listened to everyone, I really wouldn't make it to the finish line: I'd die first," he says from his new residence in Casaletto Lodigiano, Mairano district, in that triangle between Lodi, Milan and Pavia, which is land of wines, but also of cycling. "I've been here for almost a year now: my wife Cristina and I got ourselves a nice villa with a beautiful garden to tend, full of pink roses".

Mauro Vegni, born in 1959 (born in Cetona on February 7th, editor's note), from '95 the reference man at RCS Sport, before becoming in 2002 "the patron" of the pink race, for now he observes. The one being raced is the last Giro he designed, but since February he has formally entered a state of retirement. "I'm retired, say it without fear: I'm not offended and it doesn't bother me either".

So let's start: how is retirement treating you?
"Well, also because it was something that matured little by little: it wasn't an overnight exit".

You left Milan for the countryside.
"Milan is very close, just 28 km from my old office: if I want to go visit my kids, it takes no time at all".

Is it true you received a multitude of invitations?
"Consider that I've worked in the cycling world since I was 17 years old. I started with Franco Mealli in 1976 with the World Championships in Monteroni and Ostuni. Do you know how many people I've met over these years? For now I've imposed on myself to stay calm, but I'll definitely be in Viareggio, Milan and Gemona".

Is your wife Cristina (Palazzo, editor's note) happy to have you home all day?
"She's happy because we enjoy a beautiful place and besides, I'm certainly not sitting idle: I'm still vice president of the Professional Cycling League".

You were born in Tuscany, but everyone considers you Roman.
"And a Roma fan... Yes, I was only in Cetona for the first three years of my life, then when dad and mom decided, like many others, to abandon the fields to follow my uncle Corrado to Rome who had meanwhile found work as a doorman, we also went to the city: Cento Celle area, on Via degli Anemoni. Steady salary, work not as grueling as that of those who until then - like my parents - had broken their backs working the land".

It was football that started it all...
"Exactly. At the time we lived in a ground floor apartment and in front of us was the Mealli family. Franco was already a renowned organizer of cycling races and more. He's a sports man and I remember as a little boy following the 1970 Mexico World Cup from his house, the one with Italy-Germany 4-3 and the final lost to Pelé's Brazil. It's thanks to this connection that Franco takes a liking to me. He has two daughters he adores, but the girls aren't interested in cycling, to say the least, unlike me who am obsessed with cycling and with Franco I can only aggravate my "illness". I start going around with him until in '76 I start working for his Velo Club Forze Sportive. I'm only 17 years old: I'll learn everything from this exceptional person to whom I truly owe everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything".

Since football was the catalyst, who is your ideal player?
"Roberto Baggio: class is class".

What, not Totti?
"He's just below, along with Pirlo and Del Piero".

Singers?
"De André and Guccini: I adore singer-songwriters and they're on another planet. Bands? Deep Purple and Black Sabbath".

Let's take a step back: schools?
"Elementary school in Rome, at Fausto Cecconi in Cento Celle. Middle school also in the area, while high school at Francesco d'Assisi. I also enrolled in Sciences and Politics at Sapienza, took 19 exams, but then the desire to work prevailed in me, to follow Franco Mealli".

How did you get to RCS Sport?
"Always following Mealli. By now Franco had to think about the future and sold all his most important races in bulk to the Gazzetta group. Prestigious and historic races: from Tirreno-Adriatico to Lazio, from Pantalica to Etna. I'm his trusted man and I go to enrich the RCS Sport staff. I arrive at a company that made the history of sport and cycling in particular. I work with Vincenzo Torriani and Carmine "Elo" Castellano: one a giant, the other a gentleman in love with cycling".

How would you define Torriani?
"The patron: only he can claim this title. Brilliant, courageous and visionary. Everything. Just think of what he invented, what he did: the time trial at San Marco? It's hard to put into words".

How would you define Castellano?
"A deep friend. Grace and intelligence: it was beautiful to have him by my side. Shame I can't call him anymore".

If I mention Vito Mulazzani?
"I'd say he's one of those three or four people who allowed and helped me make a good impression. With him also Giorgio Albani, another who had the profession in his DNA, I was in a barrel of iron. As with Alberto Della Torre (arrivals) and Italo Zilioli (departures): exceptional people".

What kind of team are you leaving behind?
"Good, solid and reliable. Stefano Allocchio, Giusy Virelli, Alessandro Giannelli, but the list is long: lots of professionalism. Lots of passion".

The most beautiful moment?
"In 2000, when we managed to start from Rome and on the eve we were received in a private audience by Pope John Paul II. But also last year, for the arrival in Rome, with the crossing of the Vatican Gardens and the stop with the new Pope Leo XIV. But I have another very beautiful moment".

Tell me.
"2018, departure from Jerusalem. A crazy event, built with great effort and care. That year the Giro accomplished something no one had accomplished before: a Grand Départ outside Europe. Believe me, it's hard to put into words. On a logistical and diplomatic level it was crazy work. Think that the teams arrived in Jerusalem by plane, without having to bring anything other than bicycles: there they found motorhomes, workshop trucks and team buses with their logos provided by the organization".

The most difficult moment?
"In 2013, for the weather conditions that affected the Sanremo (snow stop at Masone, restart at Cogoleto, editor's note) but also the Giro constantly battered by frost. Galibier halfway, the Tre Cime conquered by Nibali in the storm".

Do you have a favorite rider?
"Many. But I'll tell you the most elegant: Michele Bartoli. And then the one who enchanted me most with his class: Alberto Contador. For me he's the Baggio of cycling".

One thing you would have liked to accomplish.
"You won't believe it but in 2020 we came very close to doing a Grand Départ in Japan, in Tokyo. Everything was ready, everything was done, then something jammed... too bad. There was also a thought during Rudolf Giuliani's time, to bring the Giro to New York, but that always remained in embryo. Bringing the Giro to the Big Apple was simply a great dream".

The rider with whom you didn't have a very good relationship...
"Adam Hansen: the first to embrace lost causes".

The rider who disappointed you the most.
"Danilo Di Luca. After the doping incidents I gave him a second chance, then he betrayed me: he knows it too".

Who will win the Giro?
"I think Vingegaard, but I hope Pellizzari".

After you, no other "patron"?
"As I told you, for me the title of patron belongs only to Vincenzo Torriani. In any case, I believe that after me there won't be another one. Other figures will come, but one that simultaneously condenses sporting, political and economic-administrative responsibility won't exist anymore".

What will you do when you grow up?
"I have to do a Giro d'Italia to greet the many friends I have scattered throughout the Peninsula. Then I'll enjoy my garden. It's beautiful. I like tending flowers, roses in particular: I have some splendid ones".