A warm embrace – if you'll pardon the expression, in every sense of the word – and a truly successful pink celebration in Cassano d'Adda: the welcome for the Giro d'Italia was festive and passionate, while the one for Gianni Motta, an authentic local hero, was absolutely overwhelming.

Many, very many people wanted to pay tribute to the great champion, who remains part of the caravan thanks to his commitment with Mediolanum, and who today had an exceptional travel companion by his side: Ernesto Colnago, the man who first believed in him and opened the doors of professional cycling for him.

A fantastic story of friendship and life that has lasted far more than 60 years, beautifully celebrated by today's festivities. A perfect example? Ten years ago, Ivo Vergani created the Fu-Fa (Furono Famosi) Cassanese to celebrate Cassano's champions: for today he had 1,000 commemorative jerseys printed that literally flew off the shelves, jerseys that the locals proudly wore to celebrate their illustrious fellow citizen who 60 years ago achieved the great feat of winning the Giro d'Italia.