Ole Ritter, an icon of Danish cycling, organized a dinner at his home in Copenhagen with about fifteen friends to celebrate the first historic success of Danish cycling at the Giro d'Italia achieved by Jonas Vingegaard. The dinner was also attended by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark's current Foreign Minister, whom Lucca cycling fans got to know during his visit in 2017.

Ritter, who is now 84 years old, recounts how one of the most important cycling movements in the world today was born: «A movement that goes back a long way, when Danish cycling began to make itself known thanks to Ivano Fanini, the Italian cycling manager best known throughout Denmark. When I stopped racing, I became the national team coach and met Fanini, to whom I presented promising young talents that he had race in his teams, first as amateurs and then as professionals. It was he who laid the structural foundations for a movement that has grown significantly since 1982 until it became what it is today. Fanini has acted over time as a true architect of talent, combining vision, strategy, psychology and organization».

WORRE WAS THE FIRST. Fanini was the first manager to promote the globalization process, allowing cyclists from 44 countries to begin their racing careers on Tuscan roads. The Danes arrived in large numbers thanks to the historic relationship with Ole Ritter. The first to arrive was Jesper Worre in 1982 (Fanini-Berti), who won four races in just a few months. Then among those who achieved the greatest success were Alex Pedersen, Jørgen Marcussen, Jesper Skibby, Kim Jolin Eriksen, Jens Veggerby, Michael Petersen, Rolf Sørensen, Nicolaj Bo Larsen, Søren Nissen, Søren Lilholt and Brian Petersen (later Jonas Vingegaard's personal coach from 2016 to 2019). Bjarne Riis, winner of the Tour in 1996, also made his debut in the Italian cycling scene at the Giro della Lunigiana, brought there by Fanini. The successes of all these Danes in Fanini's colors generated a strong ripple effect among Danish children who wanted to start cycling, transforming a fleeting inspiration into a lasting passion.

FANINI SPEAKS. «I thank the owners of the Sofidel Group,» says Ivano Fanini, «who allowed the stage to start from Porcari just two kilometers from my headquarters. Every time the Giro d'Italia stages in Lucchesia, they mention the history of my team on television. Vingegaard won the Giro, launched from 2016 to 2019 by Brian Petersen, whom I had make his professional debut in my teams in 1990 and 1991, and I want to applaud the entire Danish movement and I too raise my glass with my friend Ole Ritter to celebrate this victory».