Time is a tyrant, but so is space. In fact, the two are accomplices: time saturates space. And with Covid or summer, comes the moment of spring cleaning. You start by aiming to clear the attic, you settle for liquidating a cardboard box. And among bags, folders and files, indispensable clippings emerge. Like this article of mine on Giorgio Albani: "La Gazzetta dello Sport", February 9, 1999.

The first race. "My first race – recalls Giorgio Albani, who was 15 years old and came by bike from Monza – I did it in September '44, in Milan. Wartime. It was called Coppa Isolina Caldirola, and everyone raced together, from amateurs to juniors. I presented myself as I was: a regular jersey, but blue and white, normal shorts, but with cuffs, normal shoes, but with white socks. And the bike was a sports model, adapted with a racing handlebar, a Simplex three-speed derailleur, and mudguards so as not to stand out when I left home. I was an only child, and my parents didn't want me to race. At the start everyone laughed at me. At the finish everyone congratulated me. Because Valeriano Zanazzi won, and I arrived in the group, about forty riders".

The first racing bike. "My first racing bike – swears Giorgio Albani, who from '45 to '49 was an amateur, and at the 1949 Lombardia was an independent rider, and from '50 for 10 years was a professional – was given to me by the Pedale Monzese, with a rod-operated derailleur, which took longer to shift but was more reliable. The truth is that the previous year a big, strong rider had used that bike, and the frame was too high for me. 'It will be good for you as you grow,' they told me, and off I went".

The first fear. "My first fear – sighs Giorgio Albani, who 55 years after his first race still gets emotional about certain feats on the pedals – was precisely the 1949 Lombardia. It was raining, and at the foot of the Ghisallo the road was unpaved, with a clay surface. Fausto Coppi was so powerful that he broke the 22-tooth sprocket and was forced to shift to the 20. I had the 23. On the first false flat he said goodbye to us and we only saw him again at the finish".

The first rule. "The first rule – admits Giorgio Albani who, after hanging up his bike, became a sports director (also for Merckx) and is now a race director, including at the Giro d'Italia – was taught to me by Fiorenzo Magni. Until '56 I trained every day with him. Meeting at quarter past eight in his garage, right after the workers heading to the factory had finished coming and going. Then Lecco-Bellano-Tartavalle-Balisio-Lecco-Monza, a total of 155 km. Never shortened the route. Extended it, yes".

The first track. "The first track was the Vigorelli – says Giorgio Albani, who today always says no to invitations, parties and reunions, perhaps to avoid going where his heart leads him -. The Vigorelli was like La Scala, it excited me more than a classic, after a meeting that went until three in the morning I couldn't sleep a wink. I participated in about ten American races in three years, always paired with Fiorenzo Crippa, until one day they separated us. Because we didn't look anyone in the face, and that wasn't allowed".