It is a week of world anniversaries for Paolo Bettini. Two rainbow jerseys, two dates – September 24 and 30 – that recall the double triumph of 2006-2007.

Special days that deserve to be relived.
"I follow the World Championships as a passionate fan and supporter of Italy. This week started well with significant medals in disciplines that confirm our growth. Behind the time trials there is a lot of work, and Marco Villa is the architect of all this. Think about it, he was the one who convinced me – as world champion – to do the Six Days. I had never been on the track before, and with him I went to Grenoble and Monaco, where the Six Days par excellence took place. I still remember his words: 'road cyclists must do time trials, look at Zabel. We need to start again with you'. It was 2006, and twenty years later the seeds we planted are bearing important fruit".

You mentioned 2006, your world triumph in Salzburg. What memories do you have of those days?
"The world title seemed like a taboo for me. I managed to pull off the feat thanks to clarity in the final 500 meters in the underpass and my instinct to attack Spain. But it was a success I could barely savor – eight days later my brother Sauro died in a road accident and I thought about giving up everything".

Instead you came back and won again in Stuttgart.
"It wasn't easy, but I definitely developed that ruthlessness inside me that served me well for the title in Germany. The day before had been tense, bombarded with controversy and doping accusations. I stayed focused; they tried everything to make me feel unwelcome, but they didn't succeed. My roommate Andrea Tonti asked me: how do you do it? I just kept going straight, I didn't lose sight of my goal, I won, and the next morning – wearing the world champion's jersey – I was interrogated by Stuttgart police and filed three lawsuits. I had said it during the race, almost at the finish: I win and I fire three shots".

Two titles and in between your encounter with your great passion for flying…
"At the Grosseto Air Force Base, after my first World Championship, there were the right people, folks passionate about cycling, and that's how the invitation came. I went with great joy, and from that meeting friendships were born that are still alive today. Like my love for cycling and flying – my passions".

Back to World Championship week, and what did your years as national team coach leave you with?
"Scarponi's words after Florence 2013 when he told me: I didn't think – as an old man – that I could still be useful to the team. That's worth a medal. And then a regret that comes in three moments: Marco Pinotti's crash that could have been a bronze in Valkenburg in 2012, Vincenzo Nibali who crashes in Florence and still finishes fourth, and the podium that Pippo Pozzato just missed in Australia 2010".

And on Sunday in Montreal, who wins?
"Here's how I see it: Pogacar is always the strongest, Evenepoel is the strongest when everything goes his way. And that doesn't always happen. So it's a World Championships to be played well, the Italians have gotten used to performing strongly lately. You have to believe in it".

To close the week the same way it started, to put another date on the calendar worth remembering.