Scenes from a thrumming Italian box, number 1, the one assigned to our Federation in the preceding days, belongs to the Dutch by chance—whether such a choice proves propitious or not remains to be seen. Let's say we're closer to the finish line. In the country that gave its name to tents, the teams camp out just after the finish, as is tradition.

This happens at every World Championship and the magic of the row of team stations is ready to renew itself according to a partly written script, made up of pats on the back for cyclists from Belize or the Cayman Islands forced into predictable and premature withdrawals. Before the left turn toward the climb, guarded by mounted police (not red jackets, mind you), and among the crowd, on the toughest stretch of Voie de Camillien House, a group carrying the Italian tricolor with the parents of Eleonora Gasparrini, Simona and Sergio, returning from a nice trip across Canada (they, as seasoned campers, appreciated the wild style of the country and its natural settings) spotted discreetly at Spazio Italia in recent days, have earned their spot at the barrier already by 11 o'clock and won't let go.

What about Augusto and Agnese, Monica Trinca Colonel's mom and dad? "Here we found support for the girls from our cousins who live far away in British Columbia, on the other side of Canada. Beautiful."

Gasparrini passes and mom Simona heaves a sigh of relief, after the crash. Just as the race explodes, it's time to head down to the finish area. On the opposite side from the tents, the crowd in the refreshment zone can only be chaotic, a strategically occupied spot by the public, who still have time to stroll through the sponsor village, where commemorative flags are flying off the shelves, just a few meters from the large, massive podium for the awards ceremony.

Montreal's afternoon heats up and it's not just a temperature swing, when a group of standard-bearers from the teams that matter makes its way through. From the Italian side, it's only right to feel the proper excitement. Calm and cool heads? Not now that among the most prominent athletes it's time to push to the maximum. Now, from tent to tent, television images capture attention, at least before returning to the barrier lap after lap, until the bell sounds. From a competitive standpoint, the "sentiment" entrusted to television microphones doesn't erase nuances made also of silences, of superstitious choice of this or that chair, of a "go" of encouragement while watching images on screen. The Saturday of the encamped village is about to conclude with the verdict.