Is it possible to feel at home even thousands of kilometers away from Italy? At the Tour de Langkawi we literally managed to do it thanks to a special adoption by the Bardiani Csf 7 Saber team that automatically made us honorary members of the staff. No favoritism, no special mentions, mind you, but in a caravan made up of a thousand countries and as many languages it was almost natural to aim for something that reminded us of home. Day after day we followed our race alongside this team between Filippo Cettolin's sprint placements, the defense of Luca Covili's overall lead and the attack attempts of all the others. Every morning it took just a greeting in our mother tongue to have the feeling of not being alone.

At the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai they had done things on a grand scale, pots, dishes, stoves, pasta, sauces and other food to make the guys and all the staff feel at home. This time they traveled lighter, but still with excellent Italian food. A few days ago we tested it firsthand when, after days of local food, we found comfort in excellent pesto pasta complete with parmesan. In that moment, looking around, we realized how the Italian table was the most crowded and somehow at the center of the scene, riders and staff from other teams who were our fellow countrymen were drawn by the air of home and one by one they arrived to get their daily ration. It was a special ritual that repeated itself every morning before the start, the Bardiani team was the squad that more than any other made you feel its warmth, chatter, great enthusiasm and above all a distinctive sign that made everyone say to the locals "those are Italians": the smile.

On our first day in Malaysia the team manager Mirko Rossato had done the honors and introduced us to the entire expedition starting with the most experienced athlete Luca Covili, now a veteran of Malaysia, Colombians Edward Cruz and Santiago Herrero, the very young Filippo Cettolin, Santiago Ferraro, and Mattia Stenico. The most sumptuous part was reserved for the staff composed of masseurs Gianluca Mirenda and Stefano Pirovano (known to everyone as Piro), mechanic Tommaso Pomini and doctor Bruno Speziale. Besides the four Italians there were the Malaysians Boy and Ibal, respectively the team's local mechanic and masseur, essential for being able to navigate Malaysia. Like an attacking squadron, the vehicles available to each team were two cars, a team car and a support vehicle, a minibus for the finish and one destined to go directly to the hotel. A simple and well-oiled scheme and essential for maintaining a transfer made up of improbable locations and often endless journeys.

Since the first stage we had received an invitation to join as guests of honor to spend an entirely Italian day, but in Malaysia it's not at all easy to plan and so we had to postpone until the seventh stage. The vehicle offered by the organization is a white that at the beginning of the transfer was sparkling, the trunk packed with thermal bags, coolers, then backpacks, clothes, lots of food, basically nothing is missing. As chaperones we get classy choices, Gianluca Mirenda immediately takes the wheel, while at his side the legendary Piro gives the final instructions before saying goodbye to the company. It's time to go to the feed zone. In the car we are all on our third Malaysian transfer, Pirovano as a masseur, while Mirenda is on his first following the team after two times as an athlete in 2009 and 2011 when it was still held in February. As we talk they offer us water, cold drinks and a sandwich, we realize that we can finally face a day a bit more carefree. It's a VIP treatment that they are now used to serving their guys and they absolutely don't want anything to be missing. "It's a demanding transfer and we must try to support our guys as best as we can, if anyone wants something they can ask me freely I'm here for them, the masseur's job is also that of psychologist, motivator, jack-of-all-trades. Usually we came with loads of stuff, in the morning as soon as I woke up I would start cooking pasta for breakfast, or in the evening during massages I would start boiling water and then go take orders, each athlete has their preferences, some prefer plain pasta, some pesto or sauce" Pirovano explains to us. Despite the absences, the Bardiani pantry list in Malaysia is quite long, but we can't reveal too much to you...

From the radio they communicate that the breakaway has started, attacking is also Colombian Santiago Herrero, the water bottles for the feed zone are already ready and the impact with the external heat is devastating. Here's yet another pagan procession with the other Italian masseurs, Pirovano has a quip for everyone, gives advice and updates, meanwhile he positions himself at the opening of the long feed zone line. The breakaway, the group, only two bottles delivered, it's time to speed away, towards the next stop. Contact with team manager Rossato is constant, he's directing the film of the day, but there's always time to joke without ever putting concentration aside. Following the always useful navigator and the safety personnel, we enter the highway and in an instant we're at the third feed zone, now there's only waiting to do.

When you're following a cycling race it's essential to have a thousand eyes and think quickly; Stefano and Gianluca make a quick calculation of the remaining kilometers and the alternative route, if we stop arriving at the finish could be very challenging. A quick call with Rossato and then the change of plans is immediate, we head straight to the finish. In the final kilometers everything is noted, every curve, the road surface, but the most important thing is the video of the concluding section that is immediately sent to the sports director, from that moment he will be able to give more precise instructions to his guys. We barely have time to park and we're already thinking about the next steps, water and drinks for the athletes, the route to the hotel and preparation, but the Malaysian masseur has already thought about that with a dedicated video already explaining where the team's dedicated area is and where to park. "Having staff members from the place is essential, they are people we trust and who help us even with basic things. Ibal works very hard, he gets to the hotel ahead of us prepares the rooms, buys what we need. We always go shopping with him so we find everything more easily." Mirenda tells us while at his side Pirovano is sending Ibal the list of things to buy. In the second stage Ibal came to his house and on that occasion they switched roles making him very happy.

The seventh stage of the Tour de Langkawi concludes unexpectedly, the breakaway surprises the group and Nil Gimeno crosses the finish line first, but we care about everything that happens after. Piro welcomes his guys with a giant smile and distributes drinks of all kinds with the same familiarity of a village bar. It doesn't matter how the stage went, he compliments each one, a joking quip, a new day has ended and it must be celebrated. Then there will be time to analyze what went well or not, but not now, they've been over 150 km of effort and need to catch their breath. This is how our adventure closes, but while we'll be busy telling you about the stage, the journey of the Bardiani team, the athletes and the staff will continue, at the hotel for massages and dinner thinking about the next day. Ready for a new cycle, never taking anything for granted.

When we returned to the press bus our Chinese colleagues bombarded us with questions to find out more about our day. We stuck to that ancient rule of "what happens in the team car stays in the team car", but in the meantime we thought about the adventure we had experienced. Beyond the chatter and the race itself, what remained with us was the dedication that the staff puts into their work, the desire to help their guys, but above all the passion, the smile in every gesture made, in the words before and after the stage. Here they keep telling us that this way of doing things is typical of Italians, I don't know if it's common to everyone or not, but the atmosphere they created for us during these days in Malaysia was wonderful.