Gianni Bugno retired from cycling in 1998, but has not been able to ‘get off the bike’. Almost 24 years have passed when he decided not to continue pedaling, but that has not meant that he has left this sport.
At 58 years old, Bugno is the president of the International Association of Professional Cyclists, a helicopter pilot and one more fan of cycling in the world.
He was world champion twice: 1991 and 1992, he won the 1990 Milan-San Remo, he was second in the 1991 Tour de France, when the Spanish Miguel Induráin adjusted his first of five wins in the general classification and the following year finished third.
On 22 occasions he disputed the big races. He was eight times in the Tour, on three occasions he ran the Vuelta a España and on 11 he was part of the Giro lot.
His best year in this last race was in 1990, when he took the title, the only one he achieved in a three-week competition. That time he beat Charly Mottet and Marco Giovanneti, second and third, respectively.
For all of the above, it is that he has sufficient authority to talk about cycling and EL TIEMPO contacted him to express his concepts about this year’s Giro d’Italia, the options in the test of Miguel Ángel López and the rivalry with the Colombian cyclists.
(You may be interested in: Miguel ‘Supermán López: what Joao Almeida, rival in the Giro, thinks).
What do you analyze of what the 2022 Giro can be?
It will be a great race, interesting and particularly challenging in the final part. It has started from Budapest (Hungary), to later, in a striking experiment, arrive in Sicily. Every day there will be stages that, with certainty, will be spectacular.
That it is only 26 km to the clock takes away emotion?
Surely yes. There is hardly any time trial and that is why it will be the climbs that determine the fate of this Giro. The race will be marked by good climbers.
What is your opinion of this year’s tour?
It’s good, challenging and varied. It can be said that it crosses all of Italy, from Sicily, reaching the north and closing in Verona. So it will be an interesting Giro.
For you, what are the favorites for the title?
Ríchard Carapaz, from Ineos, starts as the favourite. Italy will seek with Vincenzo Nibali to have its best representative. However, unfortunately in the country we are in a generational change and that is why it will be difficult to compete with the strongest runners out there. Looking at the list of riders, I think Carapaz is without a doubt the favourite.
Do you see Miguel Ángel López with title options?
He will surely be the protagonist, because he is a great climber and it is a race with a lot of mountains.
Can you aspire to the podium?
As a protagonist you can fight for the podium. Since there won’t be as much time trial, he can easily aim for being in the top three.
Why do you think that López is not given as a favorite?
Because there are other runners who may have more experience. Even so, it is difficult to identify three favorites. As I have said, the Giro d’Italia is very particular and, with a few kilometers on the clock, it will be very interesting. Climbers will be protagonists. And among them is López, who can have great stages.
What are the strengths that the boyacense has to face the test?
He is a great climber. We will have to see how the other protagonists behave in this Giro d’Italia. This year is a very open race.
How do you analyze what happened with Miguel Ángel López at Movistar?
I followed everything that happened, but I can’t comment because it could fall into inaccuracies. I prefer not to talk about things I do not know well.
How did you see what happened to Egan Bernal?
I am very sorry for the absence of Egan Bernal because he would surely have been the protagonist in the Tour de France and, if he had come to the Giro, of course the race was tailored to him. But unfortunately he had the bad luck of that incident. I hope he recovers soon and returns to competition.
Will Egan Bernal be able to become champion again, as he was before the accident?
I hope so. She is young and tends to recover quickly. He must do things calmly, without rushing and thinking that he is a great runner and will continue to be. Yes, keeping calm.
And speaking of Nairo Quintana… how do you see him this year that, for example, he decided not to run the Giro?
Quintana has started the year quite strong. He is doing very well. Surely he will have a great Tour de France, the possibilities are served for him. I hope he persists in his goal of a podium finish in France.
Who has been the best Colombian cyclist in your concept?
Without a doubt, the one I ran against: ‘Lucho’ Herrera. For me he is the greatest of the Colombians, but now there are so many young people like Egan Bernal himself, who has already won the Giro and the Tour, but Luis Herrera marked an era. Colombians are regularly competing at the highest level of cycling and it’s not just now.
(Also: Will Egan Bernal compete again in May? Ineos team coach speaks).
‘Lucho’ Herrera is the greatest of Colombian cyclists
As a representative of cyclists, what is the biggest problem that the profession currently has?
The most important problem today is above all safety, both in the race and outside it. We are focused on improving safety with a collective work with the organizers and the teams.
Talking about safety leads us to remember what happened to Egan Bernal… What should road training be like?
It is difficult today to train on the road because there is a lot of traffic. The idea is to do everything possible to find less frequented roads and enjoy them… because traffic, unfortunately, is dangerous in all parts of the world.
Should practices be kept on the streets?
Yes, of course. Racers compete on the roads. The idea is to use roads with less traffic and for both parties to be very careful.
How do you see the issue of the Association of Colombia?
I am very happy that the Colombian Association has entered and I hope that we can count on their collaboration to be able to do great things. It is key that cyclists have their association.
Lisandro Rengifo
@LisandroAbel
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