The first woman President of the Provincial Committee of Monza and Brianza of the Italian Cycling Federation enters history: Chiara Mariani, born in 1975 in Sovico, mother of two daughters Martina and Sabrina, a former high-level cyclist (who won the national track title and was an Italian national junior at the World Championships in Athens), will be the first woman to lead Brianza cycling for the next Olympic quadrennium (2025-2028).
So let's set aside the preamble and get straight to the point: what will be the first decisions to be made?
"I haven't yet decided who to assign tasks to, it takes time, but one thing I'm sure of: we'll all work together," explains the new president Mariani. "I can't do everything alone and I will definitely involve the council directly, and in January we'll have a first meeting with all the societies. Continuing the discussion with the Oratory groups is one of the priorities".
What are the problems for cycling in Brianza?
"There are many, and one is not having additional facilities for the safety of young people approaching our sport. The Giussano Bike Park is fine, but we need similar structures to provide greater peace of mind to families who send their children to train in everyday traffic".
What do you hope will be done in these four years?
"I hope to always do better to satisfy the youth movement. It's true, perhaps something didn't work as it should have, but I want to revive cycling in Brianza and increase the number of children. I want to succeed in growing the activity in our territory".
Is it possible that there are few races in Brianza?
"The problem is organizational. It's not like before when you could set up a race with just a few people. Today everything is more difficult: costs, logistics, permits, suitable and not improvised personnel are aspects that must be considered. Not to mention viability, traffic represents an enormous problem".
So what do we do?
"We will try to help societies in difficulty by giving them a hand in every sense in relation to the commitments that must be faced. This leads us to collaborate all together, which remains one of my primary needs".
How does it feel to be the first woman leading a Provincial Committee?
"Happy and proud to be so. I was born and live in Brianza, cycling is my great passion and I can't wait to represent it with the right to make mistakes and grow based on errors and direct experiences".