Today is a great day for Maurizio Fondriest, who celebrates his 60th birthday: born in Cles, Val di Non, on January 15, 1965. Happy birthday, Maurizio. Celebrating with "Mau" Fondriest are his wife Ornella and children Maria Vittoria, Carlotta, and Lorenzo.

In cycling, champions are typically considered those who combine success in one-day classics with victories in grand stage races. Maurizio Fondriest never won the Giro d'Italia or Tour de France, yet he deserves a very important place in cycling history. In one-day classics, Fondriest was a formidable finisseur, elegant in style and powerful, capable of winning either in a sprint or by breaking away.

The Val di Non rider was among the strongest even in youth categories, and the "prodigy" label towards the end of 1986, his last year among first-series amateurs, sparked a battle among teams wanting to secure him for his professional debut. He chose Alfa Lum, led by Primo Franchini.

"Gewiss with Captain Argentin, Del Tongo Colnago with Saronni, and other great teams wanted me. I chose Alfa Lum because, without being a superteam, it guaranteed me more strategic space and especially the opportunity to grow. At Alfa Lum, teammates like Amadori, Caroli, and Rossi gave me important advice."

Already in 1987, Maurizio celebrated his first professional victory in Lerida during a stage of the Vuelta a Catalunya. "The first professional victory is never forgotten. That day in Lerida, I experienced immense joy."

Maurizio was also a champion of precocity. Indeed, in 1988 he became World Champion in Renaix, Belgium. The "mess" between Criquielion and Bauer somewhat facilitated the Trentino rider. Bauer blocked Criquielion towards the barriers, causing him to fall. Fondriest crossed the finish line with arms raised in front of Bauer, who was disqualified. Fondriest on August 28, '88 also deserved to be lucky: at 23 years old, on the uphill finish straight of the World Championship, he was at the forefront fighting against riders who had been on the professional cycling scene for much longer. In Maurizio's palmares, the 1991 and '93 World Cups also stand out. "As a great career joy - he specifies - along with the 1988 World Championship, I put the first World Cup."

That edition concluded in Bergamo with a time trial dominated by Rominger. "I won the '91 World Cup in the last event, and it became a victory similar to a one-day classic. It had been an uncertain World Cup edition." Mau's fans celebrated with smoke flares on Viale Papa Giovanni.

The second World Cup coincided with Maurizio's best season as a professional. "That of '93 was also beautiful, but without final pathos: on the eve of the last event, I had a significant advantage over the second place." In 1993, Maurizio won 26 races, including the Flèche Wallonne. He built his World Cup victory with successes in Milan-Sanremo and the Grand Prix of Zurich.

The Sanremo of March 20, '93 is another unforgettable chapter in his life, more than in his competitive career: about 2 hours before the start of the classic, Maria Vittoria was born. "Becoming a father - Maurizio told Adriano De Zan's microphone - gave me incredible strength."

That year, Mau also won the Flèche Wallonne, finishing on the Mur de Huy. The "Arrow" was not a World Cup event, but is still considered among the noblest classics. Among Mau's most beautiful career memories is the success in the 1990 Coppa Agostoni. He arrived alone at the Lissone finish line, crowning an extremely long breakaway. Bugno, Chiappucci, Ballerini, and other greats were dropped by Maurizio on the Lissolo circuit. "A long-range breakaway was not new to me. At the Giro d'Italia for amateurs, I had won the Chiavari stage in the same way."

In 12 years of professional career, Fondriest won 69 races. "There could have been many more. Back problems held me back. I wasn't lucky. Other champions have had career problems that slowed their victory pace: among these, Gianni Motta."

At the Atlanta Olympics, the Cles rider finished 4th in the individual time trial. Atlanta 1996 was the first Olympics open to professional riders. The time trial starts were in stages. Unfortunately, Mau started in the group disturbed by heavy rain. Winner Indurain and others were luckier. "These things can happen, I accepted the 4th place. What bothered me much more was finishing 2nd at the 1991 Amstel Gold Race. I would have been the first Italian to win the Dutch classic."

Amstel '91 was won by Frans Maassen. "He was very unsportsmanlike, which makes that 2nd place weigh more. In 1991, without back problems, I would have been very strong at the Stuttgart World Championship. Perhaps I would have won."

In his career, he also enjoyed winning on the track. In Dalmine, in a 1993 professional track Giro d'Italia event, he dominated the points race. "Naturally, winning on the track was also very nice. However, I never aspired to the blue jersey of track cycling. In recent years, being part of the track national team has actually become more important."

The last jersey Mau wore in his professional career was that of Cofidis, in '97 and '98. The Cofidis sponsor is still in cycling today with a World Tour team. "It's nice to see Cofidis always prominent in great cycling. The team's founder welcomed me with enthusiasm."

Surely today Maurizio and his family will enjoy the birthday cake and toast. However, today is not the "official" 60th birthday celebration. "We'll do that from October 26 to November 1st in South Africa: I'll participate in the Gravel Burn with my daughter Carlotta. In the last few days, Maria Vittoria, Lorenzo, and Ornella will also join us." Happy birthday, champion!