Bennati like yogurt: he was already expired by the end of December. Against him, a series of episodes that certainly did not favor his reconfirmation. I'll go through various points in no particular order: some general, some very personal, and others more "political".

Let's start with something general, a matter of form and substance. It's November 1st, 2021, just 24 hours after his appointment as Technical Commissioner, and the Bergamo comedian Omar Fantini makes headlines for a comment that was, to put it mildly, unfortunate: "In spring, 50,000 damn cyclists suddenly appear, all in front of your car's hood: you'd want a Mercedes with a crosshair to..."' Cassani, Bugno, and Bettini take a stance, speaking up with absolute grace. The ACCPI, the riders' union, also condemns the incident. Daniele Bennati, already knowing the role he will take on, displays on social media an extremely elegant and unequivocal emoji meaning "shit".

We're still on the form and substance front, but this hits close to home. On the eve of the Wollongong 2022 World Championship, after an article by our Cristiano Gatti titled: "Let's try to lose the race without losing face", the Technical Commissioner once again resorts to a social media conciliatory and very elegant comment: "disgusting".

Then comes the political part: Bennati visits the Minister of Sport Andrea Abodi, presenting him with a blue jersey as a gift. The Federation doesn't like this outing at all, if nothing else because it was done without even notifying anyone. Nobody knew anything. To those who point out that he should have at least asked, he reportedly replied that it was a personal initiative and that he has no masters.

Staying on the political side: the federal president Cordiano Dagnoni calls him on December 15th, the day of the Fci Tuscany elections in Vignole di Quarrata, in the province of Pistoia, inviting him for a coffee and to exchange a few words, but he is told that a national team Technical Commissioner must be super partes and therefore declines the invitation. For the record: there was only one candidate for the Tuscany presidency, Luca Menichetti.

Finally, a matter of form, substance, and sporting etiquette: his words after the continental challenge in Limburg. "We had prepared a strategy and the riders followed another one". Essentially, Bennati distances himself from his riders. Milan remains closed, and Bennati opens the gas: they didn't do what he had asked them to do. It's clear that Alfredo Martini, just like Franco Ballerini, Paolo Bettini, and Davide Cassani would have reacted differently. The great Alfredo would never have been touched by the idea of unloading all responsibility onto his Azzurri, would never have allowed himself to leave his riders to their fate, even when he would have had more than one reason to do so. Daniele has often remembered Alfredo Martini with admiration, proudly showing the Aurora fountain pen that the unforgettable admiral from Sesto Fiorentino had given him. A pen to write and put his thoughts in order, to clarify within himself, before speaking.

COURSES & RECOURSES. They reconsidered, thank goodness. Especially, the mandatory registration was removed, which would have created more than one problem for journalists and not only for them due to ethical and company policy issues. But let's go in order.

Those registered with the journalists' register, in the professional or publicist list, or in the special list, have the right to practice the profession, because the Order guarantees it, having verified and certified the validity of what is claimed: actually performing journalistic work as a profession. A journalist is a professional because they have attended a school and passed a State exam. A publicist because they can be an ordinary citizen who does their work but has a certain continuity (at least one piece, video, or photo per month clearly remunerated) in publishing. The special list is a temporary registration while waiting to enter one of the two lists mentioned above.

At the Giro, the Tour, at UCI races, all this has always been valid: are you registered with the journalists' order and is there a publication or a video-photographic company that vouches for you? You can get accreditation. Why am I telling you this? Because the Italian Cycling Federation thought it appropriate to launch a series of courses for media operators (OPM) at the beginning of the year. Let it be clear, training journalists, photographers, and operators is good and right, but it should be done "cum grano salis". Perhaps involving the Order of Journalists or, alternatively, specialized groups like USSI, the national sports journalists organization, of which I am honored to hold a peripheral role, that of Lombardy regional president (GLGS-USSI).

Nothing, returning from the Christmas holidays, under the tree to be put back in the attic, we found not only yellow and red cards for riders and teams but also a series of media operator courses whose existence was unknown to everyone. Monthly courses that should provide additional preparation - training - but as they were conceived and structured, they went against the most elementary workers' rights.

One course per month, live (evening hours, from 7 pm to 11 pm), with a final test that if not passed would force you to wait a month before trying again. And in the meantime, what would a Roberto or Luca Bettini, a Dario Belinghieri or a Stefano Sirotti do, not work?

This is how it was conceived. A 30 euro course necessary to then obtain a federal card (cost 60 €) that from February 28th is no longer mandatory, at least for international races (for national and regional races - writes Federciclismo in a note - the Federal Council reserves the right to review the original plan). Until yesterday, the card then had to be accompanied by a green bib with "Media" written on it that you had to procure and pay for to operate during the race: on a motorcycle, in a car, or at the finish line. In other words, if you didn't pass the course successfully, you weren't entitled to access the race fields.

Quite different is setting up a series of training courses as already happens for organized professions. A permanent platform, a course to follow when you have time and an open test until you have substantially learned the necessary information that the course aims to provide. If you do it on the first try, good for you. If instead, you are forced to repeat it twenty times? The important thing is that you come out with useful notions for the correct performance of your profession. Not a coercive course, like the one that was conceived and launched by Federciclismo in recent weeks, but a training course without mandatory registration, with only obtaining a diploma that certifies regular attendance.

I realize I have bored you excessively with a vein-cutting topic, but the good news is that partly - in these hours - a remedy has been put in place. Now there is a need to work on it, to reformulate everything to make these courses useful for knowledge, without undermining press freedom or the right to work. The aim is to put in place courses that train without the risk of ending up in a courtroom. In short, more courses for fewer appeals.

Editorial from tuttoBICI of March