Vicini alle Nuvole - i grandi scalatori del ciclismo moderno

From Van Impe to Pogacar, passing through Pantani, Chiappucci, Nibali and Contador, stories of successes and attacks, of imagination and courage in cycling, to pay homage to the figure of the climber, who makes enthusiasts jump out of their seats every time he shoots on a climb. Cycling has various forms, but in the collective imagination more often than not, when we talk about the great stage tours (Tour, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta), the memorable feats were signed by the great climbers. The four-handed work of the two Eurosport commentators Luca Gregorio and Riccardo Magrini is based on the emotions that ten chosen climbers have aroused and allows us to discover the greatness of the feats that have marked their careers. The volume contains the preface of an exceptional fan: Mauro Corona, writer, mountaineer and great cycling enthusiast.

«It is not a ranking of the best climbers - explains Magrini - but a selection of riders that we have met, seen and told about. The book contains what I saw with my own eyes first as a runner, then as sports director and then as a technical commentator, and what made Luca's eyes shine as a kid and which he then commented on with me. So we tell from Marco Pantani to Tadej Pogacar, from Alberto Contador to Lucien Van Impe, passing through Vincenzo Nibali, Chris Froome, Giovanni Battaglin, Claudio Chiappucci, Mikel Landa, Michele Scarponi, Julian Alaphilippe, Remco Evenenepoel just to name a few».

«Ours - adds Gregorio - was an arbitrary and personal choice. Of heart and taste. In short, we have tried to write an engaging book in which the personalities of champions who have made uphill history intertwine, but also stories in which the man emerges before the runner». The two authors tell us how the book was born: «The driving force behind it all was Sky's colleague Alessandro Bonan who, with a farsighted vision, created the Storie di Sport series for Hoepli Editore. We accepted their invitation and, as happens to us during the commentary we have been doing together since 2018, we had fun writing it, remembering it, digging it, telling stories».

authors: Luca Gregorio and Riccardo Magrini

language: ITALIAN

pages: 224

editor: Hoepli