The "Recioto d'Oro al merito sportivo 2000" award is given to Francesco Moser. Born in 1951, a passer of rare power and generosity, Moser was one of the best Italian riders in history. His career took on a dimension of great value especially towards the end, when Francesco was able to refine his ability to defend himself on the climbs and explore before others, the boundaries of science applied to cycling. His fantastic ride in the Soave - Verona, the last time trial stage of the 1984 Giro d'Italia, in which he tore the pink jersey from Fignon conquering his first and only Giro d'Italia, is in everyone's memories. A few months earlier, in January, Francesco had been able, after having taken away Merckx's world record for the hour by covering 50,808 kilometers in Mexico City, to return to the track for a few days just to respect his fans who had endured the long journey and had not been able to witness his successful attempt.
And Moser did even better, setting the record at 51,151. Ten years later Francesco was able to get back into the game, at the end of his career, to verify how the performance of an athlete could change after such a long time but with new technical means.
Francesco Moser marked an era. He won 272 races. Among the gems the Milano - Sanremo, three Paris - Roubaix, the world championship in San Cristobal, the Ghent - Wevelgem, the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of Lombardy, the Tirreno - Adriatic, the Fleche Wallone, the Zurich Championship, the world championship in the track pursuit, Trofeo Baracchi, the Italian classics. Professional cyclist from 1973 to 1988, he won stages at the Giro and the Tour, where he also wore the yellow jersey.