Mario Giaccone

Mario Giaccone (born 21 June 1945) is a retired Italian amateur road cyclist and sporting director. He achieved international success in the late 1960s and later became a notable figure in Italian amateur cycling administration.

He has raced several times in the national team, under the guidance of coach Elio Rimedio. He arrived in Novara at the age of nine.

He studied at the Industrial Technical Institute for Knitwear and Textile Experts in Novara.

1960s He began competing in 1961, with the Velo Club Novarese team, of which he was also captain. At the same time he studied in Milan to be a dental technician and worked in a dental laboratory in Novara.

In 1966, furthermore, after finishing the Fossano stage of the Giro del Piemonte, he met Elio Rimedio, the national team's coach, who introduced him to the Italian competitions. Still wearing the Italian national team, the same year he took part in the Road World Championships in Heerlen, Holland, where he only managed a 15th place, due to a fall a few metres from the finish line.

At the end of the season he finished 12th in the Tour de l'Avenir, a competition that he remembers very challenging due to the large climbs, In the Giro Ciclistico d'Italia, the amateur edition of the Giro d'Italia, he placed third behind the winner Giancarlo Bellini. The results obtained earned him the «Trofeo Stadio», received in Modena the 2nd December, as the best Italian amateur of the year.

In an interview with Gino Ardemagni, regarding the possibility of turning professional after many requests, he stated: quote|Oh no, not professionalism. Not for stupid reasons of sports ethics, because money disfigures the purity of passion: all bullshit, I earn even as an amateur. But because professionalism is a nasty beast: either you manage to catch it by the tail, ride it, or if it knocks you off your feet and good night. I mean that as a professional you either make it or you stop. I don't intend to stop. I like cycling too much.|Interview with Gino Ardemagni, 1970

In 1972, an accident during a race in Borgomanero cut short his racing career,

At the end of the decade he was involved in the preparation of athletes on behalf of the Italian Cycling Federation, and in the meanwhile he moved to Garbagna Novarese.

From 1980s to 2000s In 1983 and 1988 he ran for the municipal elections of Novara, as an independent, on the socialist list of Armando Riviera.

In 1998 he lost his father Natale, aged 84, In 1999 he ran again, on the same list, among others, as the photographer Mario Finotti.

2010s

In 2014, retired and living in Nibbiola, on the occasion of Vincenzo Nibali's victory at the Tour de France, he was interviewed by Corriere di Novara. He stated a new phase of cycling had started and Nibali was part of it, as a representative of a decisive change compared to the more controversial past. Giaccone admired his strong personality, direct communication and respect for people and situations, together with great lucidity and constant attention: characteristics that made him a strongly positive figure, suitable to be a model for young people.

As part of the celebrations for the awarding of the prize for the European City of Sport 2025 to Novara, the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi awarded Mario Giaccone the title of Alfiere dello sport (Standard Bearer of Sport), for his contribution to cycling culture.

The sportsman A runner, he did well on multiple terrains.

Major results 1966

1967

12th Overall Tour de l'Avenir

13th Overall Peace Race 10th Stage 6 4th Stage 8 2nd Stage 13

1971

4th Overall Giro Ciclistico d'Italia 3rd Stage 8

1972