Ivan Basso dreams of a different cycling world. Basso who announced his retirement a few months ago, has written a Christmas letter to La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he explained how he would like cycling to be.

Below you can read the full letter:

If there is one thing that cycling has taught me, it is that you have to set your dreams as goals and try to achieve them. And I think about something good, something great and unique.

I dream of an innovative cycling world that look at young riders as potential future champions. A cycling world which can always reflect and respect the passion of the people because our sport is more "family” than the others: in every family there is a father or a grandfather or an uncle who is a cycling fan.

I dream of a cycling world where victory is a point of arrival and not a starting point and a necessity. I dream of a cycling world that is visible in schools, in the streets, in the towns and cities: we have to tell everyone that doing sports, any sport at any level, is an indispensable source for all our children and for our society.

I dream of a social cycling world in which the great champion never forgets where he came from and remembers that he just has to turn around find someone who is less fortunate than him. 

I dream of a cycling-oriented marketing in which the rider knows what makes his company and the company knows what makes his rider: because the values ​​of both parties are compatible and this ​​can raise the level. It must never happen that a rider ignores the company that supports him and it should never happen that an employee does not know what his rider is doing. I dream of a cycling world that gives opportunities for the company because it is a continuous cycling movement and every movement has something to give. Always. This can all be achieved. And that's what I'm trying to do now with this letter.