Friday, March 29, 2024

Franco Marvulli – On His Last Season Before Retirement

-

HomeInterviewsFranco Marvulli - On His Last Season Before Retirement
Franco Marvulli
Franco Marvulli, looking beyond his racing career.

This Six Day season marks the end of an era. Depending upon which source you consult, Franco Marvulli of Switzerland has ridden somewhere between 112 and 117 Six Days, this makes him the most prolific rider on the circuit by a considerable margin – Robert Bartko for example has ridden 75, Iljo Keisse has 72 starts.

When it comes to wins it’s a similar story, Keisse and Bartko are on 19, with Big Bob’s tummy getting that wee bit bigger every season it’s unlikely he’ll add to that score; and with Iljo’s road commitments limiting his winter board appearances he can only win a couple each year, at best.

And Gent was ‘only’ Leif Lampater’s seventh Six Day win off starts in the 60’s.

Marvulli has won 32; not to mention four world titles – two in the scratch and two in the madison and Olympic silver in the same discipline.

So how come his ‘goodbye’ isn’t a bigger deal?

When his compatriot Bruno Risi retired there was a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

But Risi was the ‘Capo’ – the boss on the circuit and a highly driven individual who quit at the very top when he could still ride most of the peloton off his wheel with 60 wins off 184 starts and fifth place in the all time rankings.

Marvulli is a different animal; he had no desire to be the new Capo, leaving that job to Danny Stam – but the Dutchman could never be Bruno…

Franco Marvulli
Bruno Risi and Franco, World Champions.

And these last two seasons we’ve never really seen the real Franco Marvulli – not the Franco of those Risi/Marvulli days when you’d stand and stare in wonder at their speed, skill and sheer genius on the boards – he’s been easing out of the scene.

Copenhagen will be his last ever Six Day.

Franco Marvulli
Franco clearly dug the band at Rotterdam last year.

We caught up with him on the massage table at Gent as he prepared for his last jousts on those tricky 166 metres of the Kuipke velodrome.

The stats please, Franco?

“I think I’ve ridden somewhere around 112 Six Days with my first in 1998 in Zurich and my second in Munich in ’99 – but at the start I only rode one or two each season.

“There were two Worlds scratch titles and two Worlds madisons.

“As far as Swiss titles go, I think it’s 46 at last count?”

Your finest hour?

“My first Worlds scratch title; I couldn’t really believe it or enjoy it – it was surreal.

“In 2002 when I won it again that was very satisfying, some people had said that it wasn’t a ‘proper world title’ the first time I won – and we won the madison that year, too.

“And of course the Olympic silver with Bruno in the madison was wonderful.

“The president of Switzerland telephoned me to congratulate me after the race but I was drunk so I had to tell him it wasn’t a good idea for me to talk too much!

“Later, I met him in person and apologised; but he just shook my hand, laughed and put us on first name terms, telling me to use his first name, not ‘Mr. President.’

“That was a really nice experience.”

Franco Marvulli
Bruno and Franco with their Olympic medals.

Best partner?

“Oh! Bruno, of course!

“We were such a good match; the technique the timing were perfect.

“But I have to say that latterly I’ve enjoyed being paired with younger guys like Kalz and Müller and being able to help them develop.

“But really, I’ve had dozens of partners, apart from Bruno I’ve never really stuck with one partner.

“It’s a challenge to ride with lots of different guys; but I have to say that I enjoyed riding with Marco Villa – he was the first real champion I raced with and he taught me the business.”

Franco Marvulli
Franco and Bruno were the top team for many Sixes. Photo©blick.ch

Why quit now?

“In my life I have to have a sense, a feel for what I do; I’ve had 20 years of cycling and now it’s just too routine, the same hotels, the same food – it’s time to move on.

“There’s so much else I can still achieve at 35 years-of-age – recently I’ve been working in children’s education and have really enjoyed that.”

Your first Six Day in ’98 – how does the scene back then compare to Gent 2013?

“It’s tougher, there are a lot less races now so it’s a difficult decision to commit yourself to be a being a full time track professional.

“When the UCi moved the track Worlds and World Cups to the winter it changed the rhythm of everything for the worse.

“It’s very difficult to be competitive in the Six Days and at the World Cup and Worlds – apart from anything else the gears have changed so much; it’s not 52 x 16 in a World Cup madison any longer.

“Even in a race like the Four Days of Grenoble you’re riding 54 x 15, now.”

Franco Marvulli
Franco keeping an eye on things at Copenhagen.

The last time we spoke you were involved with organising the revamped Championship of Zürich.

“Yes, it was very successful for 2013 with everyone from social riders up to elites able to take part.

“We had 1,000 riders a start/finish village, food stands and a DJ there to make it a real occasion – in 2012 there was just a start/finish line.

“In 2014 we plan to make it even better – it’ll be the 100th edition of Switzerland’s oldest race.”

What’s the Swiss cycling scene like?

“There are less and less races so it’s hard to make the jump to being an elite rider – to do that you have to stop working and that’s difficult to justify if you can’t get the racing.

“You have to remember that the jump from amateur to professional is huge – you can’t compete against the top guys working full time and doing two hours training each day after work.

“It’s a hard sport and an expensive sport to get into – not like soccer where you have a team so it’s not just your performances in the spotlight.

“That’s one of my reasons for ending my career now, I find it hard to motivate myself to train as I should – when I think back to when I was young, training after work with lights on my bike…”

What about the decline of the Six Days?

“I think I’ve said to you before that there’s so much else for people to do now than there was when the Sixes were at their peak – they may come back up a little but they’ll never be like they were.”

Franco Marvulli
Franco realised his character wasn’t suited to being the ‘capo’, and was happy to let his legs do the talking.

Why did you not take the roll of ‘Capo?’

“It’s a tough job and my personality isn’t really suited to it…”

What do you think of the UCI rule changes for the track?

“There are various ways to look at it – sure you have to ride at least two World Cups to get to the Worlds – but the UCI are trying to make it so that each nation has to promote track races; they can’t just ‘go to the Worlds.’

“But it means that because you have to ride these races the organisers don’t have to pay start money – and for a professional that make life more difficult again.

“You have to rely more on sponsors – who aren’t easy to get in the current financial climate.”

Franco Marvulli
Franco and Seb Donadio get the crowd going in between races.

I have to ask – Lance?

“He was far from being the only guy and if you were in the sport then you pretty well knew what he was doing.

“Personally, I think the Festina and Puerto affairs were more damaging to cycling.

“In Germany the drug scandals have done big damage – look at what’s happened to the Six Day scene there and so many of the big road events have gone too.

“That damage can’t just be undone over night.”

Franco Marvulli
Franco is very popular with the media and fans.

Will you keep riding the bike?

“For a while – but I’ve started doing in-line skating and I’ll ski more, something I haven’t done for a long while.

“But sure, I’ll go out on the bike when the weather is nice – just not so many miles!2

Looking back, is there anything you’d do differently?

“Yes and no.

“I think I said ‘yes’ to people too many times.

“But I’m not your typical Swiss athlete who comes across to an interviewer as 100% focussed on his training – totally serious and disciplined.

“My father is Italian and I have that aspect to my personality – I’m more outgoing than many Swiss.

“I think some journalists thought that I wasn’t serious enough about my trade – but they didn’t know me.

“I never wanted to change myself and I never played at who I was – like they say; ‘if you don’t lie then you have to remember less.’”

Franco Marvulli
Franco shares his roquefort lunch.

We’ll miss you Monsieur Marvulli – especially those long, relaxed breakfasts down in Grenoble with coffee, Kris’s omelettes, blue cheese, fresh baguettes from the bakers across the street and endless Six Day chat.

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Matthias Barnet – British Under 16 Criterium Champion 2014

Le Tour, The Commonwealth Games, The Tam Gordon interview – there’s just been so much going on at VeloVeritas recently that we must have missed something? Ah yes, of course, Edinburgh Road Club’s Matthias Barnet winning the British Under 16 Criterium Championship on the technical Hog Hill circuit at Redbridge, London in July, for one thing.

Copenhagen Six Day 2010 – Day Two

'For me, that was the hardest chase of the winter!' The words of Franco Marvulli as he flopped onto the bench in his track side cabin, after he'd just won the night's closing 60 minute madison with Bruno Risi, here at the Copenhagen Six Day.

Mark McNally – Tour of Britain 2014 KoM; “I don’t do this for the money”

There was an unexpected but nice result recently from a man who’s better known as a Flanders flat lands protagonist, AN Posts’s Mark McNally - his winning the King of the Mountains in the Tour of Britain. With the Vuelta dominating and the Tour of Britain news more focussed on what Cav didn’t do; Alex Dowsett’s brilliant ride to grab – but subsequently lose - yellow; and Wiggins’ fast - but not fast enough - time trial, McNally’s ride was over shadowed.

John Archibald – CTT 25 Mile TT Champion 2020

There’s a third Scot on the 25 Mile Time Trial Championship roll of honour; John Archibald, Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling, added the title to his 2018 CTT 10 mile title with a 44:50 ride which also saw him lead Dan Bigham and Simon Wilson to the team title.

At Random

Tri Changing Gear CC 16ml Hilly TT 2007. Jonathan Copp Prevails

The result of the Tri Changing Gear CC 16ml Hilly TT. An excellent ride by Jonathan Copp to take this race, with Carlos a little unfortunate having punctured just before the start and ending up riding on someone's borrowed "winter bike" rear wheel.

Paul Kimmage, Part 2: “It wouldn’t take much – just a bit of honesty”

If you're a rider, you've have had issues with 'les vitamines' and Paul Kimmage turns up at your press conference, best ask for a brandy to sip, forget that Vittel. Kimmage is the man who wrote 'The Rough Ride', an exposé of his experiences as a young 'green as grass' young pro and his flirtations with 'the needle.'

John Nicolson MP – Background to the Parliamentary Select Committee Hearing; “I found some of the answers unconvincing.”

If you watched the recent live stream of the Parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee hearing (part of the inquiry into "Combatting Doping in Sport") you'll know the bulk of the session focused on the key question "what was in the jiffy bag?" which was transported from the UK by Simon Cope, handed to Dr. Richard Freeman at the end of the Critérium du Dauphiné, for use by Sir Bradley Wiggins. Committee member John Nicolson (Member of Parliament for East Dunbartonshire and the SNP spokesperson on Culture, Media and Sport) demonstrated an amazing ability to ask logical, 'boiled-down' questions which presented a narrow set of options as answers.

Ruaraidh McLeod – First Win in Belgium

It’s been a month or two since we last spoke, and it’s nearly time for Ruaraidh McLeod to head home to land of the long white cloud - but we thought we’d best say ‘congratulations’ on his first win (and see if he’s crossed paths with those Scotsmen that are also over there in Belgium).