Stefano Pioli had pledged to cycle up a mountain if Milan won the Scudetto and the coach maintained that promise.
The 56-year-old tactician had never won a single piece of silverware in his management career until clinching the Serie A title, which was also Milan’s first since the 2010-11 campaign.
He had promised some months ago that he would celebrate the victory by travelling by bike from his home town of Parma with childhood friends all the way to the Passo della Cisa, the area of the Appenine mountains separating Tuscany from Emilia.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the total length of the journey was 130km, as it included winding roads and climbs up to 1,000m.
To make matters worse, it was done in record heat, but Pioli assured “you have to suffer” for success.
It’s hardly the first time Italian coaches have made pledges – known as a ‘fioretto’ – and stuck to them after achieving their goals.
Current Salernitana coach Davide Nicola is the master of them, as he celebrated Crotone’s miracle of avoiding relegation by cycling from the town in Calabria to his home town of Turin.
This year, he promised to walk from Salerno to Rome in order to meet Pope Francis, but it’s not yet clear if or when he’s going to keep that pledge.
Pioli mantiene la promessa: tutti i “fioretti” del calcio#SkySport #Pioli #Milan https://t.co/NG958Y7G5G
— skysport (@SkySport) June 2, 2022