Twenty years have passed. And today, as then, the Parthenon stands in the background. Paul Bettini, first Italian gold medal in cycling in Athens in 2004, returns to pedal on the roads of the Gods, on the roads of that Olympic triumph that has gone down in history. Today with a gravel bike that takes him on a journey to an ancient land, then with a road bike that took him to the most beloved Olympus for those who live a sporting life. He had already won so much, he had already put classic after classic in his collection from Sanremo to Liege and would then put important jerseys, even rainbow ones. But an Olympic medal, remains an Olympic medal, even for an already established champion, because an Olympics is a story in itself and is an everlasting story that does not get confused from year to year, that stops time in a precise moment, in a place, in an image. And if the image is that of Athens, where everything began and where everything returns, then the emotion remains timeless. The one in Athens was an unforgettable Olympics with the golds of Ivan Brugnetti in the march, of Valentina Vezzali, Aldo Montano, Andrea Cassarà in fencing, of Andrea Benelli and his fantastic run after the victory in the clay pigeon shooting, with the magic flight at the high bar Igor Cassinawith the God of Marathon Stephen Baldini alone in the Panatinaikò stadium. And it was Paolo Bettini’s Olympics, the first Italian gold in cycling. Twenty years have passed, it seems like yesterday. It is August 14th when, guided by the wise direction of Frank Ballerini, the cricket, Daniele Nardello, Luca Paolini, Filippo Pozzato and Cristian Moreni they start pedaling, perhaps not knowing that they are about to write a piece of history. They make no mistakes. They keep a very hot race sewn up and on the climb of Licabetto, twenty kilometers from the end, the Italian captain makes the decisive push that splits the group. He creates a void and takes the Portuguese with him Sergio Paulinhothe only opponent capable of holding his own. Everyone is wondering who this Portuguese rider who appeared out of nowhere is, if he is strong in a sprint, if he can keep up with the Italian, if he can beat him. But there is no time for so many questions. The two of them are playing it out and the sprint starts almost out of nowhere but a few meters are enough to realize that there will be no contest. After more than 200 kilometers and five hours of racing, Bettini accelerates, flies away and takes a glory that will always be. The end. Or rather, no. Because twenty years later he is back there, in Athens. Time has passed, the bike has changed but not Grillo who left a few days ago from Thessaloniki for a gravel adventure that will take him, in eleven days, to pedal far and wide in the Peloponnese passing through Katerini, a town in central Macedonia, through Dion where the first and very ancient evidence of what would be the first sports games were found around the temple of Zeus where armies gathered before fighting. Kilometers and kilometers with a white finish line set obviously in Athens. “Here I will climb Mount Olympus,” he said before leaving. “It is about forty kilometers that I will travel alone, an intimate moment for myself. This ride has a very deep meaning, in many ways. It is right to start in the most appropriate way, living the first kilometers on my bike, reflecting on that legendary day and everything that came after. It will be a mix of gratitude and celebration, something special that I am preparing to live intensely.”