An extraordinary man. A shepherd, a champion Sardinian cyclist on both track and road, a poet, a dialect improviser, an actor, and a writer. Cosimo Lai died yesterday afternoon at the age of 90, with news quickly spreading in his hometown of Sinnai, sparking deep mourning. He was certainly a man of character. He never attended school, learned to read at age twenty, and later became an avid reader of the Unione Sarda and the Gazzetta dello Sport.
With a thick, white beard, until a few months ago he could be seen every day in the square, talking about current events but, if prompted, also recounting his past as a great cyclist, often without even the support of a team or management team.
In short, he often won alone, doing everything by himself, especially when he achieved the biggest goals.
He nevertheless wore the jerseys of Gialeto, Audax, Vadilonga, Jungfrau, and Achille Lauro, all prestigious teams at the time. At ninety, he died, taking with him the Sardinian record for the 20 kilometers on the Carbonia track.
In short, as a young man, he was a cycling champion. He combined his passion for cycling with his work as a shepherd. He won a lot in the 1950s and 1960s, earning major headlines even in the "Informatore sportivo" of "L'Unione Sarda." All stamina, with extraordinary physical strength, in 1961 he became Sardinian road cycling champion, crushing his opponents after a journey the day before from Sinnai by bike to the start in Ozieri. Those were the days of great Sardinian champions like Cherchi, Fontana, Marica, Garau, Murgia, Aru, Ulleri, Marini, Desogus, and Manca. And of top-class professionals like Gastone Nencini, Ercole Baldini, Charly Gaul, and Aldo Moser, among others. His exploits even appeared in a book in limba, edited by Amos Cardia.
Lai died surrounded by the love of his loved ones. So many people, both from Sinnai and elsewhere, are paying their respects on social media with loving words. A truly timeless character, sincere, forthright, and a friend to all. He also improvised Campidano dialect songs and made short films and several commercials, featuring his thick beard and juniper cane, which aided him on his countless walks in his native Sinnai and beyond.
