The Junior Cyclocross World Championships will remain in Italy. In 2024, Stefano Viezzi, today Mattia AugustineThe Friulian had put the World Cup on it, Mattia had to swallow the defeat in the challenge on the last day, but at home he still keeps the continental champion's jersey, a double that testifies to his superiority also because the two routes, in Pontevedra and Lievin, were profoundly different from each other, in terms of characteristics and track conditions.
The comparison between the two comes naturally. Rivals will return next year and Punctual already looking forward to a fantastic couple to line up at the tables that matter, competing on equal terms with those schools, Belgium and Holland, less distant today than they seemed when he took over as city manager. However, we are talking about two very different riders, and pitting them against each other is a game that comes naturally and will also fill the weeks and months between now and the resumption of hostilities, especially since the road season now awaits them.
Paolo Mei, a TV commentator for Rai, has seen them up close throughout the year and knows their similarities and differences: «Among the former, there is first of all their innate class, the one that permeates only a select few and it is sensational that they were both born in Italy, in such a short space of time. On a smaller scale, we review what is now customary for Belgians and Dutch people.What strikes me is their movements, those of seasoned cyclo-cross riders, the same ones you see from the greats of the World Cup."
Like them, do you see them as well-disposed for the street too?
Certainly, they have a great underlying elegance in their movements. In his latest outings, Viezzi seemed to me to be a real road professional, one of those that you can easily see emerging even in the Northern classics, between Flanders and Roubaix.. From a distance it reminds me a lot of Van der Poel and I understand how those of the Fenix wanted to bring him into their ranks. His technique and physique define him as a true pacer.
And Agostinacchio?
Mattia, who is also from the Aosta Valley like me, is another one who can do very well in the classics, but he has different characteristics, he is more responsive. What strikes me about him is his professionalism,'attention to even the smallest things, his ability to read the race. He has a way of moving on the path that excites me, his final comeback in Lievin is something that will remain in the annals, especially on a course that was not suited to himHe is a very modern rider.
How much did your brother influence your evolution?
A lot, it was a shame not to see him in action in Lievin. There is a beautiful relationship between the two and having seen Filippo living his experiences shortly before was a great help. Mattia thus got used to the life of a rider earlier, we can say that he has been living it for years even though he is not yet of age.
Differences?
First of all, the obvious physical ones. Viezzi is taller, Agostinacchio is lighter and this also translates into two different race settings. Stefano is very reminiscent of Dutch cyclists, while Mattia is perhaps even more evolving, in the sense that it remains to be seen how he'll progress, what he'll become. This makes him particularly good at relaunching out of corners, where he really makes the difference over the others. Viezzi, on his part, has the ability to maintain high speeds for longer. In Lievin, he paid the price for bad luck with a few slips and a lack of experience compared to those at the bottom of his category., but his fourth place has enormous value.
Viezzi has chosen to move abroad, while Agostinacchio hasn't, or at least not yet. Will this impact their development?
A delicate matter. Let's start by saying that Stefano made the right choice. If Fenix has decided to invest in him it means they believe in him and the results already prove them right. It wasn't so obvious that at 18 years old Stefano would already be able to make a top 20 finish in the World Cup. He's getting ready for a big club and I think he'll do well on the road too.. Then being close to Pontoni was very useful to him, mentally it taught him a lot about how to approach competitions.
And Mattia?
I believe that the choice to stay at Guerciotti it's not wrong. It is the most advanced team in Italy, it does a lot of activity abroad, it provides everything a cyclocross rider needs.Let's not forget that in its ranks people like Kluge (for me stylistically the best cyclocross rider ever) and Djernis, not the latest arrivals, and both also worked two jobs when this wasn't the norm as it is today. Pontoni himself built his great successes there. Mattia is in the right team to grow, then a lot will depend on how his career evolves, even on the road.
Speaking of multi-discipline, the two Italians also combine cyclocross with road racing, whereas in the past they focused primarily on off-road. Is this a natural and obvious evolution in your opinion?
I think so. Now you're into mountain biking or you're... pidcock or you don't live there, you don't have the economic possibilities that the street offers you, in fact even high-level bikers are converting. However, there is much more money in cyclocross than in mountain biking because in Northern Europe they have built a real circus around it., with professional teams that earn a lot and can pay. The same brothers Piece of Brown They decided to go against family tradition and Kevin often admitted that he stayed in mountain biking longer than he should have.
We'll see Agostinacchio on the road now, and he'll clearly have all eyes on him...
He'll do well there too, I'm sure of it and in fact I can't wait, because seeing him in the race is a real pleasure for the eyes. He's a predestined one, just like Viezzi.
