It ends up that on the day when everyone was waiting for Van der Poel and Van Aert, the most beautiful memory of the Leivin's World Championships has the cheerful, moved and even amused look of Mattia Agostinacchio, junior cyclocross world champion, already European champion. And if the big boys' race confirmed a script so predictable that it wasn't particularly exciting (for non-Dutch and non-Van der Poel fans), The Italian's pursuit of the world title was a daring one, as befits such a feat..
"I even started well," Agostinacchio says with a smile, "I'd say second place. But then all sorts of things happened to me, even though I knew, having seen the course, that I couldn't make the slightest mistake. I broke a shoe. The tip of my saddle fell off. I had two flats. But I never gave up. And when I saw that at the start of the last lap I was 10-15 seconds behind the Frenchman, I said to myself: now or never."
Pontoni's words
This is the story of a day that Agostinacchio will find hard to forget, coming after the disappointment of the World Cup that vanished at the last minute. But Pontoni had seen it right, predicting that that anger would be fuel to the fire for Lievin's day.
«I have a very good relationship with Daniele – continues Agostinacchio – and It happened more than once that he reminded me of my values, even when I was the first to forget themI was very disappointed about the Cup, but deep down I knew my form was still good. It took a day to chase away the disappointment, then I swept everything away and put my mind on the world championship."
The last lap at full speed
Too bad for the unpleasant surprise when, arriving in this corner of France on the border with Belgium, he realised that he didn't like the route designed by the French at all and he liked mud even less.
«The first laps we did on it – smiles Agostinacchio – didn't give me very good sensations, because I really don't like mudBut that's what it was, and we faced it, with the technical choices we'd made the day before and without changing anything for race day. If you change things on the day of the World Championship, you risk causing disaster. When we got to the last lap and I decided to attack the Frenchman, I didn't think about any particular point.. We had to make a difference on every meter. Therefore, when I took it and then took it off, I never looked back until the endI like the French, even those I fight with. In fact, I think I have good relationships with everyone..."
Beyond suffering
It was the most competitive race, much more so than the elite one. Coach Pontoni agrees and draws conclusions, saying he was satisfied and rubbing his hands together the tomorrow that awaits us and also for the day after tomorrow. We mention Mattia's words to him about his role as a fine psychologist..
«Sometimes Mattia – says Pontoni – He needs psychological support more than anything else. He has legs and technique to spare. Except that, like great champions, he's scared and afraid of being judged from outside. He needs to be encouraged, even if there weren't many things you could say to him today. I knew we had to believe in it all the way, because he had made the same comeback in Zonhoven.He's not even 18 yet, but he has a rare quality. When he gets to the limit, he manages to cross it for the seconds necessary to make the differenceToday, at the start of the final lap, he saw the bottom of the barrel, he was already in the dark, but he managed to get through, opening a door for himself. Apart from him, everyone else did well. Grigolini, but also Piece of Brown who without the fall would have ended up in the top five, like Georgia Pelizotti which was worthy of a medal. Great race also by Viezzi, which really impressed me in my first year and the Team Relay was beautiful, a specialty that I really like. I leave satisfied, grateful to my staff, the performance team and the presence of the President Dagnoni and by Roberto AmadioWe were happy to have them with us and they were an additional incentive."
The Keys to Success
When he crossed the finish line and even now that we are talking to each other, the feeling is that Mattia Agostinacchio, 17-year-old from Aosta, he didn't realize what he had done. Despite having already won the European Championship and having almost brought home the World Cup, the world championship is such a high goal that it makes your legs tremble.
«If three months ago someone had told me where I would end up – he admits with a smile – I wouldn't have believed it. I think that the key was athletic maturation and training, but from here to thinking that I would have won the world championship, there is a long step. This is why I struggle to say what I was thinking when I crossed the finish line and I don't even remember who the first person I saw was. The whole staff was there. Then I remember saying goodbye to my father, who was here in Lievin, I called my mother and my brother who couldn't comeI called my agent. I was emotional on the podium, but there's a photo of me with my hand over my eyes, laughing, not crying. But now we're going home. I'll spend the whole of tomorrow sleeping in bed.Then I'll rest and only then will I think about the road season with Trevigliese. One thing at a time, though. Today I won the cyclocross world championship."
