It's not easy to work towards a goal you know might not reach, even if you try your hardest. This is what happens to some of the athletes of Marco Villa, who are hoping to find a place in the team pursuit quartet in that Tokyo. Among the boys in the balance there is also Liam Bertazzo, A Venetian passistone, for years a pillar of the blue jerseys that race around the velodromes. One of the veterans of the group. Someone who has always breathed parquet and The track is now engraved in his DNA.
Liam, you're one of the pillars of this national team...
I have been part of this group for over ten years. The first world championship dates back to Moscow 2009 as a junior and… yes, we are a good team.
Are you aware that you risk not racing in Tokyo?
Yes, this is the price we pay now that we have reached great levels and achieved great results. We know what potential we have. For my part, I know that if I commit myself and give my all, I will have no regrets..
You speak in the plural. Villa has got you all thinking well, do you all feel involved?
I grew up with this group. I was there when we were doing 4'12” and Belarus with worse bikes than ours were ahead of us and we were getting the criticism. We've gotten where we are thanks to our closeness. Before being cyclists, we're friends.
How do you find motivation knowing you might not be there?
They're found among us too. When one improves, the other tries to do the same. It's the strength of a group. Together we grow: potential, high morale, victory... I know I might be left out, but it would mean the others are stronger and that's fine with the team. In the meantime, let's take it one day at a time. I've been through difficult times, I've had health problems, and this has helped me understand how lucky we are when we're healthy. As I said, if I've given it my all, I won't have any regrets. I feel part of the group, and we share a common goal. And then, in six months' time, a lot can happen.
What physical problems have you had?
I was coming from a rather traumatic 2019, a hernia in the back between the L5-S1 vertebraeI tried to hold on so as not to have surgery, but in the end I couldn't walk anymore. I had ozone therapy, infiltrations... things seemed to be going a little better. Then, however, last January, with the arrival of the cold, everything got worse. I was in pain, my legs were sore, I had lost muscle. The pain was unbearable, especially when starting. I couldn't go on. These days, sometimes training 100% isn't enough, let alone in those conditions. With the help of Fred Morini I found a neurosurgeon who operated on me. So I gradually recovered. I saw the boys at the World Championships doing what they did. That's why I had so much hope for the European Championships in Plovdiv, but Covid prevented me from going.
Is the arrival of Milan, the latest arrival in chronological order, an incentive or an additional obstacle?
It's almost a burden, because with someone like that you're forced to aim for the top two positions at the Olympics. He is very strong. We are complete in all roles. Milan so it's a little one Ganna and with two like them to stay in you have to be at 130%!
What is Bertazzo's role in the quartet?
I'm the second, the one who has to get the team on schedule, that is, at the pace of the pre-established schedule. Did we set 14.200 seconds per lap? I have to bring them to 14.200 seconds. At least that's how it was until last January... The first two are the ones who suffer the most from the start, they get air right away, the others have more time to "settle in."
We're talking about tenths. Do you now have the sensitivity to understand whether you're going fast or slow?
In short, we're very used to referring to the stopwatch. Yes, maybe for the first two kilometers you look at your times and try to pace yourself, but for the last 2.000 meters you don't look at anything anymore and you give it your all. Every race is different. At the 2016 Olympics, with a much more "improvised" quartet, we didn't think much. Before the start, we said to ourselves: we'll just give it our all.
Can you “speak” in those moments?
No, if anything you just hear a decrease, an increase.
How much have you changed in these ten years on the track?
If I have to be honest, I preferred Liam the kid who wasn't afraid of anything and who thought he could do anything, But I'm happy with who I've become. Now I know that the commitment isn't just in those two weeks before the race, but begins months and months before. I'm aware of the sacrifices needed to reach the goal. But I'm confident, even with the arrival of "Cuba"(Marezcko, ndr) in the team (the Zabù-Ktm Wines(Editor's note: we'll have the opportunity to race in a certain way on the road, setting up sprints. And this can also help.
