A melancholic post on Instagram, With whom Francesca Selva wanted to take stock of her participation in the Track Champions LeagueExpectations were high, and ambition certainly didn't stop at the knowledge that preparation had been hastily put together in recent weeks. And so the pride of being part of it was overlaid with a veil of mistrust, born more than anything from psychological pressure.So to keep it light-hearted, to make her smile and while waiting to follow her in person on the last two evenings in London, we added Francesca to the house, a couple of days before the last suitcase.
So, what was that post?
I like to write, to analyze. It was like taking stock, letting off steam.I'm struggling, and I've also had a bit of bad luck. On the first stage, I got a flat tire and was fine. On the second stage, I had a bad day. I felt sick, I couldn't even get out of bed. Last week I was feeling pretty good overall, no problems at all. But I made a series of wrong moves in the group, I was often in the wrong position. And so, due to these technical errors, even if I was fine the result that can be perceived from the outside does not express how I feelI have a bitter taste in my mouth, I'm sorry because I would like to be able to collect everything I can. Clearly it's not easy and I'm probably paying for the fact that I've never competed at such a high levelI have never participated in the European or World Championships. So managing the size of the event weighs on me.
You got there even without much preparation, right?
Exactly, in fact initially I was already happy to be there. When I finally got there, I discovered that it wasn't enough for me anymore. That's the gist of it.
You haven't played in the World Cup, but you've been to the Nations Cup twice, so you've seen some high-level football. What are the differences?
It's the size of the event, even if I'm not an athlete who gets nervous before competitions. In the Nations Cup you race with the blue jersey and that puts a bit of weight on your shoulders. The first time I ran with Matilde Vitillo and we knew that it was impossible to run for a medal anyway, so we tried to do our best. She's young, she needed to gain experience, and I needed to bring some of my own to Madison. So it was more of a growth spurt for her, and I experienced it calmly, without pressure. Last year in Cali I was running with Letizia Paternoster, so I was a little more nervous, because I knew I was the weakest pawn of the pair. And I would have had to sweat blood to win the medal we eventually got. But the level was objectively much lower, there's no comparison.
Is the Champions League that tight?
I have never run races of this magnitude. The level of the athletes is high and the races are very fastYou go fast, you go so fast. It's another world, a completely different way of racing. And then with the fact that it's a television format, everyone wants to be seen and tries to give their best. So it turns out to be some really close races. Even in the points race we have in the afternoon, which is absolutely pointless, they fight as if it were truly the world championship.
Why do you think so?
You can really feel the magnitude of the event. At a World Championship, you know you're playing for the rainbow jersey, but here it's different. The atmosphere on the track makes you feel like you're at the center of something huge.. You have all eyes on you and you tell yourself that you mustn't make a bad impression, because the world is watching.
Can we say that you started at university, without going to kindergarten?
Let's say yes. Experience-wise, I'm still a kid. I joined the national team at 23, which is quite unusual.So clearly, I'm still lacking something in terms of emotional management. Plus, everything is very hectic. You arrive the day before. You assemble your bikes. You run. You disassemble your bikes. You leave again. You go home and do everything yourself.It doesn't particularly bother me, because I'm used to traveling like this during the year. But clearly when you're at that level, with the English team maybe playing with 12 players and having the national team staff with them, the differences are noticeable. Let's be clear, I don't think it can make a difference to me, except for a couple of positionsWe're not saying I could win.
Do we consider this a starting point?
Before leaving I was happy to be there, while now I actually… I struggle with my being a competitive personSo it's not enough for me to simply participate. I want to play my part, but honestly, I couldn't expect much from myself. When you're there, you always want more. I also wrote that it is a starting point, but my nutritionist replied that she doesn't really agree.In her opinion, it's not a starting point, in the sense that I got here through a very hard and difficult path and I faced it alone. So in her opinion, It's a great achievement I've achieved.
And what do you think?
For me it is the way to realize how much more work I have to do, how much I want to work to get there, not just to be there. I hope to be able to train with the national team again this winter. I spoke with Marco Villa and Diego Bragato, who are making plans, and I asked if I could work with them. I'm not ready to play for a victory at this level yet, but I want to get there.. And I'll do whatever it takes.
The final round of this Champions League season remains. What spirit will you have in London?
I want to try to come up with something more, the only thing I ask myself is not to think about it. At this point I have nothing to lose, so it's better to be last and have tried, rather than stay in the rearguard all the time.. London I'll try to live it a little more peacefully, without thinking about where I am and what I'm doing. I'll take it as a normal race and handle it as I usually do.Ultimately, I have to be happy to be there and try to make the best of it, so I'll just try to enjoy it. The fact that Miriam Vece is with me is a blessing and helps meLast week I had a sprint that really excited me and when I got to the elimination, even though I was feeling bad, I wanted to take the world by storm. In short, There are only two of us and it's always nice to have a teammate who understands you a little.We're having a lot of fun, beyond the racing aspect.
