Glasgow, mission accomplished. Villa draws a balance sheet.

The opening leg of the Track World Cup in Glasgow was a special event. First and foremost, its timing, overlapping with the Ardennes Classics, presented many athletes with a difficult choice as they sought to carve out time and freedom from the obligations imposed by their various teams. Then for the UCI regulations, which require a presence in the cup (there will be only two more stages, in Milton and Cali) to be eligible for the world championships and therefore to earn important points for Olympic qualification..

The city Marco Villa (in the opening photo between Balsamo and Guazzini, second in the madison, photos @arne_mill/FCI) he was thus forced to make real somersaults in the composition of the Italian team, recalling to the national team all the best (those who were left out, like Milan e Paternoster, it was only for health problems) but without being able to "assemble" them as usual, and therefore without having been able to do the necessary specific training work close to the event which is crucial at these levelsSo, while at first glance the Olympic quartet's fourth-place finish may seem disappointing, digging deeper reveals that there are specific reasons.

5 podiums, a good start

Villa, about to return to Italy, explains the Italian record (a gold with Viviani in "his" elimination, silver for the two Madison teams and The evening in the 500 meters from a standing start, bronze for the women's quartet) with the usual sincerity, without hiding behind extenuating circumstances: «The problems I had were the same as those of everyone else, I have to get used to this situation because it is clear that boys and girls have the street as their primary activity.We have, however, set up a system that allows them to carry out track work at least once a week, and this serves to keep a tight rein and to do checks. It's clear that those details that make the difference can then be missing."

The Italian quartet had been the best in qualifying, with Ganna among them, then what happened?

This is exactly what I was referring to about the details. The quartet is made of synchronicity that must work perfectly: Lamon called Scartezzini to substitute, but he didn't hear him, so the quartet fell apart and a similar thing happened in the final. I won't deny that I was a little disappointed, because I know the value of these guys and I know they care about doing well every time they step onto the track, but these experiences are part of the game.

Regarding the girls' performance, the feeling is that the top is now even closer...

I am continuing the work that Salvoldi set up with them. I told them that it's up to them to believe in it, if they do, in two and a half years they will be at the level of the best.With Great Britain in the semi-final they were ahead until almost the end, they lost by 60 thousandths because the agree, who was the one who had worked the least on the track, gave up, but I look at that defeat as a positive fact, Now we have to work to transform those 60 thousandths from a disadvantage to an advantage over our opponents.

Overall, how do you rate the Azzurri's trip?

It was positive, and should be viewed with satisfaction, considering the difficulties encountered and the limited time to develop the mechanisms that make a difference at this level. I reiterate, however, that we all had our share of problems: France had the best here, with Thomas fresh from his triumph in Besseges and the quartets continuing to grow with the home Olympics in mind. Great Britain also had the best players; just look at Archibald, who was injured in the omnium and was promptly and adequately replaced in the madison. This is why the Italian results are largely positive.

How do you plan to proceed with the next stages?

I plan to bring many Under 23s to Milton, especially for the quartet, so that they can gain experience., precisely because I want to leave the door open to new additions also in view of Paris 2024, so there is a need for them to compete at the highest levels. Among the women there will certainly be the Balsamo and Consonni: speaking of Elisa I must say that her dedication does her credit: during the classics she went up and down with Belgium just to carry out work on the track and the results were visible, both in the quartet and above all in the madison with the GuazziniI also hope to recover the Paternoster who was missing in Glasgow because she had a fever, we are waiting for the tests to understand how she is, as well as I would like to bring the Pregnancy recovering after the bad accident.

And in Cali?

In Colombia there will be a smaller expedition in numbers, It is likely that especially in the women's category there will be few girls due to the concomitance with the Giro d'Italia, perhaps we will give up the quartet. That's why it was important to be in Glasgow at our best.

Meanwhile, Holland restarts without Wild

Overall, the Glasgow stage confirmed the feeling that emerged after Tokyo, that is, the emergence of new forces ready to shake up the hierarchies. In the men's quartet, France is now a serious candidate for the world top, led by thatErmenault son of an artist who had impressed in the individual pursuit at the World Championships in Roubaix. Among the women, the French are clearly improving while also Holland is starting to take an interest in the specialty, as part of a reconstruction effort following the departure of its historic guide Kirsten WildThere will be a lot of work to do, but we're here.