For Marco Villa holidays are like the flutter of a butterfly's wings. Just enough time to catch your breath with family over panettone and/or pandoro and then back on the track (literally...) because from Monday to Thursday a new pre-season meeting is scheduled in Nove Mesto, Slovenia. The first, between November and December, was made in the Canary Islands and between Ganna e Lamon, Bertazzo e Moro there was also room for a couple of girls (Martina Pregnancy and Martina Alzini). It was the Olympic coach's first approach to the dual role of being responsible for both genders.
His work is just beginning and so he admits he still has little to say on a factual level: «We only had two girls, the first thing that emerges is that clearly we need to dose the work differently: We worked on the road, so the routes changed, and the gear ratios to use also changed.I also had some U23s work with them, because there were more similarities, for the pros the program was more specific and demanding, too much for what the athletes needed».
These opportunities were useful as a first approach to the female world: what differences did you notice?
It's a movement I still know little about, you have to take measurements, as I said, many things change, from the ratios to the number of repetitions. We need to find the right measures and this happens over time, even if on closer inspection it is not that long considering that Paris is still two and a half years away..
How are you feeling about this new role?
I'm definitely very curious because it's a new world. It's an extra incentive to work with the girls, without forgetting the concentration needed to follow the group I created and which still has a lot to give.I inherited a truly high-quality group, one that has achieved great results and which ultimately only lacks the Olympic seal, which is the goal we set ourselves. I am convinced that men will also benefit from this communion, sharing similar yet different experiences.
In this regard, for years now, the women's quartet has been rumored to be targeting Paris 2024, which will then reach its peak, given the girls' ages. Don't you think this constant attention could become a burden?
The same thing happened with men and the results came. The girls' group is made up of athletes who have already won at a very young age, facing major events without expectations and achieving prestigious results.It was perhaps easier that way. Now we need to build on those results, work toward a distant goal, planning to reach that peak at the right time. To do this, we need a strong but large group, capable of tackling the difficult qualification process, knowing that in the end, only five will be able to go to the Games.
You have all the girls who are part of the WorldTour, who will face the season almost entirely on the road: is this a disadvantage in scheduling the work?
This is nothing new to me: with Ganna, Viviani, Consonni, Milan I had practically 4 elements out of 5 present in Tokyo who came from the WorldTour, and yet we worked well, planning to pursue both road and track activities. Ganna even competed in both disciplines at the Games and almost won two titles. Much will depend on the women.
To what extent?
As seen in the men's field, it is essential that the girls are the first to strongly want this project, involving agents, trainers and their teams. I can also talk to the various teams and I will do so, but they will be the first ones who will have to expose themselves, in order to be at their best at the Games.
But something changes: you have girls who could all look to Paris 2024 even in terms of road…
And I sincerely hope so, that is, I hope that the path that will be chosen is right for them. I am in favour of combining the two specialities and also the ambitions, but in fact I go further, because there will also be the time trial and I don't see why we can't think of three quality participations for some of them..
In these first approaches to the new role, have you already had the opportunity to get to know them and discuss these issues?
They are not strangers to me, we have shared many retreats even before even if I was focused on men. I have already had the opportunity to explain my projects to them and made it clear that we must proceed through continuous dialogue., knowing that the path can constantly change due to a thousand variables, from calendars to health and many other things.
Let's try to broaden the discussion beyond the top: do you expect this shared work, this convergence, to also apply to the U23s, juniors, and even the lower categories?
For the U23s definitely, because they are under my control. With Salvoldi We know each other well, and I hope we can maintain a constant dialogue. It would be crucial to bring into the group youngsters whose characteristics I already know: for example, by doing so, I was able to bring Manlio Moro from U23 to the World Championships, as a member of the quartet and third in the individual pursuit where he did very well. A lack of discussion would risk wasting precious time for the kids first and foremost, which is why we coaches must work together, always.
