Aleotti has just returned from California, also from Specialized wind tunnel. The Explore he warned him during the end-of-season retreat in Austria, when Gert Kodanic, the technical manager for the development of materials, confirmed to him the possibility of working on the position of the time trialGiovanni was aware of the need, so it didn't take long to find an agreement and a date.
"It was the first time in the wind tunnel and in America – he smiles – I really liked it. I had taken three weeks of vacation after the Lombardy. Then I started again, but after a few days we flew to the US…».
The first year as a professional was very long, with 69 days of racing all… true or almostStarting from spring, in which the Emilian debutant he lined up Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of the Basque Country before the Giro d'Italia.
What year was it?
Long is the right word. I was away from home for many days and I had a lot of funI like training camps. The winter ones when you go cycling in the heat, and the summer ones, where if I stayed home alone, I wouldn't train well.
It's beautiful when every day is a discovery...
And in fact I discovered a lot. Cycling Team Friuli it's a smaller environment and it's right that it is this wayHere I am dealing with a very large realityJust think of this trip to America, to the attention to detail, to the fact that nothing is overlooked.
What did you discover in California?
It's been a long time coming, 4-5 hours of workWith me were Kodanic, the team's chief mechanic and osteopath. We started from the 2021 position as a reference, then we started with various adjustments, until we found the final position.
Based on what?
First on my feelings and then on the numbers for small variationsWhen we realized that the adjustments were no longer providing benefits, we stopped. I'm very satisfied, because I'm comfortable and can see well in front, without having to force your neck.
Did you also manage to be a tourist?
Very little. We stayed four days, two of which were in the wind tunnelOnly on the last evening we drove to San Francisco. We saw the Golden Gate (opening photo, ed.), Alcatraz and took a tour downtown. Little, but beautiful all the same.
What does it mean that Bora-Hansgrohe chose you to go into the wind tunnel?
They believe in it and I'm happy about that. For me it's an extra incentiveI understood that time trials are very important and it's nice that the team wanted to invest in them.
Were there any days in 2021 when you felt really strong?
Two occasions, aside from Sibiu, where I won. The first was at the Tour of Poland, in the second stage, when I finished eighth (Premysil finish line, ed.). At the end there was a 2 kilometre sprint at 15 percent, the classic full-throttle finale that I like so much.Then I liked myself at the end of the season at the Primus Classic in Belgium. All the guys preparing for the World Championships were there, and I found myself up there with Van der Poel, Nizzolo, and Alaphilippe.
It is said that after a grand Tour the engine capacity increases.
After the Giro I improved, but above all because of a mental step. I have more awareness, I like how I was managed. I felt benefits immediately after, in July, between Sardinia, San Sebastian and Poland, but comrades say we'll see more of him this year...
In the meantime Sagan left and only climbers arrived.
Sagan is impossible to replaceWith him, the group with which I bonded so much has gone, with Oss and also Bodnar. Next year we will be more oriented towards the Giro, but While I was around I stole a lot from Peter. We raced the Tirreno and the Giro together, I watched him.
Destination reached, testing can begin The large "S" on the walls leaves no room for doubt. On Alcatraz Island, the infamous escape-proof prison The Bay Bridge in the background, Aleotti takes a stroll through San Francisco at night. The typical streets of the Californian city, nestled on a series of hills
Destination reached, testing can begin The large "S" on the walls leaves no room for doubt. On Alcatraz Island, the infamous escape-proof prison The Bay Bridge in the background, Aleotti takes a stroll through San Francisco at night. The typical streets of the Californian city, nestled on a series of hills
And what did you see?
Mostly how he managed the off-course, to understand that for someone like him the race is really the leastIn a group instead I admired his coolness, his ability to be a true captainIt comes naturally to him, you can see that he doesn't look for it, because he has it inside him and this makes everyone follow him. In the stage of the Giro that he won, we all gave 200 percent.
When will it happen to you?
It takes patience (smiles, ed.) and I don't know if I'll ever get there. In this first year, I hadn't set any goals for myself, other than growing. Certain roles don't have to be sought out; if they're there, they just come naturally. So now we're working. The first week of December we'll be going to Germany for tests and fitness checks. Then at the end of the year I've already booked with Matteo Fabbro and we'll be going to Gran Canaria until January 10-12, when we'll join the team in Mallorca. I'm fine, we're off again. The holidays are over.
