Few teams like the Deceuninck-Quick Step I'm able to support a sprinter well. This is what all those who have left it for life and money reasons or would like to be part of it say. He said it. Mareczko at the VueltaCavendish, who recently spoke again with Lefevere, repeats it over and over again. Viviani has probably been thinking about it for a few months now.The beauty is that whatever sprinter you put in, he wins. But if he leaves, at least initially, he won't win anymore. Why? What is it that's so exclusive that they've carved out such a clear divide? We asked Davide Bramati, who will reach Altea next week with his flagship, for the team's first meeting.
"We're among the few," he says, "who will do so. The usual hotel is closed until February, so we've taken the one Astana usually stays in. It's necessary, with all the necessary precautions. Those who stopped after the Giro and after De Panne have been out of action for over a month. That's why we've been talking to all the riders over the past few days, one every half hour. We train like this for 11 days. We'll do everything we need to do at the start of the season. And when the next training camp is in January, we won't have any formalities to complete and we can start working right away."
And now the train, the sprinters, the victories…
It's our mentality. When Tom Steels joined the staff many years ago, bringing his experience as a sprinter, our motivation also increased. We've worked on it and continue to do so. It's not just the sprinter, it's mostly what's around himMorkov, for example, is one of the best in his role, but we also had Renshaw, Richeze, and Sabatini who over the years supported champions like Cavendish, Kittel, Gaviria, and Viviani.
Does it all depend on the last man?
Of course not. Everyone makes themselves available. If there's a need to stay ahead and pull, Alaphilippe and Remco also do their partIn any race we have a sprinter, if we lose we want to win on the line. We make mistakes, we do well, but we're definitely in the running. And Morkov is now a champion, as important as the sprinter who winsIn the world at his level there are only Richeze and Guarnieri, maybe two more, but no more.
Bramati, tell us, how do you indulge the sprinter?
We need to create the group. When we make plans, we also predict who will be second to last. In retreat we do a thousand testsThere's the day we leave and start simulating the last 5 kilometers of the race, predicting curves, roundabouts and all the situations. Then we place the skittles to indicate the distance from the finish line and we run simulations. We swap roles and we look for the best solution.
And whoever leaves no longer wins...
It's not a situation you can create right away. The company that has made the greatest progress in the last two years is the GroupamaThey've grown so much. At the Giro they came with 5 men for Demare and it showed.They also won the Matera stage without a break, but in the end they were all there. With just one man, who maybe starts to get windy in the last 5 kilometers, you can't do much. the winning sprinter has become as important as the general classification manAnd since not everyone can win the Giro or the Tour, perhaps sometimes it's better to focus on the sprints.
Also because, dear Bramati, managing endings requires fresh forces.
It's not easy to take the lead. The five or six sprinters want to compete and put the team ahead. Getting them to 200 meters is a feat. For this It is also important to study the endingsLook at curves and roundabouts. Understand that if they can start from behind you, it's better. put a man behind the sprinter. You now have to be 110 percent in everything you do.
Is this why Viviani no longer wins?
I think it's been a particular year, also because of Covid he never had his men with himHe won a lot with us and I believe, as an Italian, that it was the one who took best advantage of the trainWe won with many champions, but Elijah Morkov's wheel was infallibleHe was following the train, he just had to sprint. I advised him to form a group of five men who would follow him everywhere. If you take someone like that, you have to go along with it.And I think he can return to his level. We couldn't keep him, wanting to focus on Remco and Julian. The offer he received was too high. Of course, staying would have allowed him to arrive at the Olympics with other certainties, but I'm sure he will come back as a winner as ever.
Bramati, you have Bennett on the ball and Jakobsen to recover.
Bennett joined us in 2020 and, despite Covid and the messed up calendar, he won two stages at the Tour and one at the VueltaFabio has a longer road ahead of him. He will come to the retreat and train aloneI was in Belgium at the end of September. First I had lunch with him and then I went to Evenepoel's houseThey were my two boys for the Giro, it seemed right to let them feel my presence.
Another detail worth noting: Among the factors that make a team successful are sporting directors like Davide Bramati.
