Two weeks to go through the whole range of possible emotions, to to go from the extreme disappointment of an early withdrawal to Tour of Italy without even having the chance to really "taste" it until to the conquest of Veenendaal Classic, a race for sprinters. Matteo Moschetti knows well that these two weeks have played a significant role in the evolution of not only his season, bringing back his smile when he almost gave up hope.
The journey begins with that cursed day in Bulgaria, that first stage that cost the Giro to more than one rider due to a truly difficult fall to digest: «The pink race was my goal – he says – for which I had worked so hard. Clearly, After all the preparation I had done, going home on the first day was not exactly easy, especially on a mental level.It was necessary to digest the pain, which was more psychological than physical. Once I received the OK to return to training from the team doctor, we tried to find alternative objectives and the Dutch match was the first opportunity, so getting the win was really nice."
Was there really no way to continue the pink race?
The fall was quite violent, I honestly didn't have any serious injuries or problems, but having hit my head and broken my helmet, The team doctor, in agreement with the entire medical team, decided that the result of my concussion test was not good enough. and so they opted for withdrawal. The disappointment was great, but when they explain to you that continuing would have been dangerous both for me and for the rest of the group because my reflexes and lucidity weren't at their best, you accept.
By the way, you were also in pretty good shape, considering that just 5 days earlier you had finished third in Belgium…
Yes, I had worked hard and the fruits were coming. We had even given up on certain races between March and April in order to be able to have a training camp at altitude. I had arrived in really good condition, that podium had given me the answers I was looking for.
What happened between your retirement from the Giro d'Italia and the Dutch Classic? When were you able to start training again?
"I took a week off," Moschetti says, "and then, still under the supervision of the team doctor, we gradually started back up. With a couple of roller sessions, and under constant monitoring, I started going out on the road. Veenendaal was the first available race, so I started from there, somewhat at the last minute. From the moment I started going out on the road again, clearly like any other cyclist I thought about setting myself goals, motivationsGetting back into competition as soon as possible was important to me, because I knew that even though I had to stop, my condition was still good.
How was the Veenendaal race?
It was fairly typical in its development, with several teams interested in finishing in a sprint. We controlled the race because the sprint was our goal, but it's never easy. In Holland the route was very technical, narrow roads, lots of curves, relaunches, so we also went quite fast all day.. Then it was also the first day where it was really hot. In the final, we did a great job as a team, setting up the last 5 or 6 kilometers. The goal was to enter the last corner first and second, Parisians he was really good at launching me at my best in the final stages and so certainly a lot of the credit for this result goes to him and all his teammates.
The Veenendaal one is a classic with a certain prestige…
It's a race I've competed in several times before, and it's still quite popular, both in the local community and among the public. The crowd there is very passionate and knowledgeable, and it's always a pleasure to win such a significant race. The next day, at the GP Criquielion that I had won last year, I arrived with my batteries a little flat., on the second day I perhaps paid a little for the forced stop and my legs didn't respond as they had 24 hours before.
What does redemption from misfortune taste like?
Sweet, also because I've been chasing this success for a long time and maybe it came at a time where maybe both I and the team We expected less. Now, the next goals are the Brussels Classic, on June 7th, which could be a similar occasion, and then, honestly, the calendar is still being built, given how things went.
Is there a chance it will be diverted to another grand tour?
I'm definitely not going to the Vuelta because the route is really demanding and tough. It will be difficult for the Tour, it wasn't expected, but maybe now there's a chanceThe team will make its assessments, but I don't think anything will be known before the end of June.
