What if Cataldo was the right director for Ciccone?

«I'm going with another Abruzzese – smiles Dario Cataldo – I'd say it's a natural transition. Giulio and I have been chasing each other for years.I suggested catching him before he passed, but few people in the group can trust the riders' experience. Then I reported him when he was at Bardiani, but still nothing. Now it has materialized and it is as if the circle has closed.».

Dario Cataldo, born in Abruzzo in 1985, speaks thus of Giulio Ciccone, also from Abruzzo, but born in 1994. In those nine years there is the world, including the fact that one of Ciccone's first sporting directors was Michele Cataldo, Dario's fatherIt is a story of stories that intertwine and that ultimately Trek-Segafredo will see starting next year the two will wear the same shirt, as never happened before.

Yet it was not an easy transition, because at a certain point in history Dario's name was among those looking for a team And despite his agent Manuel Quinziato working tirelessly, the fateful signature had to wait until November. So much for the future.

Something good

We had some spoken in September, in the days of the Vuelta for which he had not been called up, thus having the first inkling that Movistar would not confirm himWe talked about the teams' attitude towards signing youngsters, almost… drugged by the anxiety of finding the new Evenepoel by stealing him from someone else.

«I was aware that it wasn't a good situation – he says – because You arrive in October and you still haven't closed... But I was confident that I had sown well and I was wondering why nothing good would come out of it.We had been talking to Trek-Segafredo since June, but I only signed a couple of days ago. However, it remains that This situation of young people is changing the direction of the teams».

It's also hard to imagine how to change it…

I've been thinking a lot about the people who run teams and how sometimes they make gross mistakes. Few people know how to see things as they are and it is strange that when making certain decisions, the opinion of the riders should not be heard, who, running alongside all the time, could give very precise indications.

How would you rate Ciccone at this point?

It certainly has a lot of potential, It's hard to say what the best terrain is for it to express itself. On the stage race front, it counts for a lot his management and that of those around him and behind him, because to stay afloat for three weeks you have to do everything in the best possible wayGiulio is so instinctive, he throws himself into the fray. This can be a winning strategy in the classics, but a little less so in the Giro.

Does this remind you of anyone?

It reminds me of Vincenzo (Nibali, ed.), who was like that at the beginning. Capable of inventing the classics and in the Tours a mix of engine and imaginationWho knows, maybe Giulio can take that path…

Instead of your street, what do we say?

I've been a professional for 15 years, always on WorldTour teams. I've always given my all, I've tried to run my own race a few times and it hasn't always gone well.I've run alongside great riders, so there have been times when some opportunities have been closed to me.

What did you mean a moment ago when you said you sowed well?

I think I am a rider who manages to maintain seriousness in the groupI'm not one to mess around. I try to respect the tasks I'm given and there's no never been a reason to question my commitment and my seriousnessBecause I'm someone you can trust, someone who's always lived the life of a rider...

A bit like Bennati, who you crossed paths with for a year at Liquigas and who raced with Movistar and before that in the Trek group?

Bennati has always managed to work as a team. He knows what it means to work for a leader and knows how to be one himself.He has always been respectful of other people's work and for this reason he has always had the respect of the group. I'm sure he'll be a great player.