The victory of Matthews to Mende on Bettiol, Yates' latest in Spain and the extension of the sponsorship for another three years they led to Team Bike Exchange-Jayco a gust of good humor. Brent Copeland, who he has been leading the team for two years, he reasons and explains, at the end of a positive Tour and in view of the final rush. The only sore point at the moment is that 18th place in the UCI rankings which is a bit worrying and a bit stimulating.
«It was a very positive Tour – says the South African manager – with victories by men we believe in a lot. We invested heavily in Matthews two years ago, when we helped him pay his release clause with Sunweb. It didn't bring him a huge number of victories, but it did bring him a lot of important placings. His misfortune is to have similar characteristics first to Sagan and now to Van der Poel and Van Aert, so it seems like he has to run for second place, but that's not really the case."
You went from having a sponsor ready to pull out, to relaunching for another three seasons…
Matthews is always involved. Gerry Ryan (owner of the companies that support the team, ed.) made the decision to extend for another three years so that Michael can finish his career with us. And now in Australia there's the… World Cup fever. Those of Wollongong They may not be a race for sprinters, but they suit him really well. In the stage he won at the Tour, there was a lot of climbing. There will be other favorites, but We are confident that Matthews will be the leader of the national teamAnd then every now and then I think that the last time there was a World Championship over there (Geelong 2010, ed.), he won among the under 23s.
A sponsor like this seems like a fan first and foremost.
There was a phase where he understood that there was the possibility of giving up, but It was at that moment that he realized how much he was in love with this teamHe's really got his appetite back. He came to the Giro for 10 days. It was in Copenhagen for the start of the Tour and in Paris we had 60 guestsYou can see the team is enjoying the moment. Covid has been tough, and not being able to leave Australia hasn't been easy. Yates' victory in the Budapest time trial was a great joy. And that evening he said that he stays for the riders and for the staff, because It's nice to see a group working like thisIt's not often you hear things like this from a boss.
Maybe if Groenewegen had won in Paris…
I wish, really! But Gerry is a sportsman, knows the stories of the athletesHe owns the strongest rugby team, invests in other companies. And he understood perfectly, seeing the order of arrival, how much sacrifice and effort it took to get that second place. That's why he was happy anyway in the end.
Is it true that for him the women's team is as important as the men's team?
I would say more, but I don't dare (smiles, ed.). Gerry's cycling story begins with womenIn 1992, Kathy Watts was supposed to go to the Barcelona Olympics, but she didn't have the funds. So she approached Jayco, the caravan and camper company that Gerry owns. He supported her and she came back with gold in the road race and a silver on the track.: a wise investment. That's how he got into women's cycling. Then he supported the Australian Federation by pushing for women and with Shayne Bannan he started the teamThey took Annemiek Van Vleuten, who won everything. The women's team is important, not because we need it, but because we believe in it so much.
And then Giant arrived, how are things going?
On Monday in Paris, after the end of the Tour, we had a meeting with the company manager and we received very positive feedback. They are crazy, the riders are happy. You can work very well.
Second year of your management: does the team resemble you?
I tried to change the way you work and things are workingThe boss asked me when I was contacted. Last year, we were still held back by Covid and the fact that the kids couldn't go home. This year's results are the true result of our work..
Does Yates' renewal suggest that you'll continue to rely on him for the Grand Tours?
There aren't a lot of quality riders on the market, the good ones all have very long contracts, at least 4-6 years. This is why our rule is to invest in what we have and race as best we can. Ranking the Tour was not an option, so we raced aiming for the stages. And anyway We still have a lot of faith in Simon, who will have a great Vuelta and it has already been on Giro podiumWe'll see what program he'll do next year.
Among the arrivals, there is also the Italian champion, taken well before he became one…
Zana is a rider we've been following for a whileWe were looking for a climber to grow with us, first to support the leaders and then to give them their space. Pinotti has always appreciated it very much And now that he's won the Italian championship, he'll certainly have a few more opportunities. He rode the Giro, less well than expected, but he finished. Then he won the Adriatica Ionica Race and maintained his form until the Italian Championship. It means that the engine is important.
You mentioned Pinotti, what do you think of Marco?
He's a very important asset to our team. It's a pleasure working with him. He is a sincere man, he says things as he thinks and he is very well prepared.. with lui Sobrero has made a great leap in qualityMatteo has significant potential and can improve. We hoped he could rank highly at the Tirreno and similar races, but certainly not at the Giro. Now he's going to Poland, I'm curious to see him in actionThere's no need to put pressure on him, but he has some impressive numbers and has worked well at altitude.
All in all, a positive moment, with the only flaw being the ranking?
It's a shame. We come from difficult years and the ranking is the average of the last three seasons, for which we are paying for the 2020 Covid and Yates' withdrawal from the Giro. But that's not our position, we're working well and I'm sure that the Tour will prove to be a starting pointThere was some concern at the beginning, especially from the sporting directors. But I told them not to change their racing style to score points. We continue to aim for our goals and the results will certainly come.
