There is bitterness in Daniele Bennati's voice, who probably hoped to celebrate his birthday differently. European championship it ended really recently and just when it seemed that Italy was ready for the decisive attack, another fall cut off Ganna and TrentinThe two leaders found themselves out and then chasing, one in front and one behind, without being aware of working to each other's exhaustionThe lack of radio also leads to this. So even if there had been a chance to rejoin the small group that was fighting for the race ahead, fate prevented us from doing so. But this time Italy was there and did everything it had to to win the continental title. It held its own against Belgium and Denmark, but he could do nothing against a trivial fall of others.
An (almost) perfect race
We go back home empty-handed, as already happened at the World Cup, only that this time the randomness component was more incisive than the performance capacity, which seemed to be on par with the strongest teams. Yet another great action by Cattaneo who broke the group and then Ganna's bullshit They showed that our team would be up to the task for the grand finale.
"It would have been a perfect race," the Tuscan says bitterly, "if we had stayed ahead without having too many accidents, too many crashes. Unfortunately, I have to say once again that for what we gave, for what the guys built, we got very little. This time we didn't really collect anythingIt's true that Belgium and Denmark led the way in the first part, but then once we decided to break the ice, we took action, as we agreed with the boys since last night."
Too many two falls
Narrow roads, tense race. Our guys are used to the races in the North, but when you entered the circuit, the corners were like knee-to-the-ground bendsAnd it was right at the exit of one of these that the terrible incident occurred that cut off our leaders. The clumsy fall of German Heiduk split the leading group. And if Ganna had already… survived the first fall, this time the restart was not so immediate.
«Pippo's first love and Pasqualon's – Bennati continues lucidly – destabilized us a bit. But Pippo didn't suffer any major consequences, he seemed to be doing very well.The second fall, however, determined the attack of the ten players who played for the European championship. The attack did not come from force, but precisely because when there were 20-25 left, the fall broke the group and in the second part both Pippo and Trentin found themselves together. And it all vanished.
«We tried to chase behind. Clearly without radios at a certain point they were pulling in front, while Pippo was trying to get back, but it's not easy to communicate with kids when that happens. And the race is over. Unfortunately It's normal for there to be crashes on a circuit like this, especially when you're playing for the European champion's jerseyThe boys are used to running with the famous knife between their teeth. And then when that boy went off-road, he took ours down too. There's not much you can do about it..."
Ganna resigned
Ganna's words after arriving are conciliatory, as who had the time to realize that he really had great legs and then to resign himself kilometer after kilometer when, helped first by Mattia Cattaneo and then by Arnaud Demare, he understood that he would never be able to return.
«We had a bit of bad luck in the first crash – says the Piedmontese – in which several riders were involved. We had our teammates to catch up with us and we handled the circuit well. We were ready to do a good test, when unfortunately we had the misfortune of the second crash, when we went out to take the right group away. But we can make up for it as soon as possible, now let's try to recover..."
