The last days of the Giro are a blender of emotions and things to do, especially when you have to organize the work of the team that is winning it. So to talk to Matteo Tosatto you have to take the number and wait until the Venetian director has finished his tour of the rooms and if you're lucky he'll manage to sneak you in before the second round of meetingsToday we are fighting at high altitude, yesterday another important step was taken. But after the words said by Bernal to explain the day from Sega di Ala crisis to the rebirth on the Alpe di Mera, there were a couple of ideas that deserved further investigationIt's night when the technician of the Ineos Grenadiers he calls back, his voice tired and at the same time the habit of clenching his teeth cultivated over years on the bike.
«It wasn't that difficult to convince Egan to adopt a more wait-and-see tactic – he says – because we know that You may find yourself having to run differently from one week to the next.At Sega di Ala we suffered from that change of pace, so at the start we said to ourselves: "Today we're doing a time trial. Castroviejo, who is the most consistent, will push as hard as he can, and then Martinez will take his turn."Egan understood immediately. Having someone like Dani, who is also 7th in the standings, is an advantage we must take full advantage of. They are ahead and us behind with the team car telling him every kilometre the gradients and gaps. And so on to the top."
Fear and awareness
Given last year's dismay at having lost Thomas at the start and having to reinvent the Giro, perhaps Sega di Ala was a small thing, but we must admit that a collapse of the leader with three stages to go was something difficult to handle.
"We weren't sure he was behind us," he says, "until today's finish line (yesterday for those reading, ed.). The only thing I knew at the start was the value of the team. Egan has companions who are doing well and are ready to give their lives for him.At Sega di Ala we took a break. At the time there was perhaps a bit of fear, but after having recovered well it turned into an awarenessYates is going from strength to strength. Afraid of what? Of having lost the condition, but I told him right away that he most likely paid for the second day of rest."
The first heat
It was a rough day for the teams in Canazei, after all. The only ones who managed to train properly were the brave ones who set out early, or those who agreed to do it in the rain. In fact, from 10am onwards, a storm arrived in Val di Fassa. which caused temperatures to drop sharply to 10 degrees.
«We had to go out too – he says – but when we saw the change in weather, Egan and Martinez preferred to work on the rollersThe rest of the team went out, but after 45 minutes they returned, half dead from the cold. And instead the next day the first real heat came outEgan came from Colombia, where he found cool temperatures at high altitude. Then in Monaco it rained all the time. Then the first part of the Giro was wet and cold. And suddenly it was 25 degrees in Sega di Ala. When these rapid changes happen in the third week, you understand how cruel a great Giro is. Everything becomes more difficult. The heat drains you and That evening, proper nutrition was crucial, also in view of the subsequent stages. And yesterday, in fact, we were on the front line, ready to play."
We need the team
It's not necessarily over and for good luck he would even like to end it here, but the last mountain stage is knocking on the doorFrom Verbania to Montespluga: the first 70 kilometers are flat, followed by the remaining 90 kilometers through three large mountains that will rise above 2.000 meters three times.
"Anyone who wants to attack from afar," says Tosatto, "will have to have a great team. We'll see. We'll keep our eyes peeled with our players in the first half and then also in the second half. It's a classic day when Rivals matter, but the most important thing is to stay focused on yourself.. And then in the end we'll draw conclusions."
We leave at 12,20 from Verbania, we go along the lake crossing the border into Switzerland and then in succession San Bernardino pass, Spluga and return to Italy for the arrivalAnd around 17pm, the 20th chapter of this intense romance novel will have been written.
