At Fourmies we saw Matteo Moschetti again at the top, third in the French classic won by merlier. Not just any race, considering the history of the race which was once also in the World Cup and is now categorized as 1.Pro, directly below the WorldTour ones. A week later, yesterday, the complete success arrived, again in France, in the Isbergues GP, but that victory is the result of what happened before.
«I'm really happy to have achieved this victory – he said immediately after the race – we played a great race as a team, with Tom (Devriendt, ed.) in the lead, while the rest of us were able to stay covered in the group.A lot of teams were wasting energy chasing, but we were just sitting there waiting. We caught Tom very close to the finish, and the guys did a really good job of putting me and Parisini in a good position, two kilometers from the finish."
Was victory in the air? In the Fourmies sprint, there were glimpses of a great Moschetti…
I suffered a lot that Sunday, I won't deny it. I was terribly hot, not even the ice gave me relief. At first, I immediately felt that I wasn't feeling very good, so with about forty kilometers to go, I told my teammates not to count on me. Then Little by little I felt myself regaining strength and I found some good trains to get back upAt 1,5 kilometers I found a gap to position myself in front and at that point I did the sprint, achieving a completely unexpected podium.
How did you get to yesterday's victory?
I've been feeling quite well for a while now, I'm in good shape, but Years of experience have taught me that often form is not enough, if there is not also the right psychological reaction to obtain something. On Sunday at Fourmies, that third place came entirely from the mind… The fruits were seen just yesterday, when the team worked in the right way. Once we got to the final, Parisini was amazing in bringing me to the 200 meters level with Démare and Pedersen, then it was a battle, won in a photo finish.
At the beginning of the year, Ryder Douglas talked a lot about you as one of those called upon to bring the most points to the team's cause, and you did just that, with 13 top 10s during the season, but only one win, at the Clasica de Almeria in February…
I see Ryder's point of view who must rightly look at the interests of the team, for him the points count, but I look at the results, the victories. It's been a season so far in which I've been consistent in my performance, but I've never been at 100 percent until now., that state where a few placings can turn into a victory. I'd always lacked the final push, after all, to win, everything has to go right, as happened in Isbergues.
This was your first year in the Q36.5, a team with deep roots and great ambitions.
When a team is born almost from scratch, it takes time; moreover, it's a team that was built practically from scratch and in a very short time. Finding the right chemistry among all its members is no easy feat. Ours is still a work in progress, I hope that between now and the end of the season there will still be ways and opportunities to do even better and perhaps achieve further successes. However, I didn't think we'd get to this point after less than a season. There's reason to be satisfied because the level of performance is already very high, and I'm convinced that next year we can all do much better with another year of experience and teamwork.
How does your sprint train work?
I don't have a specific train; it depends a lot on who's called to run with me. Over time, however, I've developed a certain affinity with Nicolò. Parisians: he is a young man who is perhaps not very well known, but he has a lot of potential. As for his characteristics, it would have been ideal for me to work with him. Devriendt, but this year he was able to run very little.
Parisini is strong on climbs, but also fast: are you teaching him the sprinter's trade?
We have very different characteristics. Nicolò is a very young rider, a millennial, compared to me he is slower but more resistant, he can emerge in those rather tough races, with differences in altitudeI believe he can carve out his own space, especially in those sprints with small ranks where the one who has conserved the most energy emerges.
How do you see next season?
As I said, we are already at a very high level of competitiveness, but I know the bar will be raised. I hope we will be invited to a grand Giro, that would represent a further leap in quality, but our schedule is already very strong, given that we'll be at the Lombardy Championships, for example. There are and will be opportunities to shine, but it's clear that we also need to earn our invitations...
Does the need to win put pressure on you?
Responsibilities are part of our job. I put enough pressure on myself because I always want the best possible result. I want to do well. I know the team has high expectations, but I'm the first one to have them, and that's why I'm hungrier than ever.
