"One of my worst days ever." It's getting dark and Simone Consonni after the Salò-Aprica he is still "in shock". The rider of the Cofidis he has the air of someone who has given everything on these mountains and in these valleys.
With Simone we experience the day of a sprinter on the Mortirolo and not only that… A long, intense, very hard day, but also with moments of irony and fun.
From Salò…
It all started at the start in Salò, when we asked him to tell us about his approach to these 5.000-plus meters of altitude difference.
Simone, how does a sprinter prepare, even mentally, for such a tough stage?
He doesn't prepare himself," laughs Consonni, "neither athletically nor mentally. It's a stage he has to live kilometer by kilometer. It's going to be really tough, I just hope I've recovered and gotten through the rest day well. This applies to me, but also to the group, because there's fatigue. We've been running at a high pace for two weeks.
What race are you expecting?
It will be a slow and hard procession. I mounted the 36×32 which I don't think I'll need, but it's there. Let's hope the small group forms soon and we're off. It's important not to be left alone at the start. In stages like this, when we meet at the start, all of us sprinters look at each other and say: small group? And let's start selling train tickets!
In Aprica
The day passes. From the heat and mugginess of the plains to the rain of the mountains. Consonni has left Goletto di Cadino, Mortirolo, Teglio, and Santa Cristina behind him. To reach Aprica, he took over 6 and a half hours, that is, 53'11" more than Hirt e he crossed the finish line in last position.
His story of the evening, sitting in an armchair in the hotel in Aprica, is nothing short of engaging.
Simone, we left off when they were selling train tickets…
Yes, I got on a train with few passengers because it left quickly. I missed my connection. I missed the first sprinter train. The truth is that I worked hard and the first climb, I climbed the Crocedomini, spending a lot of time. I managed to catch up with the group of sprinters right at the top.
Why?
There were four of us left almost immediately, so it was quite an ordeal. In that situation, it could have ended very badly. It may seem like a very strange thing, but I'm happy to still be in the running. and to leave again tomorrow (today, ed.).
So how did you experience your day with such tough climbs?
It was truly an incredible day: 5.000 meters of elevation gain, even more if you include the transfer, and almost seven hours on the bike to keep the group together. We never stopped because even in the valleys we always drove in double rows. Then in the final I lost a little more time, but I knew that by now I would be within the maximum time.
Why was it so hard at the start? Yet there wasn't an uphill climb right away...
No, but we went very fast right away. It's a constant in this Line of BusinessHours pass before the breakaway breaks away. It's impressive how high the level of the group is. Then these incredibly fast starts emerge. I also spoke with the others on the team, and they also said it was a day where there was little time to catch their breath.
So it wasn't a question of getting warm or not...
No, and the game is simple: climbs put everyone in their place. When we can hold on, we hold on. We can warm up, we can do whatever we want, but that's our place.
You said earlier: one of the worst days. Why?
Because anyway I'm never the first to break away from the group on a climb. But that's exactly what happened. I don't know if it was because of the very light rest day, but I definitely put in a lot of effort last week. And even before that, in the Naples stage, I held on a bit too long. I even tried to break away towards Genoa.
What did you do on your day of rest?
A super-easy ride. Twenty kilometers, coffee at the bar with my friends, and another 20 kilometers back to the hotel. I also talked about it with Guarnieri and I asked him what they had done. Jacopo told me two hours and even with some intense moments. I was a bit left like that. – Consonni pauses – but in hindsight maybe he was right. All of these things combined, along with the fact that there are these full-throttle starts, meant that my body and mind were a bit tired today. The riskiest, and strangest, thing was finding myself with four riders. Plus, once I caught up with the group, I got a puncture in the valley after the Mortirolo and had to chase at full speed.
The maximum time limit, however, was quite long (one hour and one minute, ed.)…
And in fact, on the last climb, I broke away from the group. Even though I didn't do it on purpose. I mean, that was my limit.
Who were the other three who were with you on Crocedomini?
Van den Berg, Tagliani, and Sinkeldam. We joined each other on this "via crucis" for the first ascent.
And in these cases, how do you manage? You use computers, you push yourself…
We all help each other a bit with the potentiometers. We evaluate the gaps. It's a mix of numbers and feelings. In the case of Crocedomini, once we entered the final kilometer, we saw that the flagships of the peloton were just ahead of us. This also boosted our morale and made a push to catch them. If we hadn't done it, we would have been alone in the valley towards Mortirolo and would have gone home. We avoided a disaster.
A mix of numbers and sensations…
On the first climb, things weren't up to par. My body was tired. I realized that once I was at a certain pace, I couldn't go faster. I tried to maintain that pace, even though I knew it wasn't very fast. But at the same time, I couldn't lose too much contact with the small group of sprinters. The cameras don't show it, but there are these races within the race every day. Because ultimately, each of us has a goal for the day, and it's almost certainly a tiring, demanding goal, but also a wonderful one to achieve. When I arrived, I was happy and satisfied with myself, even though I hadn't won anything.
But as you say, you won your race within the race: staying within the maximum time on a bad day…
Exactly, despite having had a very bad day physically, in terms of sensations, I managed to complete a 200-kilometer stage and 5.000 meters of difficulty, which is not easy for a sprinter.
How does a sprinter tackle steep climbs like Mortirolo and Santa Cristina?
When you feel good, you chat and also enjoy the view. Today (yesterday, ed.) I stared fixedly at the front wheel while I was immersed in my tunnel, in my thoughts, in my “but who makes me do this”, in my “but when the hell will the climb end”…
The small group pushes hard in the valleys, but also on the descents?
Yes, yes... all enemies! Luckily it didn't rain on the way down from the Mortirolo because it was quite dangerous, technical, and fast. On the flat, however, we were pushing. In the valley floor towards the Mortirolo, I pushed too, but towards Teglio, I didn't, because I had a puncture.
And they all shoot, or the captains, the Demares, the Gavirias who have their companions, are they following suit?
They all pull, in fact captains often shoot even more.
You were in the rear and alone: did you have the flagship behind you?
No, but in these cases you seek help. Our flagship leaned on that one Groupama-Fdj. They left him water bottles and even some wheels. And in fact, even when I had a mechanical problem, I got assistance from them.
How many water bottles and how much food did you consume on a stage like that?
I ate very little, to be honest. On a solid level only two rice cakesAnd then lots of gels, about ten I think. When things go like this, you have little time to eat, you start off full speed, uphill... And besides, I like to eat solid foods, but that wasn't possible. The gel is more practical. As for water bottles, I think I drank 15-18.
And did you use the “climbing stick”, the 36x32?
Always! I only didn't put it on the first climb. Even on Teglio. By the way, when we reached the entrance to Teglio, on the map we saw the "goose chase" with the entrance to Santa Cristina on the other side. I thought: but we can't cut it short!
Listen, what about Cavendish who went on the run?
Amazing how it goes. We caught him on the last climb.
And how did you manage after arriving? What did you do?
I saw some people I knew who wanted to talk, but it was just a quick hello. In fact, when I recovered, I called someone back to apologize. I called them back after that. I took a fifteen-minute shower, spent staring into space. A hot shower. I lay down for half an hour. Afterwards, I had a massage for almost an hour and then went to dinner.
What did you eat?
Pasta with ragù, a little taste of pizzoccheri... After burning 6.600 calories, rabbit with some potatoes and a slice of apple pie is in order. And before bed, a protein shake for the night. Now it's time to rest for tomorrow (today, ed.).
And today won't be easy for Consonni either. There's a lot of climbing, especially the Tonale Pass at the start. «For the first time tomorrow I'll be doing rollers before the start of a road race. Maybe it's because I have to do a lot of them on the track, which I avoid when I can. But if I don't do that..."
