"How am I? Good, but a little pissed off. Pretty pissed off. Two second places in two days…». Andrea Vendrame is about to reach his hotel after the Marecottes stage which saw him come close to victory, which instead went to the Flemish rider Lidl Trek, Thibau Nys.
Vendrame has had an up-and-down season so far. Very good at times, much less so at others, such as the crash at La Roue Tourangelle where he suffered a head injury. But now, on the streets of Tour of Romandie, the rider of the Decathlon-AG2R The World Championship seems to be on the right track. Two days ago he was second behind his teammate Godon, and yesterday he was second behind Nys. On the first day they were looking for points and bonuses, on the second for victory.
Andrea, let's start with today's sprint (yesterday for those reading)...
I didn't make any mistakes: not during the sprint, nor during the stage. We were in front, covering Godon's leader's jersey, and then I broke away. The ending went exactly as I imagined, also because I had seen it and was well guided by the flagship.
Even though the curve was different, it vaguely resembled the chaotic finale of the Castelmonte stage at the 2022 Giro…
And in fact, that's also why I got it into my head, I didn't want to remain closed in any way. I approached the sprint in the best way possible. I still got a second place, but I showed that I'm in good shape. I'm here to finish the job in view of the Tour of Italy.
Looking at the results, you had a good spring: second at Laigueglia, two top 10s at Tirreno, and these two podiums…
I actually had some pretty big problems, especially after the fall at the Roue Tourangelle: I suffered a head injury and, by protocol, I couldn't ride my bike for a week. The team wanted me at the Brabant Arrow, but I didn't know how it would go after a week off. Instead, I did a great job for Godon and Cosnefroy, positioning them well for the finale, so much so that we managed to win the race (with Cosnefroy, ed.). The team has a great atmosphere this year, we work well together.
This winter, did you work more on your weaknesses or did you focus on your strengths?
Let's say I did my best at home. Just two nights ago I was talking about it with my trainer and we were saying that the numbers are there. We're doing great... And that's why I'm pissed off that I wasn't able to get the result. I was the one who asked to go on the breakaway, also to finish the job for the Giro. The team gave me carte blanche, and I went on the attack. I repeat, it's a shame about second place, but the condition is there. And I didn't make the climb.
Why?
Because between the head injury and the Brabant Arrow, there wouldn't have been much time. I would have had to do seven days, then descend for two and go to Belgium, then come back up again and come directly to Romandie. So two days at home and off to the Giro. Too much stress at that point. I had thought about setting up a tent (the hypoxic tent, ed.), since it's now possible. But my partner jokingly told me that with the noise of the scooter she wouldn't be able to sleep: it was either me or the tent machine! In the end, I didn't make the climb or the tent! But I'm confident because the volume of hours was good.
You said earlier that there's a great atmosphere in the team: why, what has changed?
Maybe before there were elements with more individualism, now instead we help each other more. I also believe it depends on whether the materials work well. We're competitive now, and having good materials is important. The jerseys are new. the bikes are newAll this helps to relax the atmosphere and create harmony. We are friends.
Let's look at the Giro: there are many rolling stages, perfect for Vendrame. Have you studied them?
Not much, actually. And in fact, even the directors are starting to put pressure on me to let them know what I want to do, what my intentions are. But I haven't circled anything yet. Basically, though, I'm not one for making long-term plans and proclamations. In the meantime, let's finish this Romandie well, then from Monday I'll concentrate well on the Giro.
Does finishing Romandie well mean you're also thinking about the overall standings, or is that too much considering you're second?
Tomorrow (today, ed.) there's a 15-kilometer time trial, and it's not my specialty: it penalizes me. Yes, I work on it at home. It's become indispensable practice, and the course is hilly, but it's too much. Maybe I'll take it as a "rest" day. Then the day after tomorrow there's a hilly finish similar to today's (yesterday, ed.), but I imagine the general classification men will want to fight over it. And on Sunday there's the classic sprint finish at the sprint in Geneva. Since I'm the leader of the points classification, I'll try to take this jersey home. And in the meantime I continue to work for the Giro.
Speaking of Giro, will O'Connor be your leader?
O'Connor he will be our leader and in second place there will be Aurelien Paret-Peintre. I think we have a really good team for the Giro. Strong, balanced, and overall well-organized.
