In Paris with Welcome And Velo was also there, Paolo Sangalli, the women's coach. The Italian history of the last seven editions, starting from Atlanta, says that The Italian women have taken home a medal four times. The silver of Imelda Chiappa in 1996, the bronze of Tatiana Guderzo in Beijing and the other two of Elisa Longo Borghini in Rio and Tokyo. In the last four editions, that is from Beijing onwards, Sangalli has been part of the game: first next to Salvoldi, this time alone. He's seen several Olympics, so his assessment of the course and the race says a lot.
What can we say about the Paris route: do we like it?
Personally, I like it a lot. You start from the Trocadero. You drive through the city for a bit. Then you leave. It's about 90 kilometers through the French countryside, which we know very well is rolling. The roads are beautiful, there are six marked cotes: nothing special, but they are still six rough patches. Then you go back and after 117 kilometers you begin the first climb of Montmartre. At the top you go right and enter the 18,4 kilometer circuit that is done twice.
How it's done?
Besides Montmartre, which is 900 meters long, there is another little stretch of a kilometer, on a straight and wide road. And then another 400 meters. Then we do Montmartre again and another lap of the circuit. While after the third climb, you go left towards the Seine, arriving in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Is it the same as men?
Yes and it is done the same number of times. So We also do most of the running in the countryside and I think it will be challenging.It's not an impossible route because there aren't any excessive slopes, but it's a particular race. Something can happen at any moment, because in the end it will be a head to head and there will be no team that can recover the situation.We saw how it went in Tokyo and it's unlikely they'll let any leaks go unchecked with the risk that they'll arrive.
According to Bennati, the men's race could also be decided outside Paris: will the women wait for the final circuit?
Given the Tokyo race and the fact that we all got burned (the Austrian Kiesenhofer it set sail and was never recaptured, ed.), as they say, I think there will be more controlIf the breakaway succeeds, the girls from the leading national teams will also be in it. So in the end, I think it will be resolved on the circuit.
So the philosophy is to bring girls capable of getting into the breakaways?
You certainly can't expect someone to just pull, because there are four of you running. We need people in a position to achieve results.It's a race that has nothing to do with what we're used to. For me, it's the fourth Olympics and every time the same thing happens. If you're not in the action, you finish yourself or the team to chase and then, the moment the race starts, you have no chance.
Consequently, will the athletes who will be called up also have to be ready for a different type of race?
The Olympics are set up differently. It's also true that if you have 10 seconds at the top of Montmartre and you look too far ahead, they might catch up from behind. But it's a really difficult race to interpret. There is a good chance that by climbing up there, you can get thereFrom the bottom of the descent, there are 300 meters where the road climbs a bit and you can't get going because there's an "S" at the bottom. So you have to slow down, go around the double bend, and accelerate again. Then the road starts to go downhill, but you have to push because the bike doesn't go by itself.. So you really need a lot of condition and a lot of race vision. You can put as many people as you want on the circuit, since you don't have radios, but still we need to have girls in the race who can see the race and are smart.
What about the climb up Montmartre?
Turn right just before the Moulin RougeIn the first section the road goes straight with gradients of 5-6 percent. Then you turn left and the terrain gets rougher. There begins the toughest section, where the slope is 9 percent.So you get to the top, pass under the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, turn around, and go down. The descent won't be a particularly selective one, but it's clear that the most skilled will have an advantage.
And the ending instead?
You're on a city route, with the entire piece along the Seine. If we want, it looks pretty much like what it is success in Ghent, even if the distance between Montmartre and the finish line is shorter than that between Kemmelberg and Wevelgem. On Sunday I was in Belgium and it was clear that Georgi, Kopecky and Vibes have left, but It was enough for them to look at each other for a moment and they came back from behind.
You made the comparison with Cittiglio's ending: given the journey, does it still hold up?
Yes, but considering that the climb of the Trofeo Binda is more demanding, while in Paris it becomes tough due to the distance and the cobblestonesBut we're getting close. It's a finish line where if you make a difference up there, you can even get there. If three girls from three different nations meet and keep going, the medal is assured and they certainly won't look back.
So we'll still need classics riders, like Longo Borghini?
Certainly. Elisa is very suitable, without a shadow of a doubt. The rapprochement will be important, which in my opinion sees the Tour of Italy in a privileged position. I don't know if any Dutch will take a different path, but I believe that coming out of the stage race on a high gives the perfect conditionBefore the Giro we'll have a pre-Olympic training camp and immediately afterwards we'll have another, shorter one, together with Bennati's guys before leaving. We'll stay up there in a hotel in the Versailles area, which is convenient for training, and we'll have to understand if there will be a test of the final circuit with roads closed on the eve of the race.
Last topic: have you read Villa's reaction to the idea of Balsamo also racing on the road?
I find it hard to imagine a tense situation, because I'm very calm about it. It's true that winning a medal is important, whether it's on the road or the track. We'll have to carefully evaluate what happens at the end of the classics, but very calmly. Marco and I also spoke last week and our situation is really one of extreme tranquility.We've known each other all our lives, I've done a lot of track and I know the work that goes into it.
There is talk of giving up Balsamo in the road test.
Compared what Villa saidThe quartet is made up of 4-5 girls, so if a pillar is missing, we'll have to figure it out carefully. The problem is these calendars, certainly not the relationship between road and track. Since I also have juniors, I advise them to go to the track. Even before Cittiglio I wanted them to go riding. On Friday of that week too Balsamo He was on the track and on Sunday he won the Binda. So this aspect needs to be cleared up. While we still have to wait a few races for the names and then we can talk about it with complete peace of mind.
