Just a few hours to go until the start of the Under 23 World Cup. The city Marino Amadori gathers around his boys. Italy here in Flanders 2021 It features a very good lineup. The riders are solid, almost all very fast: Filippo Baroncini, Michael Gazzoli, Marco Frigo, Luca Colnaghi, Luca Coati e Filippo Zana.
"Ready? We were born ready," jokes the Romagnola coach. A sign that the mood is good. Like the weather, it's cloudy but not raining, something not to be underestimated when you come to these parts to challenge the Belgians, the Dutch, and the rest.
Marino, what national team should we field?
Lots of fast people. Almost everyone, actually, except Zana and Frigo. But surely these are all people who are not afraid of getting air in their teeth, because you will need to take it.
How did yesterday's reconnaissance go?
We saw both the street circuit and the one outside, which they call Flanders, and as we knew, it's not an easy circuit. For me, it's very technical. There are narrow and wide roads, lots of corners. The street circuit is very technical. The thing I noticed yesterday is that as you get to the top of the steep sections, everything is exposed and the wind makes itself felt. The forecast was for even stronger weather today. It's going to be spectacular...
Have you already seen the route?
Not in person. I was supposed to come, but for one reason or another it wasn't possible. However Marco Frigo was in the area. I asked him to do the inspection. He did the entire route from kilometer zero to the finish. He was very good at describing and reporting the data. Of course, the street circuit with open traffic didn't give him the best view, but the information he provided was invaluable.
What race are you expecting?
A race in which anything can happen at any moment. That's why I brought people who aren't afraid to get some fresh air. And people who are in good shape. The national team was built with this criterion. The players were chosen based on who was in the best shape.
Rivals: Who do you fear most? Are the Norwegians still in pole position?
No, For me the favourites are the Dutch. They have that boy, Olav Kooij, which runs with the Jumbo Visma WorldTour. He won a semi-stage at the Coppi e Bartali last year. And his teammate did too. Marijn Van Der Berg It's fast. But overall, the starting lineup is scary. Belgium and Norway are no exception. And I wouldn't underestimate Spain either. Ayuso.
Here too! Can you see the Spanish well even on such a fast course?
Guys, if this guy came to the World Cup it's not for a change of scenery. With all these tears he can run aggressively as he usually does. For me, he has the right mentality, and as I said, anything can happen at any moment, and someone like that can thrive. And then we saw how he went at the European Championships. And that journey wasn't particularly tough...
And how are ours?
All right. Baroncini especially. He is motivated, the path suits him and the final “zampellotto” suggests actions of strength that he has in his arsenal. But as I said, all my guys are pretty fast. Sure, there are at least three or four sprinters who are stronger than ours. And I see a lot of people already racing in the WorldTour…
We could have brought people from the WorldTour too…
And who do I bring? Bagioli Who competes with the big boys? It's a broad topic. It needs to be planned ahead of time. You need motivated players. Zana, for example, has always been incredibly ready for his national team matches, even mentally. I read about the controversy about why Tiberius was not brought, but we shouldn't think that with him we would have won for sure. I'm not saying it's wrong to bring WorldTour athletes, their growth is also important, but these evaluations and any possible planning must be made after the fact. And we'll evaluate it in due time with all interested parties and based on the UCI regulations. Regulations that seem likely to be reciprocated. We'll see for next year.
