TROUBLED – Entering Piton we immediately realize that it is already cyclocross time, despite the sun and a temperature above 25 degrees on this early autumn afternoon that still feels like summer.
Simone Pitozzi welcomed us, busy fine-tuning a Piton-designed cyclocross model. This is one of the vehicles made available to the Piton Ciclocross Team, whose season is now ready to begin. He tells us that the team members are already training ahead of their season debut, which took place last Sunday at the Tarvisio Grand Prix. Even if there is no mud, there is still a lot of work to do because of the dust. which during training gets stuck in the bicycle gears, putting a strain on their proper functioning.
Our appointment is with Sara Pitozzi, who, along with her brother Simone and cousin Marco, runs the family business. Before we speak, however, we must wait for a previous appointment to end. which will have some great news in store for us at the end of our meeting in view of 2024.
Before we talk about the new cyclocross season, let's take stock of last year. Were you satisfied with the results?
Absolutely yes. We've won a lot. Among all the successes we've achieved, I would like to remember the two victories of Nicola Azzetti and Francesco Baruzzi in Flero, our home race. All our sponsors were there, and it was really nice to win in front of them.
With the 2022-2023 season behind us, you're already looking ahead to the new year with some big news, again related to cyclocross...
Exactly. This year we'll focus exclusively on the men's Junior category, leaving aside the novice and junior categories, which have been the two categories we've supported all these years. We wanted to accompany our three second-year students in their growth.Francesco Baruzzi, Massimo Savoldini, and Luca Zaina will be making their debut in the Junior category this year. They will be joined by three new additions, all from mountain biking: Adriano Ferreira, Daniele Longoni, and Jacopo Palermo. We have already defined the entire calendar of the races that we will compete in, starting with the Giro d'Italia CiclocrossThis is a demanding and top-notch schedule.
Will there be any changes in terms of staff, or has nothing changed compared to last year?
We have confirmed Paolo Zanesi and Nicola Loda in the roles of Team Manager and Sporting Director respectively. Starting this year, Nadia De Negri, mother of our Luca Zaina, will also join the staff. (son of former professional Enrico Zaina, ed.), who will share his experience as a top-level biker with our team. I'm really happy that Nadia has joined our team.
Team Piton Ciclocross has always stood out for providing its athletes with everything they need. Will that be the case this year?
Of course! I always say that our kids are pampered from start to finish. We don't let them go without anything. They have the best they could wish for both in and out of the race.All they have to do is train hard and compete with the utmost commitment. This year they will be able to count on our top-of-the-range model for cyclocross. This is the Cross CX. Carbon frame, carbon rims and groupset Shimano GRX.
2024 will also bring some exciting news, as we gathered from the event that preceded our chat today. Can we get a little sneak peek?
In 2024, we'll be collaborating with the V Cycling Academy in Villongo, a new cycling organization in the province of Bergamo. They have eight beginners and eight juniors. For us this is an "almost" road debut in these two categoriesWe've done small collaborations in the past, but this time we're working on an ambitious and well-structured project that we're thrilled to support. They have some wonderful ideas they want to pursue to help their children grow.
A certain excitement for this new adventure shines through in his tone of voice…
Indeed, it is so. When the managers of the V Cycling Academy came to present their project to us We were positively impressed by their idea and their enthusiasm. I was a little apprehensive at first. It was, in fact, a big step for us. At that moment, my dad's support was fundamental and pushed me to believe in it.As I was saying, this is a new project and I like new things. I'm convinced that we must always move forward and never stop.
