Two days ago I returned from the United States, after the visit to the headquarters of Trek and a tour of Chicago, watching NBA hockey and basketball gamesToday he's leaving for Tanzania with his girlfriend. And shortly before, the choice to change teams and second place in Lombardy, perhaps not celebrated as it should be. Andrea Bagioli's end of season did not pass in a banal way and the decision to leave the Soudal-Quick Step to arrive at the Lidl Trek this is the point we wanted to explore further with him.
The blessing of “Guerci”
Luca Guercilena's words on the desire to trust him and make him a leader they seemed a consecrationHis desire to look around at the beginning of 2023 meant that the Valtellinese was ready to take flight, exiting the cone of light of whoever was in front of him.
"The atmosphere at the new team," he replies as he parks the car, "seemed very good to me. I was pleasantly surprised; they were super helpful. It's clear that it's a more international group, so…" there is more openness than the Soudal-Quick Step where the Belgian soul is still strongly felt. Almost all of us were there, except agree who got married on the same days, then Cataldo e Milan who only came at the end, after the race in China."
Why did you say in January that you would also consider changing teams?
I can't say I didn't have my space, though. after four years you're looking for something new. In the end, you always go to the same retreats, the same training sessions, you always see the same people, so maybe it becomes a little too monotonous.
At Soudal-Quick Step, did you feel like you were considered an important rider?
I have to say that even during the classics this year, I started almost like a captain. Apart from Liège, in the others I had quite important rolesBut here we've been working together since the beginning of the year. I decided on some races I wanted to do, and they listened to me. They treat me a little more like a leader.
Was it difficult to choose your team when you decided to leave?
Not much more, because They came right away with a good three-year offer and also with a nice project, which inspired me immediately. Then, talking about it with Quinziato (his agent, ed.), we evaluated the various options and concluded that Lidl-Trek was the best. They had the idea of taking me and making me grow, not a short-term project., but in the long term, to get to win important races.
What's still missing to win the classic with a capital C?
In Lombardia I found one Pogacar too many, which prevented me from winning it (Bagioli came in second, ed.). What am I missing? In my opinion, more than anything, self-confidence. Although, already at the end of the season, something changed and in fact the results arrived. Instead, at the beginning of the year I started off at a bit of a disadvantage because I wasn't very confident and in the end it went badly. If you're not confident and you see the others doing well, if your head is somewhere else, it's much harder to get results.
What changed at the end of the season? Why did this change occur?
I don't know either, I felt differently, more relaxed and more confident.In July I had decided to change teams, so maybe that aspect also made the difference. If you don't have to think about next year's contract, you're fine.You focus 100 percent on the bike, on your workouts, on your nutrition, and everything becomes easier.
Do you think self-confidence also comes from the team?
Yes, for sure. The team must be the first to trust youIf you start without the team's trust, it's difficult for you too. If, however, you know you can count on the support of your teammates and the managers, and you know that in a given match they're all there for you, then it's different. Of course, You'll have more pressure on you, but it's a positive pressure that will charge you up even more.
What do you take away from Soudal-Quick Step?
In these four years I've grown a lot, in my first year as a professional I was very inexperienced in all aspects. What I learned best is perhaps the ability to tackle long races, the classics well over 200 kilometresI've improved a lot on that. In fact, even at the Lombardia, which was a six-hour race, I was there at the end. It's about learning to fuel yourself to save as much as possible, because in the end, every watt you save counts and you'll find it at the end of the race.
You mentioned positive pressure: have you lacked it in recent years, or is it right to get there now because you have the broader shoulders to support it?
Maybe it's right that it arrives now. If he came just as a professional, it wouldn't be easy to bear., unless you have an engine at Remco, with which everything comes easy. Instead Now that I have had my four years of experience, I am more aware of my means and how far I can go. So it's a good thing the pressure is coming now.
Do you already know who your new trainer will be? Are you intrigued or worried about changing them?
I don't know who I'll be working with yet, I think it will be a Spaniard arriving in the team. I was a little sad to leave my old trainer: Vasilis, the Greek. I've worked really well with him over the past four years; I think he's one of the best in the world. He follows you, and you see he's passionate about what he does, so that aspect worried me a little. But in the end, maybe some changes were needed. It's possible that Vasilis might not get there, but with the new coach, they'll be possible. I just have to have faith and it will definitely be okay.
Will the team's next appointment be the retreat in December?
Yup, in CalpeNow we're going on holiday to Tanzania, first a safari and then to the sea in Zanzibar. And when we return, we start again with a new jersey, a new bike, and a new team.
