For two days, the first and the third, the Hungarian public, crowded for hours to greet the Giro who came from Italy, saw the two of them pass by. Bais and Tagliani. Tagliani and Fuck. On the third day there was also Rivi and this, as they will tell us shortly, complicated things.
«In this morning's meeting – Savio wrote on the first day – I had told the riders and sports directors that in the first breakaway of the Giro there could not be a man missing Drone hopper. Really well done Mattia Bais and Filippo Tagliani."
The Giro in Italy
Tonight The Giro is in Syracuse, on a rainy day that doesn't feel like May in the south of SicilyThe Drone Hopper-Androni riders returned from training early, but they still took a few drops. Therefore, Taking advantage of our free time, we invite the two heroes of Hungary to have a coffeeFilippo Tagliani, 26, from Brescia. Mattia Bais, 25, from Trentino.
After all, if it's true that the public saw them first, the opposite is also true. These two saw Hungary before anyone else: let's hear about it..
BAIS: «Gianni and I had planned to go on the run…».
TAGLIANI: «For the role on the team, it was up to us. The others are all climbers. We just hoped someone would follow us.On the second day Rivi left and we went with him, but in terms of management, perhaps the first day was better when it was just us."
Bais laughs. Rivi is his fellow countryman, both from Trentino, both lovers of the wind in their faces.
TAGLIANI: «So many people. The beautiful thing is that we passed through the fields or some villages, but given the quantity of people, it is thought that they had come from the surrounding places. Here they look out the doors and then go back in, here there was a real crowd».
BAIS: «The Giro has attracted really so many people (he fixates on a point, then looks again, ed.).
Zero kilometer
Two on the run from kilometer zero in a foreign landThe same shirt, clearly it wasn't by chance.
TAGLIANI: «All those people were pushing us, even if I saw the most impressive cheering in the time trialBeing on the run with teammates is great, you manage each other with the same goal. After a while, we no longer talked about Bais and Tagliani, but about Drone Hopper-AndroniI think it was important for the sponsors."
BAIS: «The first day we went even faster…».
TAGLIANI: «We don't go in a block, but we always push. Can you tell me if you saw any particular view? I'd say it's a lie.. When you're there, you look at the road ahead and at the little computer."
BAIS: «It's not true, we saw one thing – bursts out laughing – the cycle paths... ".
TAGLIANI: «They were our nightmare all day – he laughs too – even though at times we felt like laughing. The cyclists would line up alongside us and go the same way, did you see them? And I thought: if those guys are pedaling next to us with their mouths shut, then we're really going slow.... ".
BAIS: «But after 500 meters they stopped, We had done 150 kilometers and we weren't finished yet!».
The meaning of escape
Yet after they talk for a while, the question arises: What's the point of certain rides, if a 300-meter sprint is enough to make them disappear? She's bad, we know that, but the two fugitives they respond perfectly in tone.
TAGLIANI: «Maybe we have been overshadowed, but the teams behind told us: “Luckily you were there.” With the first day's GPM finish line at the finish line, the WorldTour riders remained stagnant. There was no reason to attack. Sometimes I don't understand their politics. Not everyone has the sprinter who wins the sprint or the man who wins the Giro, not everyone can be protagonists waiting for the finals, and yet they have not moved».
BAIS: «And it's not that Savio hammers us too much. He speaks realistically. He knows who we are and what we can doAnd even though they weren't the right stops for us, we went. We were hoping someone would join us to save some money. But the next day there was the time trial, in the end we didn't spend too much».
TAGLIANI: «If you want to do these things, we don't think about tomorrow».
BAIS: «On TV they say that they keep you in a bain-marie. In reality we are always in radio contact, we know what is happening behind."
TAGLIANI: «The truth is that the luck of the escape depends on the groupWhen they get close, maybe you step up a bit to keep them within two minutes. Being up front knowing you're in the crosshairs is part of the game. So when Rivi attacked, I got up to try to sprint, but I asked too much of myself».
Division of tasks
Who's shooting? How much are they shooting? How do you divide the tasks if there are two of you on the same team? And what changes when a random Rivi arrives and obviously plays his game?
BAIS: «We were trying to pull as long as possibleThe roads were good, things were going well. With Rivi, we had decided to shoot 1'30” eachWhen it was just us, we helped each other. If one was tired, the other did more. We handled the two escapes differently.. Also because with Rivi you had to be careful about intermediate finishes. He tried, we won them both».
TAGLIANI: «And yet, amidst all this reasoning, the people won. The Giro is a spectacle. You see people happy, even if it's just for a five-second ride. They celebrate, they applaud, and that's worth more than the race itself.Many have criticized the departure from Hungary. Those in the industry know that it is necessary to leave. In any case, as advertising for Italy it was pricelessWe weren't talking about Hungary, we were talking about our country. And the flags were pink..."
Now what?
Tomorrow Etna, if it rains again, it will also be cold at the topThe last time we sat there for hours, chattering, waiting for them to arrive, but it was October.
BAIS: «Luckily there's a finish line at the top, otherwise it would be so cold! Tomorrow it's the other companions' turn, to see if they feel like waiting for Etna or if they want to move first.. Trying to understand what the group wants to do."
TAGLIANI: «I would like to I'm going to sprint one of these daysBut we're professionals, we have to fight even to finish eighth. It's true that the WorldTour riders are there because they're stronger, but..."
BAIS: «They also have more responsibilities, they must carry the captains forward».
TAGLIANI: «And we finally arrive on the bus equally dead tiredWe turn on our phones and the compliments still arrive. We are aware of our role and compliments are always welcome».
BAIS: «Even for relatives. The first day we were live for 4 hours, just usAt home they were happy. I hope the sponsors were too».
