Fresh from the Giro Donne, Rachele Barbieri continues her training with her partner Manlio Moro, rider of the Zalf Eurobil Fior, two-time European champion in the quartet and, reportedly, a promise to Movistar Team. After the stories of Elisa Longo Borghini on the sprints to the sign with Jacopo Fly, it came to us the curiosity to ask the Emilian what training with her boyfriend gives herAnd she tells us about "couple" cycling and her next, tiring, appointments.
Sharing your work with someone you love…
It was something a little unexpected. I always told myself, "Absolutely no cyclists.", for fear of never being able to take my mind off things when I'm at home and in busy moments. Things happen in the end and you can't do anything about it, I'm very happyIt's not always easy. The positive aspect is certainly that share the same sport, train together and consequently enjoy the day togetherThe lifestyle is the same: from food to rest. With a different type of guy, it's not always easy to make yourself understood from this point of view. On the negative side, however, there is the fact that when I leave, he comes back, I come back and he leaves.We don't see each other often. This, however, makes you live your time together intensely. I'm very happy, We understand each other a lot, we understand each other's needs and we help each other.
During training together…
He's very good, I'm usually the one who's a little worse, I have less patience (laughs, ed.) When we have to go long distance, which doesn't require specific exercises, we go out together and sometimes he has to wait for me and go back and forth a bit. In the end, when we get home, he always has a few kilometers more than me, even if the route is the same. (smiles, ed.) We always try to encourage each other in difficult times.
You are also part of the national track team.
It's nice to support us there too, but also to see moments of anger and sadness in training for both It inevitably makes you feel a little bad. There are pros and cons.
What did you learn, cycling-wise, thanks to Manlio?
Resilience, definitely. He's a very professional guy, he's very committed, especially in the hardest training sessions where I tend to give up mentallyHe motivates me and helps me, he teaches me to believe even when there are bad moments. He taught me to always complete my workout even if it's a bad day or period.Having an example in front of me, even though he's younger than me and it should be the other way around, is an added value.
The embrace of the Giro d'Italia...
He surprised me. He had been recovering for a week because he wasn't feeling well and I didn't expect him to come and see me at Giro d'Italia DonneI asked him, but he said he couldn't. I was honestly a little sorry. Before leaving, I was telling fans and relatives that I was sad because Manlio wouldn't come..On the way up, however, at a certain point I saw it, I was really hoping for it, I started laughing despite the fatigueSeeing him upon arrival and hugging him was like a little extra energy and determination.
What do you remember most about the Giro d'Italia?
The effort (laughs, ed.)! After last year, I knew it would be a more challenging Giro, there was more climbing and less flatness, but I didn't expect so much effort and suffering. The level has certainly risen a bit because we always went at very high speeds despite the difference in altitudeIn many stages, we already knew beforehand that the small group would arrive at the finish line, without any unexpected events or those unpredictable situations that I like so much…
The next goals…
I will be leaving for the soon Tour Femmes and there are very few flat stages, perhaps the first one. It will be tough and the level will be even higher than the GiroIf all goes well, I should then leave for the track world championship, but everything is a bit overlapping and it's not always easy to make everything coincide. I was on retreat in Livigno before the Giro and I went back and forth to Montichiari to train on the trackThe Giro was tough, and doing so many different trips and training sessions would be tiring. Before leaving for the Tour, I'll definitely do some track training. Last year do Europeans, Giro and Tour brought me good luck and my condition was always improving, but there was a little more space between the various appointments. This year If I do the World Championship, I won't participate in the last two stages of the Tour to return sooner. We'll evaluate it day by day.
