SIENA – "Under normal circumstances," says Bennati, "they could have called me in once the relationship was over. They have offices in Rome and Milan, the president has his office, where I signed the contract. They would have called me in and could have explained any reason they wanted. Haven't the results arrived? It's a real reason, which should be contextualized, but it's undeniable.They could have told me that they expected better, so they wanted to move on. But in the end I was the one who called AmadioIt was mid-February and I asked him what I should do. And Roberto replied to me that they had just finished the meeting in which the president had decided not to confirm me.».
The Strade Bianche team presentation is in full swing, and Bennati and I are sitting on the steps of the Fortezza Medicea, while they ask him for interviews and to take some photos. In recent weeks, many have been talking about the unconfirmed coach. Colleagues have written very harsh articles and we had not yet heard the Tuscan's version.
The Federal Council ratified the appointments of the new technical commissioners in February. When the non-confirmation was made official, Bennati wrote a post on InstagramHe reiterated his love for the blue. And he lamented the way in which the relationship ended because of which he gave up important professional roles. Asked about the matter a few days ago, the team manager amadio he recognized Bennati's seriousness and commitment and explained that the end of the collaboration was due to the breakdown of relations between the city and the federal president, which has the prerogative of appointing the technicians.
Let's start from the end: did you really give up an important professional assignment?
I had already received the contract from Groupama-FDJFirst through Philippe Mauduit, then Madiot, and finally I spoke with general manager Thierry Cornec. Having lost Demare, they want to rebuild a winning group around a strong sprinter and they would have entrusted me with the projectIt was a matter of identifying a free one and then building a train and a working method around it. I hope we can resume the discussion that I dropped at the moment because I was waiting for the Federal CouncilI wouldn't have thought it right to accept another offer, especially one from abroad.
Was the decision really made because of a relationship problem between Bennati and the federal president?
Probably from a certain point onwards something crackedI didn't agree to accompany him during the election campaign, but what other technician did? I believe this decision was made well before February. Obviously, there have been problems over the last year, often related to misunderstandings. I made the best of the choice to have Viviani race on the road in Paris. In the end the medal came, they were right, but I confess that At one point I even thought about resigning. Given my personality, I didn't always say yes, and sometimes I even said no to situations I wasn't comfortable with. I don't know if that led to the decision.
What was this three-year journey like for you?
You can't say no to the national team. When it was proposed to me, I didn't know the president and he didn't know me. We approached him, then had two or three meetings, and finally I made the decision, knowing that it would be a complicated period. It must be said that when I accepted, Colbrelli had just won the Roubaix, he was European champion and was entering an important international dimensionHe would have been competitive from his first World Championship in Australia, then in Glasgow, and even at the Paris Olympics. We certainly could have closed the circle, but obviously things went worse for him, and I'm very sorry. At that point, I focused on the riders we had and with whom I worked wellTrentin and Bettiol who, for example, in my opinion was in better shape in Australia than in Glasgow. These have been three difficult years which have certainly given me the opportunity to grow.I learned the ropes, I gained a lot of experience that I didn't have for this role.
Villa also said that no one is born a coach.
I think that even the great Franco (Ballerini, ed.) did not have the experience of the national teamHe definitely had a much larger pool of athletes on his side. I don't want to say it was easier, but it certainly helped.
How was your relationship with riders when you were no longer a rider?
It was weird at first. I had just gotten off my bike and I found it strange to have this detached relationship.Luckily, it didn't take me long to find the right measurements.
Did it seem to you that the riders always did what you asked of them?
Let's start with the first World Cup. The one in Australia was very positive and I remember it fondly. The boys interpreted the race in the right way, there was a good spiritWe almost reached the podium with Rota and in the end we saved the result thanks to Trentin. That day Evenepoel was clearly stronger, But Our approach has been an excellent business card, a model for the future. And the script, in my opinion, has repeated itself as well in GlasgowThe team worked well there too, the approach was one of the best. Bettiol played his cards with that very long escape, even if at a certain point they put him in their sights and then gave him the coup de grace.
In between there were the European Championships in Monaco and Col du Vam.
In Monaco we didn't yet have the Milan we have now. Jonathan was just starting out and the captain was supposed to be NizzoloThen Giacomo crashed, and at that point Viviani took over. The guys did a great job, then Elia chose to sprint from the front since we had the right team for that type of work. At Col du Vam, however, the aim was to do well with GannaFrom the point of view of experience in these events, Pippo did not yet have the immense confidence he has on the track and in time trials. The team worked well there too, but in the final, due to an indecision in positioning, we slipped too far back, there was a fall and the race was compromised.
Could the 2024 European Championship have been won?
It was the biggest disappointment, after three years of bitter pills. It was the first time that our national team showed up at the starting line with the man to beat, that is, Milan.The disappointment was immense. In the end, I didn't hold any press conferences, I didn't make any official statements, despite what was thrown in my face. Once the race was over, we had a meeting on the bus, I used harsh words and this thing leaked out.. Not having the radios and seeing a certain attitude at the end, I couldn't correct their mistake and I was frustrated. It's normal for there to be a clarification after the race and my outburst was confirmed by their reaction..
What did they say?
They realized that, although they had done an extraordinary job, the ending was not handled as it should have been. We'd been talking about that situation for a week, but they probably felt so confident that they ended up making a mistake. I say this as a rider: the times you feel most confident are often the times you feel worst. And Jonathan (Milan, ed.) confirmed this to me when he admitted that things could have been done differently. But this is not to put the responsibility on the riders, also because I have always taken the responsibility.Like in Zurich, what responsibility do you want to give the boys?
What responsibility do you want to give him?
I didn't tell him to run with that spirit, I would have been stupid. In the three years we have experienced a downward spiral, which in my opinion was not right for us.The one in Zurich it was not and is absolutely not our valueAs I have said on other occasions, the route wasn't very suitable for Giulio (Ciccone, ed.), but in my opinion it was right that he took part, especially with a view to the next one. Giulio is 30 years old and has never competed in a world championship. The same was true for Tiberius because with the World Championships in Rwanda in sight, Antonio is also a rider to keep in mind.
Why do you say the decision had been made earlier?
Because it was clear, but maybe I'm wrong. After Lap of Honor a meeting was held with the technicians who had already signed the contractI didn't do it, because they told me it wouldn't be right for me to sign and eventually leave my contract to the president who won the elections. I remained silent for almost three months, because they had told me and in several interviews that Bennati was still part of their program. Why not let me join that meeting too? Maybe because I was already out?
