PALMA DE MAIORCA (Spain) – From Remco to Remco, but always passing through Mattia CattaneoIn the end, the rider from Bergamo was the only one Evenepoel could get behind. I have complete faith in this great athlete. Strong, serious, professional, and experienced. The Belgian is no fool.
Kissed by the Majorcan sun, Cattaneo and I sat in the courtyard of these warehouses, an old farm, that the Red Bull-Bora had chosen for the media day. The now famous hang glider in the centre of the farmyard and many corners where journalists gathered for interviews, to the prestigious German battleship.
So, Mattia, has this new adventure really begun? What do you think?
Apparently so... what do you think? We're here. Honestly, it's a really important reality. You can immediately perceive a level of professionalism that is superior to many teams, so I'm very happy to be part of it and start this new adventure.
After so many years on the other side, have you noticed a change in the way you work and your approach?
I think having a bigger budget leads to having many more people in every aspect. More than a change in modality, it changes the way you are followed.. If 30 riders are followed by 5 people or by 12, it's not the same thing, right? Here everything is amplified compared to what I was used to at Soudal Quick StepAnd I was feeling great there, honestly. But here, there's another level of support from every perspective.
In the end, among Remco's many trusted men, you're the one left. How did the negotiations go?
It actually happened very simply. My contract with Quick-Step was expiring, and being 35, I would have considered other options, both financially and otherwise, since these were objectively the final years of my career. I had three or four significant offers, financially superior to what the team was willing to give me. In the meantime, Remco had decided to come here. He calls me and says, “If you can, sign with Red Bull, because I’m going there.” Luckily, I hadn't signed yet, and I made my choice also based on his idea.
It's a great sign of respect, but also a great responsibility...
It's definitely a big responsibility, especially for me. I was given a three-year contract at 35, so you can understand how proud I am. It's not just helping Evenepoel, it's a sign that I'm doing something good. It was a positive turning point financially, there's no point in hiding it, but above all psychologically. Believe me...
How are you seeing Remco?
Much more serene. Maybe it's just my feeling, but it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Talking to him every day, I see him calmer, more confident. These are things you notice immediately, when a person is more relaxed or more under pressure.
Evenepoel said he doesn't feel the pressure of this big project. Will that really be the case?
When the races start, it will be a whole different story. However, I believe that having lived through years of rumors, "I'm going this way, I'm going that way," has put pressure on him not only from a sporting perspective, but also from a daily life perspective. In Belgium he is highly exposed to the media and this has an impact. Perhaps the fact that he wasn't just in a Belgian team, but "in" the Belgian team, also had an impact. Now Evenepoel has left the fold, and this, in my opinion, has given him a serenity he didn't have before. At least that's what I get.
What races will you do, Mattia?
More or less what he will do. Honestly, I don't know my calendar in detail yet, but I know that It will largely follow Remco's, except for a few classics that I won't do. The central points, Tyrrhenian or Paris-Nice, Dauphiné and above all the Tour de France, I will do them.
Are you already working on anything specific, like the time trial or building the group for the climb?
A little, yes. We've started working on the team time trial, since the Tour will open with a stage like that. I think it's a fundamental aspect. This structure already has a clear idea of the steps it needs to take to build a strong team for the Tour.
Speaking of the Tour, how devastating was the last edition for Remco?
It was definitely a tough blow to leave the Tour like that. At the same time, though, I think it gave him a positive shock, like, "I have to change something." A slap in the face, in short. It may not be nice to say, but sometimes you learn from being beaten, even if you're a champion. It was a difficult moment, but also a mental click.
Okay, so much for the Red Bull-Bora investment in Remco and the Tour objective, but this Giro d'Italia could certainly have been tempting. In the cycling world, coaches and riders alike say it was made for him. What do you think, Mattia?
Eh – sighs Cattaneo – you'll have to ask the managers that. I, when I saw the Tour of Italy, I'll be honest, the first thing I did was call him. I told him, "Look, they put you in a forty-kilometer time trial, it's a race for you." Then it's clear that the investment in him is enormous. For Red Bull and the team, the Tour is extremely important, and if you make an investment like that, it's right to focus on that first and foremost. But of course. that Giro… was perfect for him.
