"The problem for the French," says Chiodini, "is the Tour de France. The evening after the first race with the professionals, the crew arrived for GregoireTV Team to ask him when he will win the yellow jerseyHe'd been an U23 for just two months, in short. Last year he was a junior. Luckily, the team treats them like kids and lets them make the most useful mistakes..."
Even this year, Stefano Chiodini spent his 90 days as a masseur with the Groupama-FDJ. After talking about it on Tuesday with Jacopo Guarnieri, let's take a peek inside the home of the French squadron. The "Chiodo" season will in fact end at Little Tour of Lombardy and by then it will have reached 100. So far it has done 60 days with the WorldTour team and 30 with the Continental team (at the beginning he is with Gregoire and Watson after the victory in the last stage of the U23 Giro).
Chiodini is a Modenese born in 1967, he has two children in France and He's someone you don't see, because he likes to stay behind the scenesThe team gave him responsibility for logistics at the Giro d'Italia, to organize the hotels. And he managed the 32 people on the team for the Italian race, without even jumping for joy. However, in the meantime he closed his VAT number, because the French team gives him a regular contract every time and pays the contributions.
We have Stefano known in an earlier era, when he raced alongside PantaniHe was also there in 1992 in the Emilia Romagna team who won the Giro d'Italia. Then he remained beside him, called by Marco himselfSo, if on one hand we reached him to understand how things are going in the continental championship of the French team, on the other common memories struggle not to surface.
How long were you with Marco?
In 1991 we were together with Giacobazzi, but I didn't like the environment and I changed teams. In 1992 I did the Giro with him and I sacrificed myselfWinning a stage could mean overtaking professionals, but not everyone was willing to give up. Then I followed him in 1996, the year at Carrera after the accidentI used to go and massage him at home during his training sessions. In 2000, he called me because he wanted someone to monitor what he ate and drank. I did the Tour with him, the one of the last victoriesWe finally got together in 2001, but thanks to the team manager, I only rode the Vuelta Castilla y Leon with Marco. He fired me on the first day because I told him what I thought to his face. The second day he scolded me: “Nail,” he confessed to me, “nobody tells me the truth anymore.” He was no longer Marco, seeing the photos from those years still hurts me.
Let's get back to the present, how did you end up at Groupama?
I met them in 2020. The team manager is the same Blatter who had BMC Development in his hands, supported by Marc and Yvon Madiot. They pushed hard to become a world-class continentalMadiot came to the training camp last winter. He explained the origin of the budget and outlined the team's two key points: no doping and the fact that they would all move up to the WorldTourWe thought he was joking, but that's what he did.
In 1991 he raced with Pantani (first on the left) at Giacobazzi He remained in the Romagna team for only one year At the 1991 Giro dell'Umbria, Chiodini in the leader's jersey In 1992 he raced the Giro d'Italia Dilettanti together with Pantani, who won the classification
In 1991 he raced with Pantani (first on the left) at Giacobazzi He remained in the Romagna team for only one year At the 1991 Giro dell'Umbria, Chiodini in the leader's jersey In 1992 he raced the Giro d'Italia Dilettanti together with Pantani, who won the classification
What kind of environment do you see?
The riders they all have to live in Besancon, with trainers coming from the city's university. They are all young, the oldest will be 35 years old. And at the beginning of the year, right the coaches said that we have the strongest team in the worldThey were talking about Gregoire, Martinez, Thompson, and Watson. You had a hard time keeping up, but it all came true. It's not like in Italy.
What is it like in Italy?
I see the continental teams. They pay you, they give you a training camp with a woman who cooks and cleans. They have everything, ours are a little spoiled. In Besancon, however, they give them 1.200 euros a month, they pay 400 in rent andi they buy and cook their own foodThey give them the best to race and you can see that they want to come to the races, because it's like entering a dimension where someone does everything for you. Then they say thank you and you see that they are more mature and not afraid.
Fear?
Once upon a time there were old people and young people were in awe. These people know what they are worth and they don't tremble.They are used to having 5 masseurs for 13 riders in training camp. At the Giro d'Italia U23 there was a staff of 8 people for 5 ridersWe created a group around him with zero tension. I remember when I did the Giro Bio with Team Brilla di Trentin, I was the only masseur with six riders.
At the beginning you talked about Gregoire…
He came to race the Faun Ardeche Classic and then the Drome Ardeche, won by Vingegaard. If his chain hadn't blown, he would have finished with Ulissi in the top 15. And in fact he was a junior making his pro debut. And that very evening the journalists from L'Equipe arrived.
You also talked about necessary errors.
Al Giro d'Italia U23 They all did it. I'm not present at the tactical meetings, but what they did on the day of Mortirolo reminded me of when we were at the Giro del Friuli with "Panta", against SimoniWe knew he would drop us on the final climb, so we attacked on the first climb, with 100 kilometers to go. They are also 19 years old and they are not afraid of anythingAnd they have respect for Italian racing.
That?
I hear them talking and for them Italy is the cradle of cyclingAt the Giro, they looked at the roll of honor and marveled at the great names they read. More than with ours. Before the Giro del Belvedere, I massaged Gregoire, who had recently won the Liège. He wanted to win and the next day they destroyed everythingOn the eve of the Recioto match, he said he wanted to win again. I tried to tell him to leave space for a teammate, but instead he won that one too. Even though the Italian teams had changed riders and had fresher men.
Are they all equally strong?
Gregoire is that one with more talent, but he also has to understand if he is as strong in the Giro as he is in the classics. Martinez He is the youngest, but he raised his brother alone after their father left home. Watson is a phenomenon and in my opinion he is the one who will adapt best to professionalism. In the last stage of the Giro they decided they wanted to win and they won.
On the day of the Mortirolo they made a real mess…
They wanted to win the Giro and There were three leaders: Gregoire, Martinez and Thompson, which the year before had won the Aosta ValleyThey respect each other and the agreement was not to race against each other, so the first one to start would be protectedThat day Martinez attacked before anyone else. He knew the climbs because he had been there in the training camp and he made it clear that he would not work for others. Gregoire started from behind to get it back, it felt like being in a cartoonOf all of them, the most mature for me is Watson.
How are they managed?
The sporting director is not as charismatic as some Italians. But they work from the base, they don't focus on the tipsGermani and like him Palleni are good because they help. In this team they know how to reward even those who don't win.They have a different way of looking at racing; they don't just look at the winners. Germani and Palleni know how to manage the group from within, and they'll both get through. They give you confidence when you least expect it.
What does the Tour de France represent for them?
Working with the WorldTour as well, I have a pretty clear picture. The Tour is a media circus, which is fundamental for themGaudu's fourth place was a good result, but they didn't win any stages, so it's not enough. The team revolves entirely around the Tour, so take it for granted that every time Gregoire goes running, someone will ask him about the yellow jersey.
They haven't won it since 1985…
But in the meantime next year will have five WorldTour teamsThey have the ability to manage sponsors. When I started, there were ten Italian teams in the Tour, this year not even one. This is the France of cyclingAnd we must admit that it's no coincidence...
