Riccardo Cabbage He chose an original way to continue his career, packing his bags and moving to Austria, to a Continental team, the Hrinkow Advarics. The announcement was made a few weeks ago directly by the Central European team, but the rider from Este waited to speak, because he did not want to make mistakes that could jeopardise his adventure.From a bureaucratic point of view, in fact, everything was not yet ready for its transfer, due to problems related to the different regulations regarding the payment of the athlete's points.
The situation was eventually resolved, and Verza left for Austria to sign the contract that would bind him to the team. The Venetian's decision came within a few days, when his future was still shrouded in mystery: "I was closing out the season with Pozzato's Venetian Classics," he says, "and immediately after the last race, I was contacted via Facebook. A simple message, arrived unexpectedly, opened like so many others and which suddenly changed my life.».
What did they tell you to convince you?
What struck me was that they had been following me for a long time. They knew everything about me and not just what was available through specialized websites and statistics, you could really see that they had me under control.I didn't know them very well; I've run little abroad, so we didn't meet often. As soon as I contacted them, however, I did some research and realized that accepting their offer would change everything.
Why?
It's not just because the team is foreign. Ointment I had a great time, I remained on excellent terms with them, but the new team has a different, broader, higher quality calendar. They focus a lot on the kind of races that I like so much, one-day events like the one in Kranj, which remains my most important victory.
So we won't see you much in Italy...
From what I know, they'll definitely be back for the Veneto races, then I'll compete in the Italian championship and the Giro del Friuli, where the team also won two years ago. For the rest, I'll always race abroad. On the other hand, the new regulation significantly limits the participation of continental teams., who can no longer take part in regional events and have few invitations to those open to professionals. The calendar is thus greatly reduced, with invitations abroad remaining, which are always very difficult to obtain.
Will you have to move?
Basically, no, I'll be able to train at home based on their instructions, but luckily the distance isn't that great. I will be away for races and training camps, of course, but I will keep my base at home and this factor also influenced my choice..
Do you know anyone on the team?
Just a Slovenian boy, Jaka PrimozicA friend of Pogacar's, whom I bumped into a few times as a junior. At least one familiar face; I'll get to know the others in the coming weeks.
Are you sorry about having to leave Italy?
Objectively, with the current elite rules, it didn't make sense to stay. The schedule is too short: This year I was only able to compete with the pros at the Giro di Sicilia, the Adriatica Ionica Race and the Veneto races, which is a bit too little over the course of an entire season..
Overall, how do you rate your 2022?
In my opinion it was positive, even if I still feel remorseful about what could have been: in January I was hit by a car and getting back on track wasn't easy. More than anything, I missed all my winter training, then I chased the best condition for the rest of the season and that's certainly not the right way to race. I was discouraged, but despite all this I brought home some good results, including a podium at the Adriatica Ionica.
What are you proposing?
I know the team has a lot of faith in me and my potential in certain types of races, especially one-day ones. I don't hide the fact that I would like to repeat myself in Kranj, now I have that race in my heart...
