LISSONE – An internship in a WorldTour team is always a great opportunity for a cyclist coming from a continental team, especially if you are in your first year of elite play and this opportunity has cost you effort and a lot of determination, much more than it has for others. Tommaso Dati has lived the last two months halfway between the colours of Biesse-Carrera-Premac and those of the CofidisThe French scene has opened its doors to the Tuscan athlete, who has achieved six victories this season, all in national races.
During the two months of internship he occasionally returned to wear the Biesse-Carrera-Premac jersey, so when we talk to him at the start of the Agostoni Cup we do it in front of the training camper Marco Milesi and Dario Nicoletti.
How did this internship go?
It could have gone better but it was a positive experience, It was great to race with the Cofidis team, especially some of the races here in Italy.
What races have you done with them?
I split my time between France and Italy, precisely. I made my debut at the Tour de l'Ain (top photo Aurélien Regnoult/DirectVelo), then Tour Poitou Cherentes and finally the classics of the Italian calendarIndustry and Crafts GP, Peccioli, Matteotti, and Coppa Bernocchi. A total of just over ten days of racing.
An experience gained with the results of 2025…
The season's balance is certainly positive, also because I was coming from last year where I was looking for results that in the end didn't arriveI was sorry, the team believed in me a lot. So this year I started out very motivated., I wanted to repay the trust that Milesi and Nicoletti placed in me.
First year elite, how did you experience it?
Pretty good, I was calm. The only thing is that as an elite you struggle to get chances against big teams, I've seen it on myself. Even though I was doing well, it was hard to get noticed. I finally got it and I was happy about it., but many other riders in my same situation have not been so lucky.
How difficult is it to go from a continental to the WorldTour?
It's a major change, but I've seen a completely different approach at Cofidis. We look at every detail, every nuance countsLet's say I stole the craft and the work with my eyes, it was very instructive.
What did you bring home?
You hit me the approach to the races, how they study them from the days before, looking at the route, the various startersIn competition, we have a different approach, a team approach. We all stick together and try to stay in the top positions. But this doesn't happen among the amateurs and under-23s. I tried to bring a bit of this mentality to my teammates too., but in our races it is difficult to achieve this.
How did you find the competition?
Those in France weren't my races. The Tour de l'Ain was for climbers, so I tried to help out as best I could.While at the Tour Poitou we had the sprinter and the whole race was geared towards the final sprint. There I saw what it means to race to stay together and work towards a single goal.
During this month and a half of training you continued to race with Biesse-Carrera, winning on two occasions.
Yes, at the Florence-Viareggio and the Coppa Dalfiume. Winning these two races was a great confirmation.However, in the races in Italy with Cofidis I found other confirmations, for example in Peccioli where the route was suitable for me I arrived in the group 51 seconds behind Del ToroIt may seem like an end in itself, but if you think about the athletes running, I consider it a good result.
After this experience, do you feel ready for the WorldTour?
It's clear that if they were to call I wouldn't back down, it's probably still a step too high. I should also work physically, especially on my endurance and on my ability to replicate a maximum performance after so many hours.I've rarely run distances longer than 200 kilometers. I need a bit of recovery time in stage races. but these are all steps that can be taken once you are there.
