The GP Industria e Artigianato, won last Sunday by Marc Hirschi, served as a prelude to the autumn calendar of Italian classics, which will conclude in late October with the Giro di Lombardia. This series of races opens today with the Tour of Tuscany - Alfredo Martini Memorial, then move on to Sabatini Cup, Pantani Memorial to close on Sunday with Matteotti Trophy. An intense week to say the least.
All these classics were once suitable for a certain Giovanni Visconti. They were his “backyard”: ideal courses for his characteristics, great successes, many anecdotes and in some cases they really were running “in his backyard”.
From Toscana to Matteotti, Giovanni, what races are these? And what races were they?
Once upon a time, they meant a lot to everyone, especially to Italians seeking a spot in the national team. Today, they truly matter to Italians. The audiences aren't what they used to be. But it's not the fault of these races. The world calendar is different, there are more competitions. Just consider that they're held concurrently with the European Championship and the Canadian WorldTour races. And let's not forget that the points issue wasn't so critical in the past. WorldTour teams that compete in double or triple-sports deploy their teams where they can earn the most points, in addition to being required to compete in WorldTour races.
And what kind of races were they for Giovanni Visconti?
They were important races, which gave me a lot. They were a great incentive to train well during the summer. In fact, I made the most of my season with these races. I stopped in June after the Tour of ItalyI was on a bit of a "cycling holiday" and then starting to get serious in July. It was a short but intense end to the season. You ended up away from home for a month and a half. They were all races suited to me, races to win, to get fit, to have fun.There was never that race where you started out "bored," already knowing how it would end. No, short, intense climbs, descents, circuits... the ending was never a given. And last but not least, you were trying to earn a call-up to the national team.
Let's analyze this segment, starting today with the Giro di Toscana. Tell us about this race...
Although it has changed a bit in recent years, Monte Serra remains decisive. It's not very close to the finish line and if a small group gets away, it's unlikely they'll come back from behind. The group is now completely fragmented. The Toscana was a race suited to me, and in fact I had high hopes for it right from the start because if it went well, I'd be a little more relaxed in the subsequent races. Over the years, the Coppa Sabatini had become a race for increasingly faster riders. So it's better to focus heavily on this one and maybe save a little later.
What is your fondest memory of the Giro di Toscana?
It was my last victory as a professional with Neri Sottoli. I was coming off a difficult period. I'd crashed in June at the Tour of Austria, in a tunnel, going 90 miles an hour just as I was about to win. They had to airlift me out. I had a tough summer. For a month and a half I trained with a drain, I had a little tube coming out of my jersey pocket… Do you understand why I said that these races gave me motivation? And in short I won in Pontedera ahead of Bernal who was coming from the victory in Tour de FranceThis race means a lot to me. It's also just 10 kilometers from Peccioli, home of the Coppa Sabatini, where I won my first professional race: it was like coming full circle.
Let's move on to Sabatini...
It would be a World Championship course. And in fact, it's even been talked about: beautiful scenery, a technical course, suitable for a World Championship and for multiple solutions. Compared to the past, the first part was a bit tougher, and the final circuit actually started to make a bit more of a difference again, but in recent years it had become a very fast race. I remember that at the entrance to the final climb, I was already jostling with the sprinters. But this also suited my characteristics well.
Tell us your memory or anecdote about this one too.
It was my first race with the pros. It was 2004, and I was an intern with De Nardi-Montegrappa. It was a beautiful day, and there was a large audience… Ullrich won, over Pellizotti and Boogerd, in short it was a baptism of fire! Scinto and Citracca, who had launched me as an amateur, were there to watch me. My fan club was there: in those days there was the Visconti fan club and the Nibali one, veterans of the clashes between the amateurs. And my dad was there, writing my name on the asphalt everywhere... A beautiful memory.
And two years later, the same Sabatini Cup was also your first victory as a professional…
That's a great memory too. There was the story of nine. When I had a number that added up to nine, I either won or was close. That year was the 54th edition of the Sabatini and I was a size 63 or 36, I don't remember exactly...
Let's move on to the Pantani Memorial. It's the youngest of these classics. And it's always changing. What kind of race is it?
Like the others, it's a race that's well suited to riders like me. Leave room for multiple endings. It always changes a bit. But basically the first part is flat, then in those parts (Romagna, ed.) when you go inland there are short but steep climbs. As he said Paul Bettini: “You enter the thicket.” It's all up and down. You have to be careful and stay ahead. I remember that climb, Montevecchio, so dear to Pantani, you came from a long straight and turned left, but the road narrowed, it was like a funnel. The climb began with some hairpin bends and staying in front meant saving a lot of time. Once at the top, the descent wasn't immediate, but there was a counter-slope that really hurt. The selection usually took place in the last two laps, and the finish was always a battle between the escapees and the remnants of the group. The finish was never a given.
The Pantani anecdote?
The year we ran with the national team. We Italians dominated the race. It was me, Ulissi e Nibali And we decided to leave the victory to Diego, who had just had a serious family problem. It was a touching moment.
Finally, there's the Matteotti Trophy, the most historic of these under consideration…
Tough and challenging circuit (in Pescara, ed.), By the way, I'll be commentating on it for Rai on Sunday. This is also an exciting, technical, and tough race... plus, it's often hot there, and this can make the difference. It's often worth breaking away, even if there are many of you, because it's easier than staying in a group on those winding roads. One characteristic of the Matteotti is that it's often finished by a small group precisely because it's tough. In the last few years Trentino He won it twice, once by a wide margin, and that doesn't happen often. It's more likely that a very small group will arrive. At the end, the selection takes place on Montesilvano, a tough, dry climb. It's a celebration because there are so many people and on the climb, you can smell the arrosticini.
Let's close with your anecdote.
This one was also particularly suited to me. I remember that one year, 2018 before the World Cup in Innsbruck, I wasn't in a great position regarding the call-up, and so I said at the city time, David Cassani: “If I win, you'll take me to the World Cup.” I came in second, Ballerini won… And I didn't go to the World Championships!
