All in the North, with generally fast stages. And if it hadn't been for phenomena like Van der Poel and Pogacar on certain occasions, we would have seen even more bunch sprints. We're talking about the start of the Tour de France, an “old style” start, like those seen in the 90s, when one of the protagonists in the group was Massimo Podenzana.
How many times have we seen it, together with the rest of Mercatone Uno, shoot into those immense plates to bring Marco Pantani back in. Panta may have been delayed by a fall, a puncture, or because he hadn't taken a fan. They were different paths, but certain situations remain very similarEven more so in this edition of the Tour. It's now forbidden to stay below fifteenth place. We saw it two days ago when they crashed. Almeida e Buitrago and in the group there were thirty or so left.
Massimo, first ten stages in the North, a few climbs but all fast…
Yes, although they are slightly different fractions than before when they were much flatter. When we did the Tour, in the first ten days we always arrived in a sprint or at most a breakaway arrived.What was and is similar, however, is that it was difficult to stay upright in those stages. Or at least without crashing. If you managed to do that, you had already won. At least for us it was like that, since with Panta we were trying to make the rankingsI would add, however, that on television it's better now.
Why?
Because there are lively, intense sections… even if very nervous.
Is there more chaos in bunch sprints now? Once upon a time, there were teams of sprinters and teams of GC riders. Today, you see almost more GC riders than sprinters, who at most have a couple of riders...
Once upon a time, perhaps there was a little more room for escape. Now, When there are sprinter stages, they control the sprinters' teams; in mixed stages, they control the classification teams, so it's more difficult to distinguish. The race is closed (a little as De Marchi said(Editor's note). Not only that, but when the sprint arrives, everyone tries to sprint, there are so many of them, and it becomes real chaos. There are a lot of falls, as we've already seen.
How did Mercatone Uno fare in these sprints?
It didn't concern us. We were compact and focused on our goal: to reach the last kilometer and then pull away. Now the limit is three kilometers. We were trying to keep the leader in the front positions. But I think the speeds are still high now. My team and I recently did the Baloise Belgium Tour, and when we sprinted to the finish, the car's speedometer showed scary speeds.
You, Massimo, were having a really hard time because every time, as you said before, there was a fall, a hole, a fan... and rest assured, Marco was in there. And you were down there fighting...
True – smiles Podenzana – Our goal was to reach the halfway point of the Tour, so close to the climbs, without crashes. Then he thought about it.
When you had to push through those chaotic stages, was there a director? A road captain?
Yes, but it depended on the stage. Every day was different: those who were better pulled harder, the others less.
Soudal-Quick StepIs there a small similarity between them and your Mercatone Uno? They have a general manager and a sprinter. Merlier and Remco like Manzoni and Pantani.
They for merlier They exploit the work of others a lot. We were all for Marco. Manzoni was doing it alone.Merlier is stronger today than in the past: he sprinted to the Baloise and there was no contest. Milan He's strong, but he doesn't seem to be as good as he used to be. He also tends to position himself a bit high in the sprint: he raises his shoulders and head and takes in the air. But his qualities are unquestionable.
Compared to your cycling, what has changed, always thinking about the first stages of this Tour, but also about the Grand Tours in general?
Many things are the same, but here is a rider from another planet who goes to take stages that once the general classification men would have left. Pogacar has already demonstrated this in this Tour. And in the time trial, he lost very little to a specialist. Vingegaard, on the other hand, hasn't recovered from his crash. He's worked hard, but in my opinion, he's no longer a sure winner of the Tour.
If you compare Pogacar to a captain of your time, who comes to mind?
In my opinion Panta had something more uphill, but Pogacar is stronger in the time trial and in general he is more complete. At most, Marco defended himself in time trials, as for example, in the second time trials of a major Giro, which were more for those who still had energy rather than for absolute performance.
Massimo, you've been a rider and you're a sports director. How do you work in these situations when you have to keep the man in front?
In my opinion, the work is the same, with the aggravating factor that now there is more stress. Before, there weren't all these well-equipped teams like there are today. Let's take the Rouen stage: to take the final climb, everyone was in front. Even teams like Groupama-FDJ. Yup, Gregoire He's strong, but once upon a time, teams like that wouldn't have pulled so consistently, and someone like him probably wouldn't have been there. Now, with the roundabouts and traffic islands... it's so stressful.
Did you like having directions or did you prefer not to have any?
No, it was different without the radio. You lived life more day by day. Now when you take part in a race you already know everything: the final, the roundabouts, the curves… But radios are useful these days. At the Italian championship they told us to alert the riders of a problem: but how did you manage without a radio?
How did you study the stage?
We studied the race book, trying to understand the last two or three kilometers. Not everything was reported like it is now.
Was there a road captain?
Yes but it varied depending on the stage, on who was doing betterI was there, Conti, Fontanelli, Zaina, Velo were there… it depended on the moments of the race.
Which teams do you see working well today?
La UAE Emirates, even if at Tour of Italy I didn't like it that much, but they're doing everything right here. Even the Visma-Lease a Bike I like it: he always brings Vingegaard forward in top moments and constantly protects him. They are the two best teams and they are also so because they have the strongest riders, those with the best legs and who consequently know how to move well in a group.
Would Mercatone Uno have liked more undulating, but also more nervous, stages like those at the start of this Tour rather than the flat ones of back then?
It would have been difficult for us anyway. We were more comfortable with the big climbs. Perhaps on these undulating terrain Pantani would have defended himself better because he had class and wasn't afraid to fight.
Would you have taken him to the mountains with less of a disadvantage after ten stages?
Maybe yes, because those courses would have been more suitable for him than the flat totals and then there were longer time trials. But the position in the group is too crucial today. He was often behind, and moving up takes too much energy. In my day, even if it was wrong sometimes, it was possible, but today, if you want to rank, you have to be in the top twenty. Always.
Massimo, let's close with an anecdote. Thinking about the many early-Tour sprints Pantani gave you, is there one you remember more than the others?
There are so many. The Pau stage comes to mind: we had to be at the front, I was in great condition. I worked all day and managed to keep him there. Marco thanked me. But every day you had to give your best so as not to let him lose ground or energy. Even if the most vivid memory is not linked to the Tour but to the Giro.
Tell us!
Alpe di Pampeago stage, when Tonkov dropped Marco in the finale. I should have been the second-to-last man there. We pull, we prepare the attack. I'm about to take over, thinking there's another teammate behind me. Instead, I turn around and there he is, Marco. And He says to me, "Pode, long." In short, he pulls again. I gave my all until he clicked. When he did, it was a relief for me. I will always remember that “Pode Lungo”.
