Events like the one at Gazprom can mark dark periods and compromise careers. Matteo Malucelli he did not give up and in a season patched up by blue shirt before and from China Glory then, he also knew raise your arms to the sky. Then he rolled up his sleeves and found a place for 2023. And so came the signs for the Belgian team Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB.
Now the twenty-nine year old from Forlì seems to have risen for the future that boulder that wore him down mentally throughout the seasonThe North awaits him, and with it the desire to experience cycling in its natural habitat.
How are you, Malu?
Well, I'm finally enjoying some rest. Even though I've had too much of it this year (laughs, ed.). I stopped on October 9th and I'll start again in early November to train, I'll do three weeks on the couch.
The signature for 2023 has arrived…
Yes, finally! I got a nice thought out of my mind, because this year has been really tough.
You've been linked to many teams. Why did you choose Bingoal?
Among the possibilities that had arisen, it was the team that in my opinion could offer me a range of possibilities in view of the races and their origins being Belgian. Can you give me some guarantees regarding the calendar too? And this is definitely what drew me to them. Being a Belgian team and having never had the chance to race in the North, I was easily convinced. Also because, fortunately or unfortunately, cycling is there in Belgium.
You will often run to the North…
I saw that they make a good stage race calendar. And then they do one-day races in the North and they also race quite a bit in France. So it develops especially between France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It will definitely be a nice mix.
Do you think these might be races for you?
Let's say that definitely they will do many races suited to my characteristicsIn this type of cycling there is a tendency to make the races increasingly harder and more extreme. While for my characteristics I don't just mean flat, but Easier races in terms of altitude are more congenial to me.
Do you already have any goals for the early season races?
I don't know what schedule I'll follow yet. Right now, after signing, I'm just focusing on recharging my batteries without making any big plans. I'll go in mid-November for all my medicals, although I don't think we'll be talking about a schedule. POI I think in December we will start talking about 2023.
Let's talk about the season that just ended. How did it go from a sporting standpoint?
From how it started, It seemed like it could be my best season and maybe it was. Although it has been so distorted by the Gazprom events. Clearly in the We started off well in the first two months and we were all expecting a great season. We had worked well and the first results we were collecting them. Unfortunately it went as it went and from April onwards after the Giro Sicilia it has always been a pursuit of the condition.
A great start then everything went uphill…
Unfortunately, no matter how well you train, if you don't run, you lose your race pace. When I returned from Sicily, I ran the Adriatica Ionica Race when half the group was leaving the Giro d'ItaliaI stopped again, I came back in August when half the group had raced the Tour. It's clear that behind all their determination, the others have a 40/50 race advantage in their legs and that makes the difference. Despite everything, some results arrived that gave me morale To move forward and start over with the knowledge that the mentality was the right one. It's clear that if you're at home and everyone else is running, it becomes complicated.
How did you find motivation during the year?
It wasn't easy until the Italian championship, but thanks to the Federation and Bennati we managed to find continuityEven though we raced every 30 days, we had goals. Once the Italian championship was over, there was a month where we were left to our own devices. And so we didn't really know what would happen to us anymore. Let's say that July was the hardest monthThen, when I started running again with goals in mind, it was easier on my mind. Even though it was the season I ran the least, it was the one I arrived at the most mentally tired. It was really a tough test (sighs, ed.)
Will you continue training in your native Romagna or have you thought about moving?
Since last year I am a resident of San MarinoThe team will have two training camps, one in December and one in January, lasting about 15-20 days. Those months will be spent in the heat. After that, the racing will begin. I imagine there will be periods when I'll have to stay in Belgium, because there will be concentrated one-day races. Let's say that the possibility of a transfer hasn't even come up.
Marco Tizza is waiting for you in the Belgian team. Do you know him?
Yes, I raced with him in 2015 at Team Idea. We have a good relationship, we know each other.
Have you already spoken?
I had already spoken to him about the team this summer, but more out of personal curiosity, knowing him. I asked him how he was getting on and he had spoken very highly of it to me. When the negotiations became more serious, I asked him what his impression and experience were and he always told me that they are a good team where you feel goodThe fact that there's another Italian is very important. I ran in Caja Rural without any Italians, only with Spaniards, and I have to say it's more complicated.
Have you already made up your mind about who you'll have with you? Will there be an organized train or will you have to move independently during the sprints?
To be honest, I don't know. We haven't talked about this yet. Being a Belgian team, I can imagine that they can do these things better than us.Rather than me organizing, they'll organize me. I'll trust them. They've always worked well and I'm sure they'll continue to do so.
