CORCOLLE – Martin Marcellusi opens the doors of his house to us. We are in the eastern outskirts of Rome. On one side the city, on the other the first Apennines, in between gentle, green hills dotted with villages. More or less modern. Behind the door is one of Martin's many trophies. It's the Florence-Empoli cup, the one he perhaps holds most dear.
«It was my first victory as an under-23, or rather my first race as an under-23. I don't like keeping too many memorabilia, shirts, or mementos. In the end, the real memories remain. Cups get old and need to be dusted off.
After being at home Luca Covili, here we are knocking from the door Lazio. The rider of Green Project-Bardiani is ready to face his first Giro d'Italia. Martin returned a few hours ago from the Frankfurt GP, where he was the protagonist on May 1st, and is reviewing the race with his mother Nunzia and father Giulio.
They too are excited about the pink race. "A great responsibility," says the father. "A great feeling," adds the mother.
Martin, let's start from Frankfurt. A great performance, especially since you were coming down from the hill...
There were only twenty of us left on the long climb, and we still had about 100 kilometers to go. The sprinters were behind, and their teams closed us down. But they took a long time because we had a minute to spare. At that moment I knew it was the right time to take action. However, I was thinking of taking away a small group of 3-4 riders.
Instead you went away alone.
At that point I said to myself, "I'll anticipate the climb, because there are guys like Hirschi who are hard to keep up with. I thought, "I've been slapped in the face a lot, I'll get one again today." But it went well. When I saw that I had a 1:20 lead under the climb, I knew I'd be ahead. So I rode the hardest part of the route and then slowed down a bit. Just enough to keep some energy in my legs for when they got there. And in fact they caught me just ten meters after the GPM.
Perfect!
At that point I said: «Now I'm going to get in the wheel and not take over anymore." Even though at a certain point I wanted to push, the team car told me to stay close behind and sprint. But by the end, I was tired, really tired.
We're here now. In a few hours, you'll be leaving for the Giro d'Italia, but let's retrace your story. How did you get into cycling? Or rather, why cycling and not football, given that we're in Rome and the "God of Football" reigns supreme?
Well, I was supposed to start playing soccer, actually. But I was too young to sign up for the local team, Ponte di Nona. My older brother Daniel took part in a mountain bike race and won a trophy. I was fascinated. I was also a little jealous, if you want. So I said, "Come on, I'll run too." In the first race, I finished third. I was G1, and from then on, I never stopped.
Cycling through and through. Were you one of those people who wrote "The Giro begins today" in their school diary?
Not really. I started following cycling on TV late, when I was under 23. Before, I'd watch the last few kilometers, if anything. Now, I watch it all!
What do you think you learned in the youth categories?
One important thing: knowing how to ride a bike. It's when you're little that you learn to be in a group, to really be in the saddle. If you start late, you will always lack a minimum of familiarity.
And a lot of water has passed under the bridge since that G1 kid. You've just returned from a WorldTour race and you're ready to go again...
It's a lot! I partly expected it, partly didn't. This year I had a bit of bad luck at the start of the season (Martin broke his collarbone in the very first races, ed.). But I had the team's trust and I didn't go slowly either. I'm coming off this tenth place in Frankfurt, and now I'm going to the Giro… with some expectations, but without pressure from the team. They know it's tough, too.
What do you put in this suitcase for the Giro?
The enthusiasm, the emotion. If someone had told me this a few years ago, I don't know if I would have believed it. But until I'm there, I don't think I'll truly understand how big it is. A bit like last year at the World Cup. But I'm also packing this suitcase with a little bit of worry because it's certainly a great experience, but it's tough. It will be 21 days and who has ever made these efforts? They tell me it's a race like any other. We'll see...
in short do you think about it before going to sleep?
Not yet, at least until two days before the race I don't think about it. But the night before the race I'm tormented! I can't sleep, it's unbelievable.
When did they tell you about the Giro? And what did you feel at that moment?
Since last December they had already told me that I was one of the possible candidates for the "Giro group", The confirmation came a few weeks ago. They'd given me the understanding that if I did something good after my injury, they'd bring me in.
In a team like yours there is a sort of qualification…
A little bit, yes. Maybe it's bad to say, but there is a sort of internal competition to participate in the GiroWe don't have the samples that a Jumbo Visma, for example. In our country, whoever is going fastest at that moment starts for the Giro. But whoever is left out takes the exclusion very calmly. For example, until yesterday we were with Colnaghi And he was the only one on that trip who wasn't competing in the Giro. We joked about it and said, "Hey, see you in Abruzzo. Oh no, you're not there." The classic teasing.
On one side there's the city, on the other the mountains: where do you train? What climbs do you do?
I do a mix, but I prefer to go to busier areas. Yes, it seems strange, but it's true! Even on the Maniva, I always tried to go to the villages. Maybe it's just habit: I've been cycling in traffic since I was little. And in fact, when I go over there (and he points towards the mountains, ed.) I get a little bored. I go there when I have to do a real climb.
And what climbs do you do?
In the area of Castelli Tusculum, Rocca Priora, Rocca di Papa. If instead I go towards the Apennines Saracinesco, but not much because it always puts me in crisis! And the same MonteflavioI just can't stand them! A few years ago I "discovered" Scalambra which is really tough and very similar to the climbs of a Giro or an important stage race. But if I have to do strength work I go to San Polo which is easier to cycle.
How did you structure your preparation? Did anything change after you learned you'd been called up for the Giro d'Italia?
I called Donati, my sports director of reference, and I told him: «I don't know if you'll take me to the Giro, but I'm preparing as if I were going to do it». This is also why I decided to go to Maniva with Tonelli and Magli. Tonelli he was sure to do it, The fog instead he found out a few weeks ago like me.
What jobs have you done?
I've done a lot of cross-country skiing at altitude. The work was less suited to my abilities, but it was necessary. I've done longer climbs. While before I might have done them for 15 minutes, now I worked on 24-25 minutes. Less explosive. But I also did a little bit of that because when you break away and maybe there's a stage with a steep finish, you have to fight for it. Next year I'd like to specialize in this type of terrain.
Speaking of stages, are there any you think would be right for you? What do you like?
I like the one in Naples. I think that's where the breakaway is coming from, and it would be nice to be there. But then it's not easy. Maybe that's the day the director tells you, "Take it easy today, try tomorrow." You also have to adapt a little: hoping that on the day it's your turn, your legs are strong and that the stage is the right one. Last year, for example, in the Under-23 Giro, I found myself in the breakaway on the Fauniera stage. I knew it wasn't for me, but at that point I tried anyway.
Is the Giro Under 23 the longest stage race you've done?
Yes, and at the end of the Giro I felt good. I was talking about it with my teammates just in these days and I told them that I had this hope. And that is that the more stages passed, the more the condition improvedLet's hope it's the same with the big guys! Also because I don't have to rank, and on occasion I'll be able to join a small group and save some energy.
You're a millennial, what do you know about the Giro d'Italia?
I know a little about the history, like a few winners. But within the group, I have no idea at all. I remember we went to see a stage in Civitavecchia. I took the picture with with betti, in the world champion's jersey, and with Cassani.
You were very clear about yesterday's race. Roberto Reverberi told us a while ago that Marcellusi is a smart guy, but a tough competitor. Is that true?
Grit is the only quality I've ever given myself. It's true, In a race, I can sense the right moment. I get it right. Then you have to have the legs, and that's not always there... Even in Frankfurt, I knew I'd be taking a risk. I knew that if the group had started pulling straight away, it would have been suicidal. Sometimes you need luck, but you also need to take risks. But it's true: I carefully considered that moment before shooting. Even as a junior or rookie, I did it that way. Maybe I was using the wrong tactics, I was aware of that, but I like to attack. In the youth categories, you can do that. You have no obligations to the team.
And we learn all this when we're little?
Not really, I think it's something you have inside or not.
And what about grit? Is there a race, even as a kid, that you remember for its grit?
Florence-Empoli – Marcellusi replies dryly – I was 19 years old. On the final climb there were four of us: Bagioli, Battistella and Covi. At the top, they drop me and I lose 5". At the GPM, I don't give up even a centimetre: I immediately shift into 53 and continue pedalling at full speed. I immediately come back and win in the sprint. I've never had leg pain like this before. That was the race where I had the most determination ever.
