Fifty days away from the bike and this is just the latest of the cursed forced breaks. If we start in 2022, Masnada He had to deal with Covid, mononucleosis, cysts and an infection before the GiroMany people have been wondering this this summer, but auspicious Where?
We found him at high altitude, smiling after finishing a training camp with the Soudal-Quick Step and aver having completed a far from simple operation in the delicate area of the saddle padThe day of my return to racing from May is approaching and the feelings are getting better and better.
Where are you right now?
So I finished the training camp with the team at the San Pellegrino Pass. Now I'm at the Pordoi Pass, atHotel Pordoi where I will stay until August 25th. I decided to stay an extra week beyond the team camp, since I'm in the area, and I took advantage of it.
Are you doing some altitude and resuming more specific training?
Yes, exactly. Let's just say I did a good altitude boulder problem because before going to the training camp on San Pellegrino, I had been to St. Moritz in Switzerland, then I spent a few days in Livigno, and then I went to San Pellegrino. This is to arrive in optimal condition to face training with the team and with the riders who will then be the same ones who will go to the Vuelta, so I didn't want to be left behind.
How are you emotionally?
Let's say now is the easy part. I started cycling again on July 9th, so a month and two weeks ago. When you start pedaling again, you feel good, but you realize that the sensations are good and the first step is already there. I've already achieved the goal I set for myself when I had the surgery, given that in any case the operation was not a simple incision, as everyone says, but it was something deeper.
What surgery did you undergo?
An operation to remove a group of cysts that had gathered and formed a sac in the area that comes into contact with the sella tummy. Where previously there had also been a fairly serious infection, which had formed a sort of abscess that had spread into the skin. While it seemed to be improving on ultrasound or visually, the truly inflamed area was actually within this deposit of extracellular tissue. The surgeon had to put 15 stitches, as the exported portion was really large. Being a sensitive area we had to wait for the scar to heal in the best way to then proceed with training and gradually start again with the hours in the saddle.
What did the doctors tell you about the post-surgery situation? What are the recovery rates?
When we decided to have the surgery, obviously the decision I had to make was to choose the best surgeon in Italy to perform these types of surgeries. I turned to Maxillofacial surgeon Antonio Cassisi of BergamoHe was quite calm, confident in what he was doing and in the outcome. On the other hand, the team doctors obviously knew it would be the final step. Either the surgery went well and solved the problem permanently, or, if for example the scar had been too big or if the thickness of the scar, during reabsorption, would have remained too large, forming a keloid, there would have been problems and probably I could not have continued cycling any longer.
Now what?
For now, we're satisfied. I'm training regularly and cycling a lot. Obviously, I'm feeling a little discomfort from the scar, but that's normal and expected. It will take two or three months to rebuild the internal tissues and to ensure that the body accepts that everything is being regenerated to its best again.
The last time before the Giro, we heard you were feeling low. Now you're enthusiastic and ready. Between 2022 and 2023, you had to stop and start again several times. How do you handle these moments?
There have also been times in the past when I had to interrupt my competitive career due to injuries. This phase was the longest compared to the others, so I struggled a bit to rebuild from scratch what could be optimal condition for racing. This is in fact the reason why I spent about a month at altitude, to work on endurance, on long climbs and on long hours on the bike. Week after week, obviously struggling a lot, but my condition improved and I did a test the other day when we were on San Pellegrino with the team and the values were not bad at allThese are numbers that could allow me to return to racing, obviously not to get results initially, but to be competitive.
Do you have an idea of when you can return to optimal athletic performance?
It will be enough to compare myself in the first few races to understand what the gaps are and where in the group I will find myself. Every comeback has its own story, usually when I come back even after an injury I always perform well, so it will obviously depend on the races the team decides to have me do, but I don't think and I don't believe I'm too far from my standard.
Regarding the transfer rumors surrounding Remco, did you discuss it during training camp?
My teammates who played in the World Cup weren't at the retreat. But transfer rumors come and go. As far as I'm concerned, I'm calm because I still have a year left on my contract with this team, so I can stay focused and do my best. I listened to what my teammates were saying, read the newspapers, and obviously we talked about it at the dinner table. It is very, very difficult for Remco to leave at this time.For a number of reasons, the first is that he himself is very happy here. He's considered the true and sole captain of the team, as is right. Then, obviously, all the other arguments and squabbles are part of the transfer market, right? Just as they happen in football, they happen in cycling, but in the end, you have to look at the concrete things. He has a contract until 2026. Terminating it is not that easy.It's not like money can buy everything. Everything is possible, but in this case, it's difficult. There are clauses and rules to follow. If it changed, it would be something that would completely change the team, and no one would expect it. If we also look at the market movements, such as the purchase of Landa and the renewal of Van Wilder and Vervaeke, they indicate that Lefevere is basically convinced of his future. and what the team will be like for the next two years at least.
You'll be watching this Vuelta from home, cheering on Remco and the team. Does that bother you?
If the recovery times had been shorter and if the surgery had been done earlier, which is mathematically impossible, I would have been the first to want to fight to earn a place in the VueltaHowever, since I've been riding again for a month, I'm realistic and it's unthinkable to tackle a Grand Tour, especially knowing that the captain is going to win it. For a Giro d'Italia, you start preparing in March, with altitude and everything. So I was the first to say that my presence would not have made sense especially because there is Remco to support 100%He wants to try to win it again. I I'll leave again in September with one-day races and then I'll probably do a stage race. Then there will be the end-of-season races in Italy.
