Throughout the entire Giro Next Gen the guys from the team UAE Emirates Gen Z had the figure of Joxean Matxin who is currently following the WorldTour team at the Tour de France. Finding the Spanish coach next to them has an important meaning for these guys. After seeing him on the roads of the Giro dei grandi they can finally talk and compare themselves with him in a sort of fil rouge Which unites I have to team up and WorldTour. Matxin's presence becomes even more important if we consider that the Tour of Switzerland took place in the same days, where Yates and Almeida feasted with no one able to oppose them.
“I think it’s more important to be here,” Matxin says immediately, “rather than being in Switzerland, where the boys have shown they’re in good condition.”
The first Giro Next Gen
2024 represented for the UAE Team Emirates a debut year at Giro Next Gen, given the recent birth of the I have to team up. How did the most important race at under-23 level go? What did this appointment say?
«The race turned out to be a great satisfaction – explains Matxin – see Torres Taking a journey like this at just 18 years old gives us a good reason to be happySeeing him among the best in the world means that his growth, his improvement, is going in the right direction. Then on the other side there is someone like Widar who is equally young and strong, but this does not intimidate us.
«Then there are also the other guys obviously. With Mushroom we had planned three stages and took home a good third place. Giaimi still needs to grow and improve, but putting a race like that behind him is good for him (at the beginning, he's talking to Matxin, ed.). He's a rider who has to take a step forward every year."
Why do you think it's more important to be here than in other races, perhaps among the professionals?
For me, for the team, for everything. I I am responsible for the youth groupI like this race, it's the sixth year I've come and the first with the Gen Z team of which I am the manager. I'm also here to show them that we are there for them at all times.We're constantly present. Whether it's when you win, to congratulate you, or when you need to grow.
To show trust.
Yes, to say: "We are here." Without any pressure, we want to see and learn with them. To hear if there are any problems. We listen to their opinions and thoughts.Young riders people are important to us and must feel part of the project. A lot also depends on the moments outside the race, we teach them to live together and spend a week together.
And what is your opinion of these guys?
It is clear and they understand that it is an under 20 project, that's why there are only first or second year ridersThe exception is Glivar, which, however, has a different history and project. We wanted to make this choice for the sake of honesty.
In what sense?
We don't have the sporting space right now to give so many riders to the WorldTour team. We prefer to grow and become important riders in the futureWe didn't want to take on ready-made riders and then find ourselves with little space for each.
And how long does the growth process last for you?
It depends. There are kids who need even the fourth year and others who are ready after two.. Torres is an example, now let's talk about a rider who came second in the Giro Next GenIf we had talked about him a month ago, we wouldn't have been able to define his growth path either. Then we have to divide things up, a rider who is sportingly ready does not mean he is also humanly ready.
Is it better to have a solid path in the Gen Z team?
The concept with us is that these guys can move up to the WorldTour but not vice versaIt can be done, but I don't have that concept. Torres, for example, rode with us at the Coppi e Bartali and the Giro d'Abruzzo. Glivar, on the other hand, has already raced several races with the big names.
It's also true that these 2005s are going strong...
It depends, now when you talk to the juniors there's a bit of a fever. Many boys are in the I have to team up but with contracts already signed for the WorldTourIt's important to give them a path many times, I believe these kids need peace of mind. I don't see the point in making them sign two-year contracts; I think we need more time. That's why we want them to sign for three or four years. Many young players can still grow a lot after two years.
In short, there's no need to rush.
That one risks cutting off your legs.
