Professional gregarious and grateful to the team for the opportunity to do so. Jacopo Mosca has landed at Trek-Segafredo in August 2019, immediately making himself available to his teammatesIn 2020, in the crazy year after the lockdown, he managed to take home some placings, but his vocation never failed.
Back to 2021
We met him at the first Trek-Segafredo retirement, before the break that sent the riders home, on the eve of the new season. 2022 didn't go as expected, so Moscow, who talks about his ambitions, is charged like a spring.
«I saw that even in a difficult year like the one just ended – he says – in which due to a thousand problems I went slowly, my support for the team has not been lackingI have found my role, whether it is to support the young person on duty or Mads pedersen o “Cicco”, whoever is there. I hope that in 2023 I will be myself again and I will be able to support them not only at the start of the race, but when needed. My contribution is not that of 2022, but what was seen up to the 2021 Giro».
What happened to you?
I had physical problems, the head has always been right, even though I was demoralized at the end of the season. Let's just say they sent me a bill to pay. I don't want to talk about bad luck, because There are other misfortunes, but I've certainly had them all...
What about now?
Everything's fine. We returned from vacation on November 14th, I got on my bike and I felt better than in February 2022, after a month of not touching it. Because in any case the physique was not very trained, but healthy. Every day I train, there are improvementsI started with a basic set of ideas, then I started adding to the work. You can't make anything up. From this year Slongo follows me, so Elisa (her partner Longo Borghini, ed.) and I also share a coach, and everything is easier. I'm happy to have this opportunity. I started off calmly, working hard on the foundation.
Does the teammate have to be able to do everything?
In 2019, I thought I could get by on the climb, instead I discovered that I'm not that great. On the other hand I discovered that I'm very… stupid (smiles, ed.) and so I throw myself well into sprints and I know how to hold positions when necessaryI'm not fast, but at the end of the race I can support the fast ones. Let's say I'm a complete rider, so I'd say I go slow everywhere.I'm not excellent in any way, but I'm not bad either.
Are we really going that fast?
Certainly you can see that every year we growIf before there were 50 people climbing a hill, now there are 80. In the WorldTour races it's worse, because the level is very highIt's always nice to see yourself staying in a small group, because you think you can do something. Instead, now we're all in a block, but there are only a hundred of us left. The best thing to do is to reach your maximum, then see what you can doIf I'm at my best and the others are going strong, you can play smart or try tactics, but your legs will do the talking.
Does the teammate give advice?
Ciccone and I are the same age, but he has his own head and his own vision, definitely a little difficult to manageHe tells you that he struggles less on the climbs, while we're at full speed. Or he struggles more on the flats, while we struggle the opposite, so it's hard to find a common ground. I'm definitely better off giving advice to the Tiberi on duty or to Barons, when you see them making mistakes that they should avoid in the future. I'm in the room with Baroncini and sometimes, just to remind him that he is young, I raise my voiceI've seen Tiberi since 2020 when he did his internship and the boy is getting fired upThe Vuelta did him good. He has such a powerful engine that sooner or later he'll go out. Of course it's up to him to make that leap., but I think there's one thing to say: he passed away at twenty and was an amateur during the Covid era. I think it stands out. Everyone says it, but just watch him pedal: he's strong.
Why did you switch to Slongo?
I had been supported by Mapei since my years at Viris. With Matteo Azzolini, who was my coach, we even ran in the same period, because he's two years older than me. I was happy, but after so many years and my last season, in 2023 I thought about making a change. I talked to him about it and I talked to the team, and they obviously had no problem with me joining Paolo. He is a person with historical experienceI've been following Elisa for years and I think they're in good hands. Plus, we've been in the team together since 2020 and he had already followed me in the retreats we had done in preparation for the Giro that yearIn 2021 we went to Teide, so he already knew what it was like, more or less. I see the work he's doing, but there's one thing to say: no matter how you mix it, it doesn't go from fresh water to salt water.You have to frame the right lines, then you're good to go.
How are training with Elisa going?
We have always worked together until now. Of course, cruising speeds on the plain are different. A professional who trains, rides easily above 35-38 km/h on the flat. I'd say 40, but I don't want to sound exaggerated. Put the 54 and go, it's a question of wattageLuckily, since they're also light, they struggle more on the flat, but Elisa gives me trouble on the climbs. If we do the medium, I'll get to the top a moment earlier, but honestly I don't even have time to put on my cape.
Don't you ever challenge each other?
It wouldn't make sense, everyone has their own jobs. But at certain times of the year, like last year before the Tour, we did some training together where she needed to get some rhythm. And then we did some training where I tried to wring her neck and I succeeded. I got home dead and she was dead too, at least that's funnyWe have certainly trained together up until now, but I expect that I will now increase the volume of work, however For the athlete that she is and for the athlete that I am, I think we will be able to go out together sometime. Then it must be said that from the January retreat onwards, we will see very little of each other. So it will be good to fit in the training sessionsEveryone has their own jobs to do, but at least we see each other…
