Simone Velasco and Gianni Moscon (top, photo by Scanferla) will meet again at Astana next season. The two had already run together at the Zalf Euromobil Desirée FiorSince then they have come a long way and covered many kilometers in a group, always side by side but wearing different colored jerseys. Luciano Rui he was, then as now, the sporting director of Zalf and he saw the two boys grow upWe asked the people who launched them into the professional world what they might do once they reunite with their new team.
As friends as they are different
«Gianni and Simone – begins Luciano, known as “Ciano”, Rui – are two completely different characters. The first one is shy and serious, a real mountain man nature lover and silent. Simone, on the other hand, is the classic man of the sea: he has a fiery character and is a real braggart." He then continues: "They raced with me (at Zalf, ed.) for two years, in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Then Simone turned professional with Bardiani while Gianni with Sky».
How did they get to Zalf?
Velasco came to us with the label of a child prodigy and full of great hopes. While Moscon came from a smaller team and had made less of an impactHis growth was more gradual.
What is your first memory of them?
It was the first year as under 23s and we ran in Vittorio VenetoIt was pouring with rain, it was really coming down hard. Gianni and Simone emerged alone on the finishing straight and with a very nice gesture Velasco left the victory to his teammate.
Why?
Simone had already won that year while the one in Vittorio Veneto It was Gianni's first victory in the categoryThat season he won another race that was no laughing matter: the Piccolo Lombardia.
Maybe Moscon will return the gesture this year.
The two are two intelligent riders and they look at the team's interest before their…
And the following year?
They ran less together, also because they ran a different calendar. Gianni raced the U23 Tour of Flanders where he finished second and the world championship in Richmond where he finished fourth (where he did second Consonni behind Ledanois). Velasco raced more at home, winning the Peace Cup and the Golden WheelHe placed second in Poggiana and Capodarco.
So the two, even though they are different, get along well…
Velasco has a very inclusive nature, especially when he was younger. He can also be friendly but respectful of the character of others, when they were with me at Zalf they always got along thanks to this gift of Simone.
The year of answers
«They come from two different teams – says Rui – and have lived in opposite ways for years. Moscon comes from a team made up of riders with a capital "R" and he still managed to show off. Simone is at his first experience in a World Tour team and will have to take the measures and learn to run under the spotlight. It's the year of the harvest for Gianni and of the trawling for Simone; we need to reap the fruits of the work done so far."
Such different characters that brought them to the same team, the right choice?
I think Astana is the right team for both of their characteristics. Velasco is a rider who can go hunting for stages in the Grand Tours and some semi-classics. Gianni will be the protagonist in the classics without a shadow of a doubt and without the fear of receiving the classic "team orders".
Does Moscon have the character of a leader?
Even when he ran with us, he had the right personality: quiet but determined. When he made a decision, he followed it through to the end.
Velasco?
I expect for him a year of transition from a character point of view, racing in the group wearing the same jersey as Nibali is pure gold for him. He will certainly give Vincenzo Nibali a hand in the stage races but he is a rider who knows how to take advantage of his “day off”.
How does it feel to see them together again?
I'm happy, it means that as a team we are doing something right – he tells us laughing – we have created great men and riders who are the heritage of Italian cycling.
