An Italy force 8. The Italian paracycling and handbike expedition won many medals. Paris 2024. With the icing on the cake of the gem on the track branded Lorenzo Bernard and Davide Plebani, which allowed the numerical overtaking compared to what was done by the previous management in Tokyo (7).
If in September 2021 it was the handbike relay (with a dedication to Alex Zanardi) that made the Mameli Anthem resound at the foot of Mount Fuji, this time the golden flash bore the signature of Fabrizio Cornegliani (Don't miss the interview on Sunday the 15th.) The fifty-five-year-old from Pavia triumphed in the H1 time trial in Clichy-sous-Bois, erasing any disappointment over the title he missed out on in Japan. Three years ago, a crash forced him to "settle" for silver.
The Eternal Mazzone
They had arrived in Tokyo five silvers, while this time there were two places of honor. One of the inexhaustible standard-bearer Luca Mazzone (H2 time trial, opening photo) and the other in the handbike relay, a medal-winning team since London 2012, despite some changes in the lineup. Alongside Mazzone, in fact, Two newcomers to the Games won medals: Federico Mestroni and Mirko Testa.
First Paralympic smiles also for two who stepped onto the lowest step. After having tasted the Paralympics in Tokyo, Obiettivo 3's Ana Maria Vitelaru placed third in the H5 road race won by the legendary Oksana MastersTenacious rookie Martino Pini instead secured the last available spot on the podium in the H3 time trial. He had already secured the other two bronze medals on the road Testa (H3 road test) and Captain Mazzone (road test H1-H2). Thus completing the five third places opened on August 29th by the aforementioned feat of the Bernard-Plebani tandemParacycling has thus confirmed itself as the second discipline in terms of medals won the record delegation of the Italian Paralympic Committee, who finished sixth in the medal table with 71 medals. Best haul ever after the inaugural home edition in Rome 1960, which however saw the participation of just 400 athletes from all over the world.
Addesi's budget
Having got off his bike after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and climbed into the Italian team car for the first time at the Paris 2024 Games, he smiles coach Pierpaolo Addesi.
«I am very satisfied – he says – because we collected medals with new athletes who joined the national team later upon my arrival as a technicianI'm very pleased with the final result because it's more than I expected. There have been some confirmations, and as long as they're there, they'll have a guaranteed place in the team. But It was nice to see so many young people winning or fighting until the end for medals already at their first experience».
The new couples
The thought flies to the two new cycling couples in the visually impaired category. «Andreoli and Bernard started cycling a year and a half ago. I always said that for them this wasn't the Paralympics to aim for a medal, but the next one Los Angeles 2028. But yet, Lorenzo brought us back to the podium of the track after too many dark yearsFederico, however, almost achieved success in the road race, where only bad luck prevented him from doing so.
"Totò-Andreoli is the pairing we had counted on in the road race, with the time trial specifically designed to unleash them. After their World Cup victory in Maniago We came here with the aim of playing for a medal and without the technical problems, we were absolutely in contention.Suffice it to say that after the puncture on the second lap, they were returning together with the Dutch tandem. Then there was the chain slip, while the Oranje continued and grabbed the silver. In any case, the path is the right one and it proves that, Like France and Holland, we too showed up at the start of the road race with two competitive tandems».
We are working for the future
How do you create a medal-winning duo in paracycling?Bernard joined the national team in March 2023 and we immediately focused on the track, studying its characteristics. Those who preceded me perhaps had not perceived that, in addition to the athlete's skills, you need to "play" with the guide and find the most suitable oneDavide was part of the quartet until 2022, Paolo is a former professional who finished second at Laigueglia in 2018. So we paired them with Lorenzo and Federico after several trials. For many ex-pros, being a guide is a second chance to extend their career by another 10 or even 15 years, continuing to do what they love. I took some time before conceiving the two final couples, but it was usefulThey are our future, just like Mirko. Testand Martino Pini in handcycling. The first goal we set ourselves was renewal, because the average age was very high, but now there's still a lot of work to do, especially in finding new cyclists."
Beware of champing at the bit: «If I stopped now, I would still collect something in Los Angeles, but then everything would have to be done again for years to come.Thanks to the Italian Paralympic Committee and its annual campuses, This summer I saw other interesting 14 year old kidsThey will probably wear the blue jersey at the 2032 Brisbane Games. We must do as the great nations do, start from the base and focus on continuous turnover, because this is the only way to build a winning movement."
The turn of the track
He agrees. the track manager Silvano Perusini. «Compared to able-bodied people – he explains – when you train a Paralympic team, there is no homogeneous athlete. It's not like following, for example, a junior team, where everyone is the same age and more or less the same characteristics. In our case, there are large age differences, ranging from 20 to over 40. Not to mention the resources available due to each disability. It is necessary to do a meticulous and very personalized work in the preparation».
Then Perusini adds: «Bernard and Plebani's medal comes after two years of work since the 2022 World Championships in Paris., forming a new, close-knit team. We've achieved a good lineup, and I'm not just talking about those who participated in the Paris Paralympics. I am also referring to those who ran the Rio World Championships, where we did very well. Just like in Glasgow last year where the first medals arrived with Claudia Cretti and it was a crescendo. The two world championships were the beginning of creating a peaceful environment in which to work.».
Blue synergies
Furthermore, Perusini He believes in the synergies with the Olympic team: «The Montichiari velodrome – he explains – was fundamental. As a national team we had a great time, thanks also to the support of Roberto Amadio, which allowed us to access all the material that was already available. But also the knowledge of the mechanics and the collaboration of all the technicians, from Ivan Quaranta to Dino Salvoldi, as well as obviously Marco Villa.
"We are 5 or 6 groups working almost simultaneously and there must be maximum collaboration “He explains, ‘For everything to work, and it was evident right away. We trained together, shared lunches and dinners, everything was really beautiful and stimulating.’”
