MISANO ADRIATICO – The first season of the SC Padovani Polo Cherry Bank as a continental team it has seen her as a protagonist in many races, with a calendar full of events both among professionals and abroadThe project carried forward by President Galdino Peruzzo together with Martino Scarso and Alberto Ongarato Born with the aim of finding the right mix of experience and a desire to innovate, it has laid an important foundation stone for its growth. The 2025 season is coming to an end, and while some of the guys are busy at the Giro del Friuli, we are already looking to the future.
Between Italy and Europe
At the DMT stand, during the days ofItalian Bike Festival, Alessandro Petacchi, the team manager of the Venetian team, has passed byHis thoughts are split between taking stock of the first year of business and the desire to grow.
“We started just over a year ago,” Petacchi tells us, “it was August 2024. We managed to set up a good project and create an interesting team, with good riders.We also took measures with a calendar that put us in comparison with the professionals, for example at Coppi and Bartali and at Tour of Abruzzo, where we also won the GPM classification with Federico Guzzo."
A team born in a short time…
It wasn't easy, because when you find yourself taking on riders and you don't even have a jersey to show them, it becomes difficult to convince them. We found ourselves having to choose from a few athletes, but next year the selection process will become more complicated. For 2026 we are working to have a young roster with riders selected together with our future coach.
Targeted selection?
We've managed to find quality riders who are strong on the climbs, something we've been lacking a bit this year. I think that from next year we will be even more competitive from this point of view.We're seeing a busy season with some riders achieving good results.
In recent days, you've announced three new additions from the junior category...
One of them is now racing in the Giro della Lunigiana (Riccardo del Cucina, ed.) and in the first stage he performed very well. He and Matteo Scofet have similar characteristics, while Kevin Bertoncelli is a rouleur and we will try to bring out his qualities.
Did you see Del Cucina race in the Giro della Lunigiana on Thursday?
It was the first time I got to watch it live and I really enjoyed it. He is a very determined and well-mannered boy., he spent the whole month of August at high altitude before going to Lunigiana. Even though he had already made a commitment to us for next year, he was keen to do well in this last race.
After doing an internship with Tudor a few weeks ago he then signed with you.
He had this experience, but we spoke with him, in the presence of his father and his agent (Matteo Roggi, ed.). It was the same Of the Kitchen not wanting the Tudor because he didn't like the calendar, he preferred oursI can understand that this is a counter-trend choice, because for an 18-year-old boy, dressing up and using the equipment of professionals is a dream. However, we have presented our project, starting next year we will have two new technical figures in the staff, a trainer and a nutritionist, who also collaborate with a WorldTour team.
How difficult is it for a continental team to approach the junior category?
It is evident that boys are attracted to I have to team up and I understand it. On the other hand, I have some experience with kids who come from those backgrounds and they didn't feel comfortable.The risk is that we run with less respect for roles due to the desire to emerge, because we are driven by the desire to demonstrate that professionals can pass.
Finally i I have to team up They are continental formations, is the dynamic of selfishness at risk of emerging in yours too?
True, but we have a qualified and valid staff, experienced people who know how to manage the riders. One above all is Dmitri Konychev, the kids respect him because he is able to convey many things to them and he manages to make them run wellPadovani's goal is to bring the kids to professionalism, therefore teaching them how to race and how to manage themselves from when they go from juniors to under 23.
You're focusing a lot on the early years…
This is a somewhat counter-trend choice compared to last year, but we believe we need to find the right balance between under-25s and elite players. The older players can help their younger teammates. We have decided to build a more balanced calendar, which will be decided together with the new trainer, to give the right rhythm between training sessions and races. You have to manage your commitments because the season is long and there are many races.We'll have fourteen kids, we'll be able to do both jobs, but without overdoing it.
