Domenico Well I live he was one of the protagonists of this first half of Tour of Italy, and to think that until the very end he risked not finding a team. The complicated situation of Qhubeka-Nexthash he risked leaving the best Italian in the general classification on foot, for now, in the Corsa Rosa.
The “Pozzo” has found the team and, to those who had doubts about his chances of still being competitive, he responded in silence, pedal stroke after pedal stroke. His team became theIntermarche-Wanty-Gobert, where he found Valerio Piva, someone who has seen many riders. Valerio answers us from the hotel after the arrival of Reggio Emilia, his voice is calm but hurried, there are still many things to do.
Valerio, when did the decision to take Pozzovivo mature?
Already at the end of last season we had looked at strengthening the team in the climbing sectorApart from Meintjes, we had no riders who could compete in a major stage race. Climbers are extremely hard to find these days. and we had lost some hope.
Then the vicissitudes of Qhubeka “freed” Domenico…
He truly believed he could continue racing with them; he hoped until the very end that the team would be formed. As soon as the door closed, we stepped in and brought him to Intermarché.
He arrived after the season had already started. What kind of rider did you find?
He spent a winter preparing himself in a big way, ha worked firm and when he arrived to us he was already ready to runGiven his good condition, we thought of making him debut in Oman, but due to bureaucratic problems everything has slipped to Ruta del SolThen we took him to the Tirreno and the Giro di Sicilia, and he was strong in both races. Unfortunately, at the Tirreno, he lost a few seconds on the Carpegna stage on the descent due to an arm problem; otherwise, he would have finished in the top ten overall.
Before the Giro he said he felt good and that he would fight for the top 10…
He believes in it a lot and we have a good team ready to support himHirt, who is still in the standings, Taaramae, Rota… No rider can be 100% sure, there are dangers just around the corner. Morale is certainly high, he showed up on Etna and then at the Blockhaus and he's doing well., however, pitfalls are just around the corner.
What's the first thing he said to you when you met?
He told me that he enjoys it and that he wants to try to be a high level rider, as long as he can be competitive he's having fun and that's what keeps him ahead: his passion, in addition to his qualities, of course. I think the accidents he suffered have somewhat stopped his final goal., he has the fire inside that pushes him to give a thousand percent, always.
Is Domenico in your training group?
Yes, he joined my group of riders. Since January I've been following him on Training Peaks, the platform we use to manage and monitor our training sessions. Instead I met him for the first time at the Laigueglia Trophy.
Was it difficult to train him remotely for the first few months?
No, absolutely no. Domenico is an experienced rider with incredible technical knowledgeHe knows himself very well and knows how to manage himself even better, there's little to teach a rider like him.
How important is your racing experience?
In fact, “Pozzo” knows practically all the climbs of the Giro, with him you don't even need to do a reconnaissance on the spotJust show him some videos before you leave. In fact, sometimes he's the one who provides us with additional information.
For teammates, having such a wealth of experience on the team is important…
You saw it in the stage won by Girmay, it was an atypical sprint, in a small group with riders who are not strictly sprinters. Domenico's experience allowed “Biny” to launch the sprint and anticipate everyoneDomenico would have been important for Girmay in the Cuneo stage too…
What separates Domenico from the top 10?
In addition to everything else within our control, I would say himself. So far I haven't seen any riders who can worry him., the climbs of the last few days, in particular the blockhouse They've already shown who can't win the Giro...
But come on, Domenico must have some flaws too…
It's not always easy to help him, he often runs too far behind the group. Clearly he is not a positional fighter and therefore does not take unnecessary risks, especially considering the accidents suffered. However, racing in those positions he risks taking a fan or approaching a climb too far back and these things could put him in difficultyWe always try to be close to him and give him support, now we will do it even better because with Girmay's retirement the team will be all for him.
