«The time has come to really aim high. It seems difficult to say, but My dream is one and will always remain the same: RoubaixI'll try to make it all the way through, even if the satellites have to align in the right place at the right time. But until you believe, nothing will ever come true.».
With this destiny written in the name, David Ballerini He's begun his seventh season as a professional. And as happens every time we reflect on this strange connection, the memory of Franco comes to mind. This time we knocked on the door of Tafi, friend and also rival.
San Baronto in the middle
The two lived on the opposite slopes of San Baronto: Casalguidi for Franco, Lamporecchio for AndreaThat mountain is a natural boundary, with opposing cycling parochialisms capable of sparking real disputes. The last standard-bearers were perhaps Visconti and Nibali, but that's another story.
Ballerini and Tafi were teammates at Mapei, in many Northern campaigns and also in the two Roubaix victories won by Ballero. In 1995, Tafi finished 14th. In 1998 he was second, while third was placed Peeters, also from Mapei and now sporting director of Ballerini (opening photo).
When Ballerini left Mapei, it was the turn of Tafi who won Roubaix in 1999. While in 2002, the year after Franco retired, he won the Tour of Flanders.
Tafi gives Ballerini advice on how to win Roubaix… Doesn't that seem a little strange to you?
Quite a bit (chuckles, ed.). But it takes us back a bit in time, when… it was Franco who gave advice to me. It's a strange way to remembering a great friend, with whom I truly shared unforgettable times, in which we watched each other to see how we were working.
Why does Roubaix, perhaps like Sanremo alone, hold such a special place in the hearts of certain riders?
The Roubaix is the most beautiful and most challenging one-day race in the world. With all that can be said about stones and the fact that it is timeless, it is the most beautiful. Bettiol also wants to bet on it this year. He raced on those roads in the Tour and came back in love.It's not for everyone; it takes attitude, motivation, and desire. But then it's the race that can give you the stamp of a champion. If you win Roubaix or Flanders you join a pretty exclusive club.
Ballerini is 28 years old, how much experience does it take to win it?
Until last year, I would have answered one way. But then Sonny Colbrelli arrived and he won on the first try. Cycling has changed a lot, it seems like only a few years have passed since my time, but twenty have passed and the world has changed. We were talking about experiences to be had, today they arrive and are ready immediatelyMaybe they won't last the same, but I won my first Monument at 30, the Lombardia. Evenepoel won the Liège at 22, then also the Vuelta and the World Championships. Maybe by 30 he'll have said it all, who knows?! For this reason I believe that Ballerini is now ready to aim high.
Like you and Franco, he will have some serious internal competition, which is not trivial…
It's not at all trivial. The Mapei company of the time, which later became Quick Step, had a strong focus on the classics and great champions to win them from the very beginning. But sometimes it's better to have competition at home than away, because you know what tactics those strong teammates of yours will use, who could then become opponents in the race.
How can you be correct and ahead of others?
The first thing Ballerini will have to do is be readyAnd then planning is needed, the Roubaix can't be improvised in 15 days. You have to prepare it and analyze it with the whole team.
He told us that last year he had two punctures in the Forest: is luck that much of a factor?
Luck plays a very large role, but sometimes it depends on the situation. From the weather, because if there's water you can't see the potholes very well. You get a puncture because you take the wrong trajectory and hit the rocks badly, but sometimes you have to do it.When you're in a group, like in the Arenberg, you don't have much freedom to change direction. Of course, two punctures in the forest might say something else.
For example?
The first could happen because of what we said. The second could depend on errors caused by nervousness and the anxiety of recovering. If you puncture twice in there, you're done for.
Does an Italian in a Belgian team have the same space?
It is clear that, given equal value, the team might prefer the Belgian rider. But Lefevere is a great professional and knows what he has to do.: whoever has the best condition has the special attention and protection of that strong group.
There was talk of a love for Roubaix, and in 2018 you attempted to race it again, 13 years after retiring. Why?
Deep down there was the call of Roubaix. Together with it was also a way to understand how much cycling has changed, starting with bikes. Punctures, in fact, are a different story than they used to be. Now you can continue for a while; before, you'd stop on the road and wait for the team car. If it was among the first, you might be safe, otherwise, goodbye. It would have been nice to show that the end of a career is not the end of cycling., but you can continue practicing it well into your 50s and beyond. And I would prove it in the race I loved most.
We're still going on for a long time, we'll do another article about it: I promise. Meanwhile, we are talking about the Borghetto Andrea Tafi which recovered after the closures due to the pandemicOf the three hours on the bike done yesterday at lunchtime, when it's warmest. Di Bettiol, to whom he will give just as much advice and even something more, being the partner of his daughter Greta. And road safety. The former champions had a taste for in-depth analysis, and their press officers rarely used the hourglass.
