In the midst of the dispute over race distances and the fact that many – Longo Borghini, but also Slongo and Pinotti heard yesterday – they would have expected a Milan-Sanremo longer, Elisa Balsamo takes a totally opposite direction.
«I honestly don't agree with this – he says – because I think the show is not tied to having longer races. We shouldn't confuse the fact that a race is interesting and tough with its length, because in my opinion they are two separate things. A race can be very tough even if it's 140, 150, 160 kilometers; in the end, it's the athletes who make the difference. In fact, in my opinion, by setting races that are too long, you risk running into wait-and-see attitudes and therefore also lose a bit of spectacularity."
The women's Sanremo on Saturday will be run over a distance of 156 kilometres, from Genoa to the finish line in Via Roma, and Balsamo has eyes that sparkle. His sporting director Ina Teutenberg She ran it in 2000 and finished second behind Diana Ziliute. Between Italian pride and the German desire to make amends, to the Lidl Trek the arrival of Sanremo was experienced with great participationThe girls have been on the Riviera for a few days now.
What do you expect from this return?
It's been 20 years since Sanremo was no longer on the women's calendar, so that already makes it special. Racing in Italy is always nice, plus Sanremo is not far from where I live, so my family will be able to follow meI like these roads, we saw the route and it will be a great race. I've already been there. in December with Ilaria “Yaya” Sanguineti who trains here every day. Over the last five years, we've fought to have a schedule similar to the men's, so Sanremo is a major achievement. Everyone wants to win it; it will be a real battle.
What advice did Sanguineti, who unfortunately won't be competing, give you?
She knows the area very well, she trains here practically every day. Mostly he gave me advice for the descents, on every single hole of the Poggio descentTips on where to be careful, especially in case of rain on the most slippery sections.
Can you imagine the tactical development?
I think it will all start with the Chiefs, Berta is the longest, even if far from the end, but it could certainly start to make a selectionI feel good, but in these races you never know what can happen. Like at the Trofeo Binda (won by her on Sunday(Editor's note:) You don't know if a breakaway, large or small, will be able to escape, whether a group will arrive or if one athlete will arrive alone. I think Saturday will be the same, even if the race profile is very different.
What do you remember about watching Sanremo on TV?
My parents are very fond of cycling, so Since I was little we spent Saturdays in front of the televisionIt was a special day, because the race was very long. When they reached Cipressa and Poggio, it was a great emotion. I've always watched Sanremo, since I was a child.
What about when you're older?
I think it was last year. I have a clear idea of the moment when, at the bottom of the descent of the Poggio, Van der Poel got in front to pull out all the stops And I couldn't understand why. Only later did I realize he had Philipsen, his sprinter, with him. No one had to say anything to him; he just went straight ahead, and that struck me. The Sanremo can be won even by thousandths of a second. If you look at yourself for a moment at the bottom of the slope, the person in front might take the 50 meters that then can't be closed anymoreHis promptness impressed me a lot.
You said it would be a tough fight, but Omloop Het Nieuwsblad saw a breakaway arrive without the peloton organizing behind it. Do you think it's possible that could happen again?
I don't think so, because that day we have learned our lessonEveryone wants to win the Sanremo, so I'm sure there will be a breakaway, but the teams will work together to keep it within 10 minutes. There are at least 5 or 6 teams interested in keeping control of the race.
Do you already see attacks from Cipressa?
I think so! There are many teams with climbers and classics riders. I'm almost sure they'll try to push from the start of the climb, but I also think that there are many kilometers between Cipressa and Poggio, so whoever is dropped will have time to return with the help of the team. But then they will attack again on the PoggioMy ideal scenario is to arrive with a small group, but I know that first I'll have to survive the climbs and the descents too.
You've won the Binda three times, worn the pink jersey, and won stages at the Giro: what would Sanremo mean to you?
A dream, then a big goal. Knowing that it will be there every year gives me some peace of mind, because I think that if I don't succeed this year, I'll try again next year. It's more than a stage at the Giro, because I really like the classics.Winning here would be something different and new.
Did you also try the finishing straight?
Yes, I saw it and I have to say that with the traffic it's a bit chaoticI couldn't imagine it being empty. For a sprinter, it's too important to study until the last meter. I saw that it's pulling up a bit, so in case of a sprint, it would be better for me to stay indoors and go out at the last minute..
Last but not least, there's the risk of racing in the rain. Does that change much?
We've seen that the forecast could be pretty bad. But we can't do anything about it, so in my opinion there's no point in worrying about it.I'd definitely prefer to run in the sunshine, but it'll rain for everyone. That means we'll have to fight even harder.
