GLASGOW – If the old lion fails to catch his prey, sooner or later the youngsters will want to take his place. Perhaps that's why Viviani's bronze medal in the elimination round feels like a confirmation. Certainly not the one of conquest, Elijah is used to much different prey.But another time, next to Ganna who surprises, his presence is that of the pack leader who is not yet ready to leave the road. He will do it with a smile, but when he decidesAnd for this reason, all things considered, he's quite bothered by the fact that it's "just" bronze and not something better. I'm signing this, he seems to be saying, but we'll see about the future...
«I'm certainly happy with the condition – he says – but we have to fix the fact that with such a condition, I'm collecting littleIn the sense that yesterday I could have won a medal and today it could have been a victory. It's not looking at the glass half empty, because in the end I go home with a nice bronze medal, but I've only been to a few World Cups in such good shape. Other times I've collected more. There's still more to go. the madison with Scartezzini and we can still have a good race and maybe get a medal in an Olympic specialty. Yet, my summary of this world championship is that I'm in super condition and so far I've collected less than I could have».
What was missing?
It was definitely an elimination that was immediately dangerous as soon as it started (there were two crashes between the Dutchman Buchli and Vernon, who then won, ed.) but I didn't take any risks. Probably instead, to win a world championship, you have to run a few moreI spent a lot and it showed in the last three eliminations, in the sense that I wasn't as brilliant as Vernon, who took more risks, but he won the world championshipSo let's say I ran an elimination as it should be run in the omnium and not a "one shot", like to win the world championship.
Did you spend too much?
Exactly. And judging by how it went, I paid dearly for it in the final sprint. It was clear that the war was between me and Bibic for the silver.So I had my mind on the sprint with Vernon, hoping to pass Bibic with that, arriving at the last sprint having done one less. Instead Bibic resisted in the last corner and I jumpedAfter the break due to the crash, there were eight of us left and I spent a lot more than Vernon.
You mentioned fixing something. What were you referring to?
I have to run more. Probably next year we will do a track only calendar, meaning I have to run all the World Cups and international races. In the first three omnium events I ran badly and, If I want to win, I can't afford to run badly in the next races. OlympicsThe lead-up to this World Championships hasn't been the best, for both men and women.
Do the results say so?
In the men's category we are collecting less than last year, because as we get closer to the Olympics obviously the quality of everyone increases and we cannot afford to get there lame or with our mechanisms out of alignment. This year I have done few international level races, so I have not caught the right moments in the scratch and omnium elimination. I tried to make up for it in the points race by throwing it on my legsBenjamin Thomas ran like me, but he did better in the first three trials and arrived at the last trial with the 16 extra points that prevented me from taking the medal.
So do we need more trips?
So I have to run. And running means looking at all the international races, which can be the Champions League, next year's World Cups, but also the European Championships in January, to arrive at the Olympics with more experience.
Does this mean you're going to leave the road behind?
I did a lot of track before arriving at this world championship. However, the Italian championships or the Six Days of Fiorenzuola they are certainly beautiful events, but they are not World Cups and I'm not on a 250 meter track against opponents like thatSo obviously that's missing. I need to spend more time on the track and less time on the road: perhaps this was the most difficult year for me, halfway between two terrains where I had to try to achieve results. Next year there are the Olympics and so for me it won't be a problem to sacrifice the road for the track.
What can be said about Ganna's gold medal with that incredible comeback?
We said a few years ago that Pippo had to take up the baton. So he is the one who has to wear the rainbow jersey and save the trip. He won by 54 thousandths, a super comeback with a lot of pressure on us. I wish him to win the time trial again, which would be another important step in this season.. In any case, it's the captain who carries Italy, as we've seen since last year. And he has the legs and the character to do it.
