For the first time in 17 years Eros Capecchi he enjoyed cycling like a normal spectator, assuming that normal is an apt adjective for someone who has been at the top of this sport for so long. Capecchi was among the first, if not the first, to pass at a very young age. He was 19 years old.
From the 2005 Giro dell'Emilia, done as an intern with Liquigas, where he would officially begin his adventure the following year, to the 2021 Bretagne Classic: in the middle, many joys alongside as many champions and three victories, above all that of San Pellegrino al Tour of Italy 2011.
Emotions, critical thinking, passion: Eros, how have you experienced these first 12 months as a former rider?
We assume that I stopped running with the utmost serenity. I said enough when the desire and motivation were no longer the same. It was something of mine, just as the nursery that awaited me was mine. And maybe that helped me quit... good. Which is a problem for many. They ask themselves, "What do I do now?" So, from the outside, I've enjoyed this season.
You followed the races, after all…
Yes and then with Giada (Borgato, ed.) who commentated on TV, many times I enjoyed listening to her more than watching the race. In addition they involved me for a stage of the Giro-E and I have the guys from Umbria. So, I stayed in the scene. Every year when we left, they'd put me in the same room as the young guys, I'd stay close to them, I'd give them advice. And so... The role of technical commissioner of the Umbria Regional Committee came naturally to me.
Eros, if you had to choose three moments from this season experienced "from the youth academy", which would you say?
The first ones that come to mind are the duels and actions of the two champions: Van der Poel e Van AertBeautiful to look at, unpredictable… I've also experienced them firsthand and when you're racing with them you know you're having fun, that something can happen at any moment.
And then what?
I'd say Poagacar, a super confirmation, and vingegaard: in particular the fall in descent to Tour. The Dane impressed me not so much because he was fast, that was known, but for his moral values and his behavior when Pogacar fell. That day I was with Giada to see the stage and I told her, "Now he's waiting for him." Giada thought differently.
And you?
I felt it. Pogačar wouldn't have waited for him, not because he's mean or unfair, but because he was the one attacking him on the descent. And when you make certain attacks, you also expect your rival to have similar problems. Vingegaard, on the other hand, displayed a different mentality. He proved that races are won with honesty and with legs. By the way, I often repeat the topic of honesty and good manners to my kids. If I hear even a single word out of place, a complaint about an organizer or a hotelier, that rider goes home. Even if he's won ten races.
The third moment or character is missing…
Remco. I was very happy for him. I was on the team with evenepoel at Quick Step. I still have the messages exchanged with him. After the first year he wrote to me: “I’d like you in my group.” I replied that I had a contract in Bahrain… Remco is a good guy, even if he can be a bit unpleasant at times. But we're talking about an athlete who found himself at that level at 18. Moreover, in Belgium, where comparisons to Merckx immediately arose, the pressure is high. I remember my last year in Quick. I'd done well in the Giro. So they took me to the Tour of Belgium. Sabatini was there too. We did a great job for Remco. We pulled all week and led him to victory. At the end of the race, he, his mom, and his dad were there to hug me and thank me for helping him.
A champion with whom you shared a lot has closed its doors, Vincenzo Nibali…
And also “Don Alejandro”! Valverde…Two greats. Valverde was more competitive than Vincenzo until the end. The fans always want certain riders to be at their best. And I'm sorry that Nibali has been criticized at times. But what kind of career did he have? Four Grand Tours, Sanremo, two Lombardy races, Tirreno, Plouay… It will take 100 years to find one like this again.
Did you exchange messages with him and Valverde?
I'm not a texting type. If it happens, I prefer face-to-face meetings. This year, I came as a spectator. at Strade Bianche. I was on the avenue between the sign-in sheet and the bus, and in those moments, some riders don't stop, otherwise they get mobbed by people. Instead, Valverde saw me and stopped. The same thing Alaphilippe At the Giro dell'Emilia. We were descending from San Luca with Giada. I see him pass by and call out, "Loulou!" He turns, sees me, brakes, and says, "Eros! Come to the bus so we can get a beer." When I arrived, he knocked on the window. There were a lot of people, a lot of French people. Maybe he didn't want to get off. But he did anyway. These are the things that make me happy... more than messages.
You said earlier that Pogačar was a confirmation. But why is there a risk he won't return to his top form?
With so many young riders coming up from below, it's certainly more difficult to maintain a strong performance for a long time today. Before, you would come by and it would take you two years to find a trainer, three to get used to the environment and to understand which races were best suited to you. Now they're ready. They have strength and enthusiasm. And they take people like Pogacar as a role model. But who does Pogacar see? It's impossible for him to find a benchmark. Training and improving is difficult for Tadej. And once he's at his level, all it takes is a half-miss in a run, and a small crack opens up and quickly becomes a gash.
It's the super champion's sentence...
In my last year as a pro I was faster than in my first. But 17 years ago, if you were at 80% you would arrive among the first, now if you are at 107% 50 people will overtake you. Everything is on the edge, but also in other sports. If we think that Marcel Jacobs is walking behind the engine! And anyway, it's not like Pogačar needs to prove he'll be back, or that there are any doubts. After the Tour, he won in Canada, he won the Lombardy.
Among the teams, who impressed you?
I really like it Jumbo Visma. And Vingegaard beat him, thanks in part to his team. I really like Jumbo, as I was saying. I know their nutritionist well, who was with us at the Quick Step time, and I know they believe strongly in nutrition. Plus, they have significant financial strength. They buy good riders, but they have the merit of knowing how to make them get along. Roglic, kiss, vingegaard… and then Van Aert, unstoppable, The doorHere's the Frenchman, but what kind of signing was he? They put him in a position to win, and he did it.
True, their trainer he was talking to us just about this…
And they are merits. La Ineos-Grenadiers He still has more money, but right now he's not performing as well. Maybe because many riders have had them for many years, they are older… However, they are working well with young people. But, I imagine, it will take him a while. Then maybe next year he'll get the two Hayter And they'll be the ones to put Pogacar in trouble. Because in this cycling world, it only takes a moment. Physical evolution, materials, nutrition… they go strong right away. This is also why I feel like saying that doping in cycling no longer exists. I've been involved in cycling and I know how important certain things are, and the work as a whole. The preparations are the same, what has really changed a lot is nutrition: it makes a lot of difference.
One last question Eros, rebellin. Do you feel like saying hello?
I was in the car when I got a text: "Rebellin dead." I thought it was fake news. So I called Giada and told her to check. She replied that it was all true. What can I say: in 17 years, I've never seen him have a group discussion. One time we were in Monte Carlo and we stopped to talk—I don't remember who. Davide intervened and said, "This is a good guy, he can do well in the Giro d'Italia." I was shocked. "What, me? What about you?" I thought to myself. Rebellin was the epitome of seriousness, dedication, and kindness. I'm sorry he couldn't enjoy life beyond his bike.
