BENIDORM (Spain) – The smile is there and that already sends a good message. Filippo Baroncini is back among his companions, this time to really pedal. He had already experienced a first parenthesis, as he himself told us, in November, when he flew to the United Arab Emirates for his birthday party. UAE Emirates.
In recent days, Baroncini has spoken again about that terrible accident, about everything he'd been through. At the end of the year, he himself had recalled those difficult moments in a post, the induced coma. One sentence struck us more than others, a sentence that also speaks to Filippo's moral strength. “It wasn’t so much fear for me, but the pain of leaving a void for my loved ones.” More or less, that was the gist of it. You too should pause and reflect on these words: the words of a boy, of a son.
The “Cheat” in the group
But now, with the new year, it's time to turn the page and get back to talking about the rider. And so, when we meet him in the lobby of the resort overlooking Benidorm with his usual perforated laundry bag, we return to a glimpse of everyday life we've missed too much.
Filippo begins to tell us how things are going. "We're starting to get a little more serious," Baroncini says. "We left off like this, with those few rides in the Emirates, and now we're just as happy to be here with our teammates, really riding together.
«Some days are a bit complicated for me, because keeping up with others isn't always easy.. But I'm still trying to hold on, to try. And in any case, and this is the good thing, I feel improvements day after day. Furthermore, my health, in a general sense, is returning more and more and that's what I cared about initially and what I still care about today."
On Baroncini's face you can still see some signs, But this boy's moral strength is impressive. And yet, with Luck, he's not in debt; more than that: it's as if he were a bank where he can collect all the money from the vault. "True," laughs the Card Player, "but this really boosts morale."
Kilometers…
Now we're trying to understand how the Romagnola is working technically. And in this sense the UAE Team Emirates is doing an excellent job, both on the technical and mental fronts.
"Obviously," Baroncini explains, "I'm following a different path. With my coach, the Australian Kevin Poulton, we're working hard." During the December retreat, for example, Filippo would leave with his teammates and then manage himself.
«If they had to accelerate, I would drop back and continue at my own pace. Now I need, more than anything else, to build a foundation, a lot of foundation, to get the engine back on track, the aerobic system that practically starts from scratch."
Since December, Baroncini has been grinding out hours and hours in Z2 and Z3. Even managing to stay in Z2 isn't easy given his condition, as his heart rate, without a solid aerobic base, tends to rise easily. But even here, Baro's morale doesn't falter.
"True, lots of Z2 and Z3... but I've made a few leaps higher. I still can't help myself. But, joking aside, the engine needs a proper rebuild."
And gym
The U23 world champion from Leuven concluded his first Spanish training camp of the season by managing to cover distances of over 150 kilometres, unthinkable until a few weeks ago.
«I ended up working 23-24 hours a week. I repeat, We're restarting the engine, but we need to work on everything else: strength, nervous system, elasticity».
Here begins the chapter on dryland training, which has become central to Baroncini. On occasion, while others were thinking about the double outing, he would hit the gym.
«I'm working really hard on this aspect – he confirms – sometimes it's almost better to do an hour less on the bike but have more energy for the gym and mobility. I'm working with Victor Moreno, who isn't the physiotherapist but the team member in charge of managing injuries. He's a real genius, like a magician: he can help you recover well and very quickly. He always knows what we need. Consider that for the mobility of my pelvis, which is still very stiff, he makes me do movements as if simulating a salsa dance. In fact, I told my girlfriend: We're going to an evening salsa and bachata class. And Victor fully approves...».
Shorter cranks
Still focusing on mobility and posture, Baroncini also talked to us about some changes in the saddle, born of physical needs, but with a focus on performance. The rider's DNA always shines through.
«In fact – he continues – I changed the cranksets, I shortened them. It was a curiosity I had even before the accident and now I took advantage of it: I went from 175mm to 172,5. Apparently it's a useful solution for some stiffness, too. So far, I'm happy with it, although to be honest, I haven't noticed a huge difference."
«I started using the Colnago Y1Rs, the most aerodynamic one, and I'm happy with it. However, I have to say that I also feel very comfortable with the VRS5, perhaps more than other companions, because I consider it a bike more suited to all types of routes. It's very fast, but also very specific for flat terrain, even if then a certain Tadej has proved that with this bike you can win the Tour de France».
It's a pleasure to discuss technical aspects with Baroncini again. Filippo is one of the greatest talents in our cycling, one of those with a big, big engine. And every time he's had the chance, he's shown he can win and go fast. Last year at the Giro, even talking to other riders behind the scenes, everyone told us how strong Baroncini was.
"For now," Filippo concludes, "I still don't know what program I'll do. It's too early. First, let's try to catch up, and then we'll see." It is impossible to draw up a timetable now. There's a draft, but it doesn't even make sense to name the races. I don't have specific goals: I'm just interested in getting back to 100 percent physically and being happy being able to ride every day. Then the races that come, will come."
Greetings to Ayuso
Finally we cannot help but ask him a comment on the absence of Juan Ayuso, with whom he shared important moments since the under 23s, starting from the victory at Giro Next Gen, and many other races… even as rivals.
"Do you miss him? Ours has always been a very close-knit group, both when Juan was here and now that he's gone. I haven't noticed any changes, also because we're all professionals. And even if there are sometimes squabbles, as happens in all teams and all families, The harmony has always been excellent. I'm very happy with the group I'm in and I wish Ayuso the best.».
