Sometimes it happens that one gold is not enough As a business card. The gold medal won by Liam Bertazzo in the team pursuit at the last Track World Championships in Roubaix. it didn't help him to keep a job, at least, among the professional teams.
The Paduan from Tribano – fresh from his thirty birthday on February 17 – was leaving Vini Zabù, the company he had been with for the last seven seasons and which was known to be closing at the end of 2021. Before the end of the year, the Italian Cycling Federation and Marco Villa they had tried to help him find a teama that holds the top spot. "He deserves it", the track manager had said. But nothing until a few days ago.
Now Bertazzo has a contract. He signed it with the Maloja Pushbikers (German continental team) and it came to fruition thanks to the intercession, so to speak, of the track. While returning from the national team training camp in Peschiera del Garda, Liam explained everything to us over the phone, also commenting live on the his participation in the eSports World Championship on the Zwift platform on February 26th together with Matteo Cigala, Martina Fidanza, and Elena Pirrone. "That one," she tells us laughing, " It won't be a walk in the park, it will be a real pain.».
Liam, you've finally found a team; you couldn't be left stranded. How did this deal come about?
It was a combination of things. I already knew their general manager Christian Grasmann by reputation, who was an excellent track cyclist and had raced a Six Days of Berlin with Villa. Then I discovered this training better thanks to my training partner Filippo Fortin, who had signed with them in October and spoke highly of them. At that point, we deepened our contacts, and a few weeks ago I went to Munich to sign (their headquarters, however, are in Holzkirchen, 30 kilometers south of the Bavarian capital, ed.).
What impression did you get?
It's a small but well-organized team. They have a good mentality, a great desire to do things and a good atmosphereThey think like a company. After seven years in an Italian team, I'll find a different environment here. It will be a life experienceI'll have mostly German classmates, then an American and a New Zealander. With them, I'll be able to improve my English.
We looked at their website and social media profiles to better understand some technical aspects. Do you know anything about their brands?
The team is supported by great corporate realities. We will use bicycles WiawisThey're South Korean, and I already knew them because their national team uses them on the track and I'd seen their bikes in various international competitions. I know they already have a chassis ready for me. Maloja, which is the main sponsor, is a brand of technical clothing, mainly for outdoor use. (They are the official suppliers of the United States national biathlon team that participated in the Beijing Winter Olympics, ed.). Our uniforms will be orange and gray, aesthetically striking. They are produced by Maloja and every year they changed them also for marketing reasons.
Why did you choose this team?
For a few reasons. I want to keep focusing on the track. Paris 2024 it's a goal of mine after it was for me an honor to be a reserve in Tokyo. But I wanted to get back on track and be competitive.Thanks to Grasmann, who knows both of them well, I thought his team was the right one for me to restart after the closure of Vini Zabù.
What schedule will you have?
We'll see it little by little, but I already have it planned until the end of April. I will make my debut on March 2nd at the Umag Trophy in Croatia, where I will do a couple more races until the 13th. Then we will race in Rhodes both on March 20th and from 24th to 27th. Finally From 21st to 24th April there will be the first tests of Nations Cup on track in GlasgowI'll have to balance my commitments between the two activities well for the rest of the season.
What goals have you set for yourself?
I don't have one in particular, I'm basically starting from scratchI'd like to make up for the time lost due to the back injury I had to undergo surgery for two years ago (a microdiscectomy, ed.) after a crash in the stage race in Colombia at the beginning of 2019. I could barely walk anymore. Now I'm definitely better. I would like to find some feeling with the sprint, to return to appear in some finishing order. But above all, help Fortin, who will be the main sprinter.
Why hasn't any other band contacted you?
There hasn't been much interest from any professional, either Italian or foreign. The Federation tried to help me, and I thank them very much, but it hasn't had any effect. I honestly don't know why but I don't accuse anyone. There could be several reasons. Partly because it was known that I didn't run much due to back problems. And so I had poor results. Or because in Italy, despite having champions like Consonni, Ganna, Viviani and Milan, there is still not much consideration for the dual road-track activityIt's a shame, because velodromes can now carry out many safe jobs that bear fruit on the road. And vice versa.
We're closing, Liam, we're happy to hear you're excited. Are you ready to get started?
Absolutely yes. We will be going on retreat from today until February 27th (on Lake Garda, ed.). But first I visited the team's headquarters and the Maloja company (in Rimsting, also in Bavaria, ed.). It's new and beautiful, I was very curious to see it. They want to grow, and I want to contribute to their project.
