The retreat of Androni in Benidorm It gave us a lot of food for thought. From the relaunch of Simone Ravanelli to the painful, but apparently necessary exclusion of Nicola VenchiaruttiThe Friulian rider will run with the Work Service in the 2022 season. His does not appear to be a clean break, but rather a chance for redemption.He also turned professional. in 2020 it was affected by the pandemic and a debut season run (if 7 races in a year means running) quietly.
Hi Nicola, why did you compete so few races in 2020?
At the beginning of the season I had run a lot, with the debut in January in Venezuela at the Vuelta al Tachira and then, in February, the Tour de LangkawiThen, as you well know, the pandemic stopped everything for months and when racing resumed in August, the team has decided to give more space to athletes with more experience to then leave me more margin in 2021.
Did running so little make it harder for you to adapt to the category?
No doubt, already the transition from under 23 to pro is difficult, if in addition a four-month stop is added… Anyone who turned professional in 2020 was certainly negatively affected.
What was the biggest challenge in racing among the pros?
From under, the rides last four hours, rarely five. Instead, In the professional world, after five hours the races heat up and the pace becomes hellish.You have to get into the race rhythm and to do that you have to run a lot, and I'm a rider who needs consistency to perform at his best.
How did 2021 go?
Not very well, I caught covid. In mid-January I tested positive for a control swab, I stayed positive for a good month and missed most of the preparation. I trained at home with rollers, but it's not the same thing.
You started running in March.
Yes, I wasn't in shape at all and those races were just to get me moving. I ran a lot I must say: Roads White, Tour of Türkiye, then a stage race in Bosnia and the Tour of ItalyThese races helped me to get into the running rhythm but they were very demandingAfter the Giro I was really tired, I took a week of complete rest.
What was your first experience of the Giro d'Italia like?
Beautiful from a human point of view, for an Italian cyclist it is a dream. I had never done such long stage races and I felt it., the third week I was really done.
After the Giro, however, you didn't run much.
In the following two months (June and July, ed.) I only ran in the Italian time trial and road championshipsI returned to racing at the end of August, at Tour PoitouThe team decided to let those who had not participated in the Giro d'Italia race.
Perhaps it would have been better, for your growth, not to do the Giro but to have more consistent races…
We weren't supposed to participate, we knew it and they had organized the racing calendar differently. Then, shortly before the start of the Giro, I was at the Tour of Türkiye, the exclusion of the Vini Zabu And I found myself on the team. There were no previous discussions, but as a rider, I was happy to participate.
Analyzing these two seasons, what conclusions do you draw?
In my opinion they are results were missing, because if we talk about values I grew upI lacked consistency in my running at some key moments of the season.
You turned pro at the end of your second year as an under. Was that a premature choice?
I don't think so. Before Androni hired me for 2020, I did three races with them as a trainee: the Coppa Bernocchi, the Tour of Slovenia, and the Tour of Taihu Lake. Speaking with the team (Cycling Team Friuli, ed.), we agreed that the opportunity was worth seizing.
Now you're at Work, how did you and Androni part ways?
I was disappointed that they didn't confirm it, but they believe in me. All I have to work and I want to find continuity performance and racingI only have one year left on my contract, but that's not a big concern. The calendar is full, there are many appointments and the opportunities to show off are also numerous.It's up to me to reconquer the professional world.
