Un Facebook memory, shared on Valentine's Day from Istanbul Airport, because when it comes to Daniele Tortoli it is obligatory to rememberThen the return flight from Türkiye. Rajovic's story to be written for the next day. Until on the plane that had just landed, while we slowly began to collect backpacks and packages, Davide Formolo's voice through a Whatsapp call was the first welcome back to Italy.
Only that the Veronese was (and still is) on TeideHe wanted to comment on that photo of the Tuscan who had the merit of discovering him. To say how much he missed him and add that Today, confronting him would be more useful than it was then. Above all, he wanted to talk. Because on the volcano you can't do anything but train and, as Colbrelli said, look at the topBut Davide can't even pedal, not on the road. The programs he told us about They are frozen. The fall caused by the wild boar on January 3rd continues to bother them, the microfracture of the hand has not yet healed.
But we still had to get off the plane and collect the car and luggage. So, with the promise of speaking again soon, we carried his story in our heads until last night.
How are you?
All right. The volcano is quietIt's not like Etna, which discharges every now and then. This one has been silent since the early 900s, but it's active. They say that When it erupts next, there will be an explosion that will cause real havoc. Let's hope we left in time (laughs, ed.).
And the hand?
I have the next x-ray on March 1stFor now I'm wearing the brace. During the check-up I did before coming up here, the bone was still in bad shape, They gave me little chance to start running as plannedThe only thing is to keep her still. From the tests done immediately nothing was visible, but the doctor said that the fractures of these very small bones are visible after a whileWe basically had to wait for the fracture to open. And in the meantime, I have to stay still.
And by bike?
I can't ride a bike. Besides the fact that the vibrations would hurt, from wearing the brace, even my wrist can't support me anymoreSo much so that when I take it off, I'll also have to do a rehabilitation cycle. I'm supposed to race Laigueglia on March 2nd and the Strade Bianche on the 5th, but right now I don't know exactly what will become of me (he smiles, but you can tell he's heartbroken, ed.)
Do you always have to wear the brace?
Even when I sleep, of course. I only take it off to showerAnd with this Covid thing, I can't even wash my hands properly. I also have to be careful not to twist my legs on my bike. So I'm here, rolling and waiting for better days.. View Covi How did it start well? In January we had a good retreat and I would like to get involved too, because I was at their levelColbrelli also left this morning (yesterday for those reading, ed.). Luckily, I like being here. The benefits of altitude are indisputable.. So we will see the hand's progress and adjust the programs if necessary.
Tortoli used to hunt wild boars and then his wife Silvia would cook them beautifully…
Impossible to forget. There are plenty of them around Monaco., even in the La Turbie area where the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var arrives tomorrow (today's stage, won by Wellens, ed.). One day I was cycling right up there and I found one walking very calmly on the road. Even at my parents' place in Verona, the same thing. I was lucky that… mine was small. He grabbed the front wheel, twisted my handlebars and I rolled on the ground.
Over the winter, Formolo organized a charity auction in Valpolicella. Guardini, Bertolini, and Malesani were also present. His final Tour bodysuit is up for grabs UAE Team Emirates and Pogačar's yellow jersey
Formolo organized a charity auction in Valpolicella. Guardini, Bertolini, and Malesani were also present. One of her bodysuits is up for auction UAE Team Emirates and Pogacar's "yellow"
Why did you say the other day that you'd talk better with Tortoli today than you did back then?
With the little experience I had, I don't think I was able to get the most out of him. He was so much above me before, today I could talk to him as an equalBefore I was almost afraid, today it would be a confrontation between adults.
It was a different kind of cycling.
Ma his wisdom would still be relevant todayThe problem is that from November 10th to October 10th of the following year, someone is watching what we eat, our heartbeats, our engine watts. They track us via satellite with GPS when we're on our bikes, they see our movements. It's a world that's not easy to live in.. Then when things like this happen Dumoulin's rethinking, there's no great surprise. These are technologies that are useful to teams because we can improve, while Before, to learn you had to make a mistake and think about it. Today it's not necessary. You don't have time to make mistakes. You're so monitored, that Before you even make a mistake, there's someone miles away who warns you.It's hard to let yourself be shaped by someone so far away who decides your life.
How do you do?
The results we're achieving are due precisely to this supervision. People shouldn't be surprised. However. luckily there is a great understanding between us and this was also the basis of Daniele's method, which made us grow with the group dynamics. In UAE Team Emirates There is the Italian style and despite so much technology, it is the team that makes the difference. When you're physically at 99,9 percent, the next step is made by your head and the right words.Even a reprimand must be made in the right way, and luckily here we can talk, because there are good people in the right places. Everyone is free to have their say.
When are you coming down from Teide?
February 28th, ten more days.
Do you also spend time looking at the volcano?
The days pass quickly. In the morning you're on the rollers, in the afternoon you shower, then rest. Then the first video call at homeMy daughter eats at 19pm Italian time, so 18pm here. I talk to them and then I go to dinner too, so that feel them again after eatingInitially they were supposed to come here too, but my wife's grandmother isn't very well and so I came alone.
You're lucky, the hotel was much more basic at first...
They told me, instead lately they have investedo. I like the spirit of Tenerife, they are good people but they get things done.
What are your chances of starting in Laigueglia?
The doctor talked about 20 percent, I see it as complicated, but luckily the season is longThis year, I'm focusing on the Giro, not Liège. I want to win a stage, Too much time has passed since La Spezia's victory in 2015In the meantime I've become a father, let's hope I win the next one before I become a grandfather (laughs, ed.). That day after the fall I was so happy that I hadn't broken anything major, that I that little bone was underestimated. And instead, look how I am doing…
