CASTELL'ARQUATO – «Ah, since Guarnieri stopped racing…». This is the nice social dedication made to Jacopo Guarnieri on his competitive farewell by Francesco, one of his dear friends., paraphrasing the famous refrain from Marmellata #25 by Cesare Cremonini when he talks about Senna and Baggio…
For the 37-year-old Piacenza native and his fans, "it's no longer Sunday." His retirement will officially be registered at the end of December, but Guarnieri has been in the midst of his ex-pro phase for the past twenty days., even though it had started – in hindsight – almost a month earlier. In practice its sixteenth season ended on August 7th with the last stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, which also coincided with the thousandth race (exactly!) of his career in the highest category.
A goal on the horizon of which we had already spoken to him, although just a couple of years ago he had confided in us his intention to retire at the end of 2025, after having helped bring his Lotto-Dstny back to the WorldTour. So we went to ring his doorbell, to understand what was behind his decision and to be sure that we would never find him out training again.It was a long chat, but Guarnieri always has a lot to say.
Jacopo, how have you experienced the days since your farewell until today?
I'd say very well. I've finished my career. to the Arctic Race in a country like Norway which has the midnight sun and which I love very much. I've always been a very determined person once I've started on a path, even though the decision to stop dates back to the beginning of July. When I made it public it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders., because it seems absurd, but if you don't say it on social media, it's not true (smiles, ed.). It helped me move forward. Now I'm ready to start new things.
Speaking of social media, you've received a lot of messages from many people on your profiles. Were there any that surprised you or pleased you more than others?
My colleagues' comments were definitely very nice. Some had a joking tone. But if I have to be a little romantic I say the one from Groupama-FdjThey left me a message on Twitter (the current X, ed.) with a collage of photos thanking me. That's where I left my heart because what I experienced in the six years with them is unmatchable..
Instead, among the private messages, did anyone tell you anything in particular?
The first people to know about my decision were the teammates I was with at the Arctic Race and I told them verbally. After about ten days, I sent a message to the Lotto-Dstny riders' chat. Outside of the team environment, the first person in cycling I told was Daniel OssHe'd been texting me for a while, asking what I was going to do. I had to call him because I couldn't just text him. We laughed together, because he's still working terribly hard and he envies me a little.
You've had time to process it, but when and why did you make this decision in July?
I actually came to terms with it within twenty-four hours. This choice comes from a long way back. When I had signed for Lotto-Dstny In my mind, it would have been my last contract. In reality, both this season and last, despite feeling very good physically, I felt undervalued. I just wanted to continue to show the team that I was still “good” and that I still had my skills.. So I had made contact with another formation between winter and spring that I was interested in going to.
And how did it end?
Nothing materialized, and I already knew in June. It was a question of age, not values, given that I'm turning 38 next year. It's hard to find a new team that wants to invest in a rider of my age for a season or two.And I completely agreed with this reasoning. In the meantime, a second team had taken over, but nothing materialized with them either. I remembered my thought from two years agoI should have still lived this life, and now it's much more demanding. Even then, I felt relieved.
How much did it cost you not to do the Tour de France, considering that you started in Italy, and specifically in Piacenza?
Here, that hurt me so much, more than receiving a “no” for next year or decide to quit. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For me, it would have been the icing on the cake. It's a shame because I was doing well and going strong. There were all the conditions for my captains to want me to start, but the coaches didn't want to change their minds. And that's how it went. Especially because of the way they communicated it.
Or?
To tell the truth, it was not communicated. I found out that I wouldn't go by consulting our website where we see the logistics of each of us and the related race programI found it a bit of a low blow, I expected more professionalism. Since in a team like Lotto-Dstny that seeks lots of points and opportunities to have good races, I think they could have told me this by bringing attention and motivation to other races. This is a mistake that wasn't made only with me, but I know that it is a situation that does not happen rarely, even in more prestigious teams.
What did your classmates say to you when you wrote in the chat?
Even though it's been two years in which I haven't felt truly expressed, My teammates, especially those I raced with the most, got to know me and appreciated me for what I can do, not just on the bike.. Also because it's not a trivial thing, but sometimes you live right next to your classmates for a very long time. And that made me very happy.
And your sports directors?
A few days before I had communicated my decision to the management and Even though there were some frictions, I found the correctness that was missing at other times. In the end, I can say that maybe they didn't behave in the best way, but we didn't throw plates at each other's heads. Since I want to stay in the cycling environment, I will have no problem placing bets on the Lotto-Dstny retreatsFor me it wasn't a pleasant experience, but I think it can happen over many years of a career, just as it has happened in the past.
You've been recognized by everyone as the master of the lead-out. Do you think this role has suddenly become stale? Or would you have felt old if you'd continued?
I honestly don't know. Racing has changed a lot, and the same goes for approaches. They have shrunk a lot the opportunities for sprintsIn the Grand Tours, where there are still many stages for sprinters, especially in the Tour, it's now very difficult to finish unless you're an excellent climber. As a result, I see a lot of chaos. There is no real train even in the best equipped team and it is often made up of those who do not do it during the year. So the figure of the “pilot fish” will be seen less and less, even if I see Simone Consonni as my heir. The partnership he's forming with Milan is a great one, also because to be a good last man you need a great finisher.
You'll be a rider manager. What qualities should a potential client have?
I will start working with young peopleI'll therefore shift my attention to the U23 and junior races. The main aspect, especially if he's about to go pro, I think will be physical talent. However, one thing I'll be looking for a lot, and one I've always looked for in the relationships around me when I was racing, is to find intelligent people, even before ridersFor example, I like those kids who have already told me they will continue studying so they have a ready alternative in case the bike doesn't go well or the way they want. Whoever imagines a failure on a bike is also ready to sustain it and then get back upThose who instead bet everything on cycling, in a do-or-die kind of way, are the most fragile.
And what characteristic would you like to have as an attorney?
I hope to be what he was for me Manuel Quinziato, my manager for the past few years. He was like the rock or an island of salvation in the open seaI've always thought that a manager isn't just someone who finds you a contract. In the end the rider is alone and there are many moments that can be negative.Knowing you have a fixed point that's just for you is very important and gives you a lot of peace of mind. I'd like to have a small group of riders so I can follow them or help them as best as possible.
In your social media farewell, you wrote that you'd also like to be a television commentator, which you've already done for the Tour de France. In that case, what style would you like to have?
Let me make a premise right away. There is nothing definite because it is not something that depends on me, but I have had contacts for this role. However, compatible with other commitments, having recently stopped I would like to share this experience and maybe refresh the technical language a bitI followed the Tour on ITV (a British public television network, ed.) and it was very stimulating because it was in a different language than my own and I really enjoyed doing it, because you experience the race.
Who was Jacopo Guarnieri all these years?
I don't know, but I think I was a professional personI've always been faithful to what I believed in. Faithful to the jobs I had to do on my bike, going out in terrible weather, but also faithful to not go to retreats when I know they are counterproductiveObviously, in the early years of my career, I wasn't so solid. But this aspect shaped me into who I was, even at the cost of being difficult to mold. I'm happy about this, even if that wasn't all I was.
And before leaving his house, we browse through the album of memories with newspaper clippings kept by an aunt about that promising child of the CC Cremonese 1891Here comes the latest scoop on Guarnieri's cycling life right at the Cesarini: «I raced for 31 years. I happened to be in the national team, winning Italian championships on the track, but I won my only road title as a G1 in 1994. Provincial champion of Cremona. The only champion's jersey I've ever managed to earn." And as we close the book laughing, we say goodbye and thank the big boy from Castell'Arquato. We'll find him around in other guises.
