He fought, he fell, he gritted his teeth and he arrived in Rome. Filippo Zana rode a Giro d'Italia that wasn't explosive, but in some ways one of the most stoic of his career. And in any case, it can't be said that, as a team, it went badly. On the contrary. With Paul Magnier la Soudal-Quick Step he won three stages and took the cyclamen jersey.
Zana tells us about this Giro, which he experienced shoulder to shoulder with Magnier, but also about his personal ambitions, which were then dashed by crashes in the second and eleventh stages, when he broke two ribs. That day, the Venetian was also taken to the hospital and The next morning he got underway only thanks to his enormous willpower.
Filippo, are you recovering from this severe blow to the ribs? How are you feeling?
Before the Giro, I was feeling good. I was happy with how I'd prepared and how I was arriving. Then the crashes had a negative impact, but that's part of the job. Now I'm feeling a little better, but it's not over yet. I'm trying to recover. The goal is to find good feelings again, mostly because of the blow. I'm going to the osteopath and we're going over everything. He told me I'm completely stuck, even the diaphragm, and I'm struggling to breathe.
What kind of Giro would it have been? The third week seemed particularly suited to Filippo Zana, who was in good shape.
As I was saying, I was happy with how I arrived and with my condition. I hoped everything would go well because I could play my cards at some stage. Unfortunately, it didn't go that way. At least it was a good Giro for Soudal-Quick Step.
At the beginning of your career, you were almost more of a climber than an attacker. It seems like you've remained a climber, but have become more of an attacker. Is this interpretation correct?
True. I see myself better this way than before. I think we also need to have fun and encourage the things that come most naturally. And this being more attacking I feel is one of those.
Was it something that came from you, or was there a sporting director who guided you towards this transformation?
It was me. After trying to rank, I realized that I liked running on the attack, free. I like to rank in small tours and stage races, but in the Grand Tours I see myself more as a stage hunter.
You said you had a good Giro as a team. What was it like experiencing the Giro from this perspective?
It was nice. We had all prepared well for the Giro, because Paul was also at high altitude with us and we were always together. We knew he was doing well and we believed in it. Last year he had also been very strong, perhaps in slightly lower-level races, but we knew he could do well. After starting strong right away, we gradually gained more and more confidence. The same thing happened as the days went by and he was wearing the cyclamen jersey. We tried to motivate him to get all the way to Rome.
When Narvaez took the cyclamen jersey from you, were you a bit anxious or did you immediately think about how to get it back?
We've certainly thought about how to get it back. There was never any anxiety about saying, "We can't do it anymore." We've always tried to defend it. Even chasing Narvaez on the climbs. We took turns trying to grab his wheel, not help him, or, in other words, annoy him. Even though I, unfortunately, wasn't 100 percent. In any case, it was a way to put some pressure on him. I think that also helped. It's a shame he withdrew, but I think we did a great job anyway and that Paul would have made it anyway.
Anyway, you had it back in Pieve di Soligo. And then because, in fact, you won every single sprint finish you've ever had. Rome aside...
I believe that Magnier was the strongest among the sprinters at the GiroHe missed Rome because he had little experience in Grand Tours. In fact, he was the first to finish. Last year he only came for two weeks. Paul is young, only 22, so I think it was a great success to be able to do what he did. Even if he didn't have much energy left in the final sprint. But you also grow like this; these are stages in a career.
What kind of guy is Paul Magnier? Is he joking, is he sullen, is he available?
Relax, he's a good guy. He jokes, he laughs, we get along well.
Since you're in Italy, have you included him in your habits? Perhaps by letting him taste some local specialties?
No, in the end he manages on his own. He also likes being part of a group, so it's nice to have him with us. Even at high altitude, spending twenty days together was truly enjoyable. He joked about putting pineapple on pizza or eating pasta with ketchup, Things we Italians don't do. He did it to make fun of us. He knows full well that these are unpopular habits. He likes to joke about these things.
But does he actually eat them?
Yes, he eats them…
Let's move on, it's better! Looking at him from rider to rider, is there anything that strikes you about Magnier? A technical detail...
Who is one of the very few sprinters I have seen come up to altitude to train with us climbers. It happened in Sierra Nevada. Every day he climbed at least twenty kilometers. There are few sprinters I've seen train so hard in the mountains, with such a willingness to suffer. He always tried to stay with us. Really good. Paul knows that by improving on the climbs he can compete for many more stages.
Like in Pieve di Soligo…
Exactly. It wasn't easy that day and not only for the Wall of Ca' del PoggioInstead, he believed in it until the end and in the end, victory even came.
What victory do you think impressed him the most?
That's exactly it. In the morning, no one thought about it. Especially since at the start of the stage there were a few climbs in Valsugana where he'd dropped away. You know how it is: when the breakaway doesn't start, the pace is incredibly high. Paul suffered. Then, when the group stopped, he rejoined. At that point, we told him to stay calm, eat, and recover as much as possible for the finale, because Ca' del Poggio would be decisive. He arrived there in the best position and from there on, he gave it his all until the finish.
You mentioned Ca' del Poggio. There was a certain Filippo Zana who held the KOM. Did you help him under the climb? Tell us about that moment…
I waited for him practically at the top, after the restaurant. He'd lost a few positions there. I told him to stay calm, because the group was still there and we could get back without any problems. I told him that once at the top, on the slight slope, we would have to do a sort of sprint to get back down. And so we did: all together we managed to close the gap and get him into the best possible position for the sprint.
Is he the type to get nervous before sprints or climbs like Ca' del Poggio? Or does he stay calm?
In truth I've never seen Paul nervousHe always seems very calm. But I don't know what he feels inside. From the outside, he's always gloating.
As an Italian, how does it feel to find yourself wearing the pink jersey on your first night on the team?
Beautiful. It was also the first time it had happened to me, and I must say it was a powerful emotion.
Do you think Paul realized he was wearing the pink jersey?
I don't think so. But maybe that's also the beauty of it, especially with a young person. It's an experience that will make him grow. So I'd say: good like this.
