This time Jacopo Guarnieri left home with a heavy heartHis daughter Adelaide is now four years old, so he spent the whole day of his departure with her. He took her for a bike ride, and they were together until 15 p.m. then he packed his suitcase and left for France. «This time – he admits – I had watery eyes. Three weeks is a long time. She drew me a picture to put in my suitcase, and I told her I'd miss her a lot. And then she told me to say goodbye to the drawing., because it represents her. Luckily there are video calls, I think it was much harder before.. But even the thought of my daughter becomes an incentive to run."
The giant Jacopo, Demare's last man and director of the train Groupama-Fdj, he arrives at the Tour from the scorching heat of the Italian championships in Imola and in Brittany he instead found the cold of the North. When you want to have a non-trivial chat, the Milanese is one of the best interlocutorsAnd at the start of the Tour, which is more of an odyssey of men against mountains and plains than a race, finding non-trivial interpretations is what is needed.
What do you think of this Tour?
On paper, from the sprinter's point of view, It seems less demanding than usual to meI mean, it's tough, but there aren't any desperate stages. Rather, I see dangerous days, due to the wind and the routes. And those, from the sprinter's point of view, are a real mess.
Is the team split equally between Gaudu and Demare?
Not in a mathematical way, because we will collaborate, but yes. Gaudu's idea is to gain space, and it's going well after all.Pinot wouldn't have come to the Tour anyway because he had to ride the Giro. Let's see what happens. I think a top-10 finish is within his reach, even though he's young. Even knowing that nowadays telling someone that they are young is no longer indicating a limit (laughs, the reference is to the super young people who have been all the rage since 2020, ed.).
And you, who are now quite young, what role do you have?
I'm a good fit. I'm starting to be the second oldest player on the team in terms of experience, and for my role, that's fine. I gladly take responsibility.
French team, but no more French teams…
We are opening up, as are Ag2R and Cofidis. It's a natural evolution, if you want to keep up. If you focus on just one nationality, you won't succeed. We're at the Tour on a French team, but we are four foreigners.
But what does it mean to be at the Tour in a French team?
There are no big differences, except for the many media around. There is more attention, we realize itThe French feel the race the way I would the Giro. It's the home rider's itch. And I feel it too, because I have the responsibility to help Demare. We're sprinters, we run to win. We're at 90 to 95 percent all year round., so now the feeling is that of adrenaline rising.
Is this also palpable on the eve?
We know there will be sprints, we're studying them. Our hearts are racing. We've been rewatching videos from 2020 to relive rival sprints. You recall everything you want to do, knowing that we won't be there until Monday.
Bennett, last year's dominator, is missing, what changes?
There are 4-5 protagonists in the sprints. Last year, no one expected Sunweb to be there, but they'll be there again. Trek with Pedersen, Teuns, and Stuyven will have some great stages. Then Lotto with Caleb Ewan. And then there's us.
And Cavendish?
Right, Mark too. He still has legs, but they obviously brought him because they had no other options. He's fast, he's already won. I don't know how he'll handle the mountains, though, even though none of us are great at climbing. Champions like him thrive in big events.Cavendish will be there.
Is Colbrelli scary?
He'll certainly dive in, but he's no longer the aggressive sprinter he was at the start; his characteristics have changed. He'll face tougher and more complicated stages, like the first one tomorrow. I'm his friend, and I'll be cheering for him tomorrow. He can win and take the yellow jersey..
Imagine controlling the race right away?
Impossible, do you know the stress of the first stages? There will be all the trains jostling together, it will be difficult to organizeNormality will begin in the second week. And then we'll fight for the stages and see how we can move forward for the green jersey, which this year is indeed geared toward sprinters.
And how are you?
I'm fine. I've tried to get my body used to the heat. But I realize that... I'm one of those who complain in training, then when I attack the number I always give 10 percent more...
You're getting old, there's only one explanation...
Maybe, but as long as things are going this way, I can live with it. I have good values, I love stage races.I love the feeling of the second and third week.I like the sprints of the Tour. Tomorrow it finally starts, but I'm sure I'll look at that drawing often...
