The day after Davide Plebani, Lorenzo Bernard and their tandem has the rhythm of rest. Last night, after the bronze medal in the pursuit, things dragged on, between formalities and anti-doping. Time for a little reflection: the celebrations, the medal under the pillow, and everyone off to bed.
Plebani explains, the questions serve only to direct the flow of words. The Bergamo native has always conveyed the impression of a good person. And his amazement at the values of Paralympic sport confirms this. The environment had already struck him during the days of the World Championships in Rio, the Olympic dimension did the restHe says he's never hugged an opponent before the start of a final, but yesterday he did. He, who usually weighs his words, he wants to tell a story and it's an opportunity to be seized on the fly. Next to him is Lorenzo Bernard.
How does it feel the next day to have that medal in your hands?
We slept together, I kept it under my pillow and the effect is beautifulI have this ritual where when I get the medals, I sleep with them at night. It's a huge thrill and we're very happy, because hard work pays off. Even when you work, you don't always get paid, perhaps because you're working poorly.
Did you do everything right?
I'm very happy with working with Lorenzo and of having grown up together, even if in a short time. I pushed the accelerator a little with him to be able to get the maximum straight awaySeeing his qualities, I knew we could do well. We just had to… to gain ground on our opponents, who have now been together for ten years.
Yesterday Perusini spoke precisely about the short time, from Glasgow onwards…
And we haven't done it in Glasgow, by the way. We've basically only been on the track for a short time, since last October. But now... I don't want the message to get across that winning a Paralympic medal is trivial.I'd hate for this message to get across. Because it didn't get across at all!
What made the difference?
The speech was only that Lorenzo is gifted. All our opponents really fear us and have complimented us. Especially since he is the only B1, that is, totally blindIt means you have to be twice as determined. Because you definitely have more limitations than the others, who can see the movement of the guy in front. Who train alone with their bikes, on the road. It's a totally different situation.
Have your opponents really put you on the list of those to watch in such a short time?
They understand that Lorenzo is really strong, while I was a professional practically until yesterday. I had stopped and when they asked me to continue it seemed like... to drive the tandem it was a walk in the park. Instead, we found ourselves faced with a devastating level. Just look at the times: 3'55" means flying.Yesterday we pushed 67×14, these are top pursuit numbers. Surely the factor that allowed us to shorten the times was my experienceWe've also taken some beatings, but the hard work has paid off. And I assure you, Lorenzo isn't at his best yet.
It was said that you were at the same time as Ganna, so Lorenzo is strong, but you are no less…
I really got to play two Olympics (speaking of this, his voice changes imperceptibly and takes on a colder tone, ed.), but I never managed it. And when Lorenzo's door opened for me, who nevertheless had this exceptional engine, I told myself that we had to believe in it all the wayThe thing is, as our technicians rightly kept repeating, being the first Paralympics, the result might not have come. But I've never seen it that way. It's my first Paralympics, but I want to bring something home. I knew it was possible.
Have you always had the upper hand? Was there ever a difficult moment?
Yes, at minus 6. We managed it well at the start. I felt like we were always ahead, because we were both consistent. It's just that we had a faster pace, so we were gaining ground. We never had a single setback. In qualifying, our time had been better, but in the last kilometer, we had suffered more. Here, however, we managed to always be consistent, even if a little slowerBut at a certain point your body tells you no. It tells you: wait, look, your battery is running out! So your legs get really stiff and you can't go any further. There you go, In my opinion, the crux came at that point, because I understood that I had to go all out and then we would have made history. So I closed my eyes and gave it my all. So to speak (laughs), otherwise who would have driven the tandem?
Speaking of tandems, have you used a carbon one?
Yes, we were lucky because theLorenzo's team, the Team Equa, allowed the purchase of this tandem. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to get it. When I spoke with Ercole Spada, its president, was immediately kind. He said he believed in us and thanks to him we were able to make a big difference in materials and for retreats., for which he supported us. So thanks go to him and certainly also from me. Flames Gold, because without their permission and support, I could not have come here to play for the medal..
Is it too early to think about Los Angeles 2028?
Definitely. I was very focused and told myself to take it one step at a time.When you have a goal, you try to focus your energies. We haven't even taken a tour of the Village. I also deleted Instagram for a monthI tried to isolate myself and focus on Lorenzo. I had a really good time. I didn't think about the future, but I know one thing. I was supposed to go to the World Cup, but I won't go, because I have to get married in those days..
Speaking of weddings, Elisa Balsamo has rarely been seen so moved by an outcome…
She said it too: «It was a stronger emotion than when I win"And I replied: "Now at least you understand how I feel when you win!"
Like two brothers
Here jealousy could arise, let's say laughing. What will Lorenzo Bernard say, knowing that Will his Paralympic partner prefer to get married rather than compete in the next World Championships with him? Both of them burst into laughter. Davide's place will be taken by Manuele Caddeo, a Ligurian, himself a former road racer.
“No, no,” he smiles, “I’m not jealous. He is like a brother to me and together with him I have achieved the dream of a lifetime.. As I always told everyone, winning a medal was an obsession of mine. It was turbanI give and I have lifted a great weight off my shoulders. I knew Davide would be the best person for me.We saw right away that if we put in the effort and had a good feeling, we could do this stuff. So I believed in it from day one and I put my all into it.. As he did too."
Was it really that easy to switch from rowing to cycling?
You have to have really strong legs and then the effort is more or less the same. I did the 2.000 meters: it was 6 minutes of intense effort. So I just had to transform my body into a cyclist's body, so take off some mass on top and put all the concentration into my legs.It was a progression, little by little I improved and we got to the medal. A lot of people messaged me while my family was here.
Davide mentioned handshakes before the start, but what were the pre-departure phases like?
I think I handled them much better than the World Cup. Of course, it's a different situation. What worked was to stay calm and with a fairly relaxed mind, not think too much about it and give it my all.. But there was still tension, there was no shortage of adrenaline.
At the sixth kilometer, it became clear that the race was turning point. Were you able to communicate in any way?
During the race no. We have our own technique, which is to go full speed ahead as long as you can.So I put it down, I know it's 16 laps, and I start counting them. At least I try. In qualifying and yesterday in the final, between laps 12 and 13, I lost count. But I knew there were only a few left and I kept pedaling until Davide stopped too..
What was your first thought when you realized it was done?
There were two or three laps to get used to it, so we could both catch our breath. Then when Davide told me, an infinite joy explodedI've never been so happy, I think, in my entire life. In my opinion, nothing happens by chance. I believe there's a reason for everything, and so I'm happy. I try to tell everyone what happened to me, so that it doesn't happen to others. (Lorenzo lost his sight in a World War II grenade explosion while he was working in the fields, ed.) So in some ways I took it well and have no regrets.
Do we look to the future or, as Davide says, do we live in the present?
Up until now, I've been focused on this race, we'll see how it goes in the next few years. Now I'll let these Olympics finish, we still have three competitions to doWe'll think about it later. In the meantime, though, I'm enjoying this medal. If only you knew how long I've been chasing it...
