Gregario. A word inherent in the centuries-old history of cycling. A role that has become a concept, applicable to everyday life. A few days ago, Fabio Felline he had expressed a reflection behind which a thousand thoughts hide: «The profession of a gregarious is difficult to judge».
Matteo Trentino he had put his own spin on it, underlining an important aspect that is part of current cycling: «A leader averages 60 days of racing per year, a domestique averages 80 to 100.». It's a profound difference.
Today's domestique is no longer the same as the one of the last century. Many things have changed, as is only natural, considering that cycling, indeed society itself, has changed profoundly. Salvatore is a man who knows the profession of domestique well. puccino, which has actually become an absolute reference for the role, after many years of militancy in the Ineos Grenadiers. Yet his first statement leaves us a little perplexed: "It's a role that's disappearing..."
It seems hard to believe…
Let's say that the role of the domestique emerges most in the Grand Tours, when you work day after day. In one-day races, you immediately travel at high speeds, so different figures emerge. After all, "gregario" is a word that represents a generic concept, Each rider now plays a very specific role in the team. Much then depends on the setting itself.
Explain yourself better…
In a team like ours, the work of the domestique remains fundamental in covering the captain, guiding him to various positions in the group based on what is happening in the race. The goal is to make him spend as little as possible while keeping him in the thick of the action and this costs a great deal of energy.But when it comes to "fighting," the leader will have a full tank and other figures, such as lieutenants, will step in to support him.
In your opinion, is a domestique still a figure that teams look for?
Certainly, but I repeat: the term is now a bit too generic. For example, sprint teams look for "train wagons" for the sprinter and riders who can keep the group together, those who have general classification riders who can protect them in various situations. Those who have strong riders in the mountains want people who can either lend a hand when the road gets rough under their wheels or who can manage the race on the flats. One way or another, however, Teams need the various "pieces" and in the transfer market we see that it is actually the main figures who move.
Does a domestique enjoy more freedom throughout the year in the pursuit of personal satisfaction than when you first joined the pros?
It's difficult for me to answer. I've always raced in teams with great captains and there has always been very little freedomWe work every day in their service, we enjoy their victories, in a certain sense of reflected light. I understood very early on that I didn't have the qualities to emerge as an absolute protagonist, but I could have made a good career in the service of others and I adapted.
Let's touch on the economic aspect. Cycling today is very different from that of the last century, and salaries are equally different. However, there used to be a factor related to prize money. How does that work nowadays?
Many teams put all the prizes won into a fund which at the end of each race, whether one-off or in stages, is divided among all those who participated. Some teams prefer to add everything up until the end of the season, but most do it the other way and I think it's fairer.. It must then be considered that a part, usually 20 percent is deducted and made available to the staff, from mechanics to masseurs and so on. Sharing is important beyond the numbers, because one always wins thanks to others.
Is a domestique today more or less famous than in the past?
It certainly has more visibility, but not as much thanks to social media as one might think. I think it's more due to the full live broadcasts on TV channels: Once upon a time, we only connected for the final stages and the same people always emerged. Now there is the possibility of also see the work of the initial and central phases which are the most demanding for us.
What approach do today's young people have? Do they all want to be seen as leaders or are they able to adapt?
At the beginning, everyone wants to play their cards, but you have to be careful: you can even get good results, but one bad season and your stock drops. If you don't know how to adapt, if you don't understand early what your role might be, this world will consume you and throw you away. Those who manage to make themselves useful may not appear in the list of winners, but they will have aa long and overall well-paid careerSometimes, if pride takes a step back, there is everything to be gained.
