It's been four days since victory of Filippo Conca at the Italian championships but its echo shows no signs of dying down. And it will be talked about for a long time, because the victory of an amateur (without taking anything away from the tricolor champion and his important past as a pro') is certainly not an everyday thing. His figure and that of the Swat Club have been put under the microscope by the media and industry insiders, However, little attention has been paid to how that sensational result was achieved, and what the team did to overturn all predictions. Starting with Mattia Gaffuri.
Let's go back to that weekend to find out a little more, to dig into the actions but first of all into the hopes of the team and above all of the one who by all accounts is the main architect of Conca's victory, because the collaboration that Gaffuri gave him in the final was probably decisive.
Let's start from the day before: what were your ambitions when you set off for Trieste?
Philip had very high expectations because he he had put all his efforts into this race, not being part of the road team, but having mainly dedicated himself to gravelHe wanted to achieve a significant result. We on the team weren't as confident. We'd never raced in a WorldTour team, so we weren't sure what to expect. I went with the idea of staying in front as much as possible, maybe get noticed a little, but I didn't think of an ending like this.
What did you say to each other on the eve, what strategy did you think of?
The sports director Brambilla he had recommended that someone be placed in the initial escape, to show us. The others should stay calm, thinking that Astana with 10 men would control the race. Then on the final circuit we had to stay ahead. On a circuit like that, everything happens very quickly because you enter with 170 kilometers already in your legs. In the first strong lap we were practically down to 10 players fighting for the race, so there wasn't much tactics.
When you woke up and saw the weather, what thoughts did you have?
We knew it would be a very hot day, as it had been all week, so we did everything we could in training to adapt. That was certainly fundamental because in the race we never saw temperatures below 38 degrees, so it was important to try to get as much water as possible from the car, from the supplies.
When did you notice that the race was taking the direction it did and that the expected control was therefore missing?
Personally, what made me ring the alarm bells a bit was when, around 70 kilometres from the finish, big names like Bettiol e UlissiIf the big names move so far away either they make a move that immediately decides the race, or it's a move that means they don't have great legs and are hoping for a different developmentI realized that there was probably much more tiredness than I expected.
Conca was in front with just a few riders, and you were behind. What triggered your mind to go and catch up with them?
The climb where the selection was held was very short, about two minutes. In all the laps I always struggled to follow the accelerations of the more explosive riders, like Aleotti, but after the summit there was a bit of a slight slope, where I always managed to sew up without problems. So I lost some meters that lap too, but I was pretty confident that I could get back in. There were a few technical corners, but for the most part you had to push.So when I broke away I didn't panic, but I knew I could get back in because usually at the front you control yourself and don't push straight away, there was room to rejoin.
When you got back, did you speak to Filippo?
No, also because it was a very hectic phase. Coming from behind, I could have tried a surprise move, but it was a very long straight and they saw me coming. At that point an attack there would have been mostly useless and would have made us stop because then we would have opened up the road, allowing Milan to come back, who were very closeAt that moment, the smartest thing to do seemed to me to go ahead and push for Conca because I was sure that he would at least get the podium.
And what did you think when you saw that he won? Did you feel that victory was also yours?
I'm definitely happy to have contributed, and I think that as a team, we were the most represented at the front throughout the race. So I don't think there's any doubt that the team didn't deserve it. In the end, I too was incredulous that we were leading the race in an Italian championship. Maybe even now I struggle to realize what happened…
You closed twice second in the Zwift competitionYou've been involved in professional cycling for a long time. Do you think you'll be seen differently now?
I hope so, because I think I've shown not only in this race, but also in all the other races I've done during the year that I'm there. I've had several placings on the UCI calendar. I think I've proven I deserve a spot. The Italian championship is a race in itself, this is well known, but I think it's now clear that investment in me is possible.
