Here is an excerpt from the book “Gregario – A Life in Service to Champions” which traces the career of Alessandro Vanotti, squire of many recent champions including Vincenzo Nibali, Ivan Basso and Danilo Di Luca. In these lines, the story of the 2013 Giro d'ItaliaNibali is firmly in the pink jersey, Vanotti shadows him. But suddenly...
The 18 May the fourteenth stage arrived in BardonecchiaRain, wind, cold, and even snow at high altitude convinced the organizers to change the route, eliminating Sestriere. He was a Line of Business very well designed, but once again the bad weather was having a hand in itUnfortunately, halfway through the stage I got a puncture and was forced to stop to change the wheel. At the same time, Vincenzo also stopped for a physiological need and I found him among the flagships as he was climbing up.
Battaglin falls
The asphalt was very slippery, the chaos of the group's queue didn't help us and visibility was reduced. I managed to grab two water bottles and led him to the head, although I was having a hard time keeping up with him because of the scuffle. We were all on the right side of the road when, a few meters in front of me, Enrico Battaglin he hit a traffic islandThe bike flew aside, and he hit the ground hard right in front of me.
I was coming at full speed, I didn't even have time to understand what was happening. I hit him in the ribs with my front wheel, my bike skidded to a halt and I was catapulted forward.
Dislocated shoulder, goodbye Giro
I fell to the ground, hitting my right shoulder and back. I immediately tried to get up to go back in, but a piercing pain was blocking me.Dislocated shoulder, retirement was inevitable.
I was leading the Giro in control, with Nibali in the pink jersey and now I found myself out of the game in an instantThey took me to the local emergency room while Nibali, in the snowstorm, broke away from all his direct rivals and reached the finish line in second place, strengthening his lead in the standings.
He came to pick me up at the hospital Alexander Shefer, the team's first sporting directorHe attended to me like a nurse, dressed me, tied my shoes, loaded me into the car and took me back to the hotel. Before leaving, he looked me straight in the eye and gave me a crazy idea, but strategically extraordinary.
"Vanotti, you're too important to Vincenzo. If you feel like it, you stay with us until the end of the Tour, you stay in the room with him, you're in the group, you're essential." How could I say no to him?
Vanotti's Other Tour
It started like this my second Giro, not without difficultiesThe pain was really strong and dealing with it even in everyday life, without making any effort, was complicated. However, I had one advantage: being with the team allowed me to immediately undergo targeted therapies together with the medical staff to speed up my recovery.
It turned out to be a wonderful experience. I greeted the team at the start and met them again at the finishI waited for Vincenzo in the room every day, having had all the time in the world to take care of every necessary task for him even better than usual, with more time, more calm, more meticulousness.
Nibali flying
I didn't follow the stages in the team car, with the exception of the time trial from Mori to Polsa, the eighteenth stage of the Giro. It was a breath-taking experience, because Vincenzo literally flew. And I realized, seeing him from this unusual point of view, how fast he was going, how much power he had, how much momentum he was able to give to his pedaling.
He won that hill climb and he also won under the heavy snowfall of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, embellishing the final triumph. He had left Rigoberto Uran at almost 5 minutes, had conquered his first Giro d'Italia.
The podium with the team
I too climbed onto the final podium in Brescia, along with the whole team: my companions dressed as riders, me in my official uniformI felt totally part of that group, of that victory. I lifted the trophy, I looked at Vincenzo, I looked at my companions, I was movedI heartily thanked the Astana team for that idea.
In the evening at Villa Fenaroli, in Rezzato, it broke out the team party together with all the families: a wonderful, grandiose event, we were inside a dream. Back in Bergamo, another party with my fan club for the third Giro won as a domestique and, after a few days, we left for Kazakhstan for another celebration in the team's country.
In Kazakhstan as heroes
Those were incredible days there too. They welcomed us as heroesPeople took to the streets to cheer us on, institutions paid homage to us, and there were giant posters of Nibali in every corner of the country. State television followed us every step of the way: we were stars.
We came back from that binge of celebrations and immediately set off again for a work block at Passo San Pellegrino because there was preparation for the Vuelta which Nibali was aiming for.
THE PROPERTY
Title: Gregario – A life in service of champions
Author: Federico Biffignandi
Publisher: Bolis Editions
Pages: 200
Price: 16 €
