Just a few races left and Simone Velasco's (and the XDS Astana Team's) season will see the final credits roll. Today the Great Piedmont, then Lombardy and finally the two races in Veneto. If everything goes as planned, the Bolognese rider will have 77 days of competitionA significant achievement that saw him collect fifteen top 10 finishes, including five podiums. The last notable placing came at the Coppa Agostoni last Sunday, on October 5, behind Adam Yates and Carlos Canal.
Sipping energy
La XDS Astana, like many other teams, has decided to set up its headquarters in Malpensa for the end of this season.
"We stayed in a hotel near Malpensa for the whole week," Velasco said on the eve of the Gran Piemonte, "just like the other teams that moved to these parts. I decided to stay here too because constantly going back and forth from home becomes tiring.We're at the end of the season and we have to ration our physical and mental energy."
How do you get to these last races after the third place of Agostoni?
Last weekend was a busy one, Between the Giro dell'Emilia and the Coppa Agostoni we got busyIn fact, I decided not to run at Tre Valli yesterday and to rest. Yesterday (Tuesday, ed.) I really needed to take a break, today (Wednesday, ed.) I felt slightly better. The season was very intense, we raced a lot for the points and without big gaps. In the end I think I only stopped for a week in May to prepare the Tour de France.
At the Agostoni we were talking about this great comeback, which began with a meeting between you riders a year ago…
True. On the other hand, I'm of the opinion that certain situations either help you bond or create a definitive rift in the team. We were good at uniting and creating a competitive team. After the last races of 2024 we met for a retreat requested by the team, four days all together. We had to test the new bikes, the sizes of the race kits. In those days you are already in off-season, there is less stress.
And did a meeting between you arise from this?
More than a single meeting, it was a series of moments spent together. After the various commitments of the day, in the evening we riders would go out for a ride to spend time together.The new ones were already there, so it was also a way to get to know each other.
What was the atmosphere like?
Of revenge, the goal was to do well and make it clear that previous seasons had gone badly for reasons unrelated to performanceFrom these moments you either get a beautiful or a very bad season.
What is the border?
Honesty between teammates. When you have so many riders who want to do well you have to be honest with each other and with yourself.You have to know how to make yourself available to your teammate and at the same time take responsibility when necessary. This very positive year was born from the group.
How do you create such a united team?
We all do it together, everyone gave their contribution, starting from those who had been there for a few years like Scaroni, Fortunato and the undersigned, both from who had just arrived: Bettiol, Ulissi, Teunissen, Gate. You have to proceed with caution. without making proclamations, but with the aim of doing our best.
How did the newcomers approach this challenge?
With awareness. They knew they came from different realities. (like Ulissi and Bettiol, ed.) but they immediately understood where they had ended up and what the main objective was. They were very good at adapting, everyone.
You're the longest-serving rider with Astana. Have you taken over the reins?
As a veteran I simply said what they were the advantages and disadvantages of living in a situation like ours.
And what were they?
One flaw is that when things go wrong, it creates stress because you feel like you have to collect something. While the advantage of such a situation is that no one had ever put pressure on us, so we could get off to a good start without getting stressed.
A great helping hand, in addition to the work of the whole group, was given to you by the great season of Scaroni...
It was a golden year for him, a difficult season to do especially in the right year.
It was no coincidence.
Like me, he comes from a different cycling background than modern cycling. It wasn't fully exploited in previous years. Now he has matured and found the right dimension, his confidence in his own abilities has increased and expressed its potential to the fullest.
Last question: Do you have any photos from the meetings you had in October?
Hmm… I don't think so. In fact, I definitely don't have any, because in those moments we put away our phones to stay focusedOtherwise, the notification, the message, the call arrives. We needed to be among ourselves.
