ROUBAIX (France) – Those that are painted on the faces of the boys of the Colpack-Ballan, at the end of the Paris-Roubaix Espoirs, are expressions of mud and fatigue. The toughest under 23 race on the calendar has left the youngsters of the Bergamo team with many lessons and the desire to returnYou can fall in love with a race even if it crushes you on every cobblestone section, only to spit you out in the Roubaix velodrome without really understanding how you got there.
Milesi's experience
Nicolas Milesi, in the first year with Colpack, he already raced on these roads in 2022, when he tackled the Paris-Roubaix Juniores. The kilometers traveled between last year and this year have increased, going from 111 to 162. Adding that much distance around here changes the feeling entirely. The Bergamo native is the first of his teammates to cross the finish line and speaks willingly, remaining lucid.
«At the start I didn't feel at my best – he says while wiping the mud off his face – As I continued to increase the kilometers I felt better and better.But by then I was no longer part of the first group. I kept a steady pace throughout the race, and as the kilometers went by, I caught up with some of the small groups ahead of me.
«I never had any problems, neither mechanical nor crashes – he explains – I had confidence in my skills and my riding ability. I come from mountain biking and I know I can move the bike wellThe first part of the race affected me a lot, I wasn't brilliant and I didn't always stay in the top positions. At the end I got a bit looser and finished second in the sprint of my small group., closing three sprints in the last kilometers, I still wanted to give my best. During the race I often found myself next to strong riders, as duke, the reigning junior world champion. Clearly the audience was first choice, considering that today there was also Sawyer, Lotto Dstny rider».
Romele's desire
The Roubaix of Romele it started in his mind on Friday night, when he went to bed early to prepare for the trip. He and Milesi were the leaders of this Colpack, leading the reconnaissance on Saturday and being the first to get out of the van and get ready for the departure on Sunday morning.
«It was undoubtedly a very high-level stage – Romele analyses – we couldn't expect to go for a walkAnyway, I think we ran our race. There were some unfortunate incidents, but that's no excuse. For a first time, I think it's fine. This race is a goal and will be for the rest of my life. I think I'm suited to this kind of race, we're slowly getting there and there will definitely be a second time..
"I crashed early," he continues, "but I managed to stay pretty far ahead. I had a slight advantage over Milesi and Cretti, and together we barely made it ahead. At one point I got a puncture and stopped to change the wheel, but by then I was in the third groupI resigned myself, letting go a little, and in this race that's something that affects you a lot."
Cretti analyses
The first Colpack refueling point was placed at the end of the first four sections of cobblestones, The ones the kids saw yesterday. The wind turbines on the sides, rising high into the sky, seem like silent guardians of vast green expanses. Fields crisscrossed by rough stone roads and carpeted with yellow rapeseed crops.
«I set out with the idea of giving my all – Cretti admitted after finishing – but also of having fun. I'm doing well at the moment and that gave me a nice morale boost. My race, however, lasted until kilometer 120. From then on I let myself be carried to the finish line (he says with a smile, ed.). Having never run on cobblestones, I felt I had something less than the othersIn the last sectors the bike was bouncing in the holes, I was completely finished!
«We knew very well – he says – that we would have to take the first sections in front, or try to break away. However the “devo team” squadrons started to control the race and closed down every attackI also tried to get ahead twice, but they immediately stopped me. Morally, I'm happy – he says serenely – I took the first sections of cobblestones in front, but I always arrived at full speed from the kilometers before, so once I entered I would passHaving a strong team in these cases helps you save on the asphalt sections and then accelerate on the cobblestones."
Pain all over the body
Shaken and moved by the rocks, a race entirely run as if you were in a shaker, mixing your bones and muscles. Some riders experience back pain before leg pain.
«I had all the mud in my eyes and on my glasses – Milesi concludes – even if those in the first cobbled sector were already unusableNow that I'm a little colder, my back hurts a lot, whereas when I was running, it was my arms and hands that were hurting.
“The rain,” Romele says while changing, “has completely changed the sensations I had yesterday during the reconnaissance. The conditions of the sectors were worsening and the mud increased the difficulty of driving and tiredness.The pain slowly spread to all parts of my body, making everything even more complicated."
«In the final stretches – adds Cretti – the race was over, I was in a small group of twenty and I was also breaking away from them. I got into the potholes in the cobblestones and struggled to get out, I was dead tired.. No particular pain, we just hit too hard (he ends with a laugh, ed.)».
