Elia Viviani is traveling to Milan, today (Thursday for those reading this) he has some appointments that fall precisely on one of those gloomy autumn days, when the light is blocked by thick gray clouds. Nothing to do with the sunny days experienced in the United States, between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
"First I have a Garmin event," he says from the car, "and then I'm a guest on a radio show. I left early, around 8:00, and the weather was bad in Monaco too, so these commitments are a good fit (he jokes, ed.)."
Few holidays
The season of the sprinter of the Ineos it ended late, in late October with the Tour of Guangxi, where he took victory in the first step. Once I got back it was time to put on my suit, there were a few weddings I couldn't miss.
«First that of Simone Consonni with Alice - He says - then the one between Elisa and Jacopo (Longo Borghini and Mosca, ed.). We had a lot of fun, but Elena (Cecchini(Editor's note: My husband and I didn't manage to have a proper vacation. We only went to Sharm El Sheikh for a week and that was it. Considering that I start the season in Australia in January, there was very little time available.. Furthermore, there is a stage of the Track World Cup in Australia from 2 to 4 February. It was my decision to finish late and start early., as I've gotten older I've seen that it's better not to take too much time off, two weeks is perfect."
We saw you cycling with Elena in the United States, but before that you were at the Formula One Grand Prix in Las Vegas…
Yes, let's say we combined business with pleasure. There was this possibility of going to see the Grand Prix in Las VegasOnce it was finalized, we decided to bring our bikes along for training. I was still in that period of preparation where you don't do specific workouts, but just long hours at low intensity.
What was your experience in the world of Formula One like?
We had never been to a race, even though we live in Monaco. This opportunity arose thanks to some friends who work in this world and we seized the opportunity.Both Elena and I know Fernando Alonso's physiotherapist, Fabrizio Borra, and also Stefano Domenicali, head of Formula One, whom we thank for the experience. There was a lot of space for sport, but just as much for entertainment.Las Vegas was packed with celebrities like Rihanna and David Beckham. Between qualifying and races, the shows were non-stop. Concerts, fireworks, and everything else…
Two days of total immersion?
Absolutely, we were also in the Alfa Romeo garage Thanks to Tiffany Cromwell who was Elena's teammate and she's driver Valtteri Bottas's girlfriend. We experienced qualifying from the inside, with headphones on, soaking up the track atmosphere. Some mechanics even recognized me and wanted to take some pictures with me..
Have you ever seen anything like this in cycling?
An event that It's very close to what we experienced in Las Vegas and it's the Six Days of Ghent, where in addition to the race the public experiences many different moments. On the road, probably, I would tell you the Tour of Flanders. Even in that case the race passes several times on the same roads and the organization sets up incredible hospitalityAnd during the hour of waiting for the race, shows and much more are staged.
After the race you started a week of cycling, how was it?
Beautiful, really. We moved to Los Angeles, where I had been with Cannondale in 2013 for a team presentation. Plus, some of my teammates often go there during the holidays, in fact we met Thomas and we cycled togetherThe routes are incredibly beautiful; the Venice Beach bike path is picture-perfect. Then, all we had to do was head inland and there wasn't even any traffic. Elena and I promised ourselves we'd spend two weeks cycling in that area.
How are the training sessions going?
Well, I changed my pace last week. The first period, from the beginning of November to the 20th, I did a progressive increase in hours at low intensity. Even in America I added some hills to the exits, but done in a gentle manner. From November 20th to December 4th, the date I will leave for the retreat, I increased the pace but not too much.I have three blocks of work that I will need to change gear.
Around the same time, the national track team was training in Noto. Did you and Villa discuss your possible absence?
None of the main riders were present at the Noto training camp; it was a gathering to lay the foundations for the road, reserved especially for women, U23 riders, and those competing in continental competitions. During the December training camps, we WT team riders will also spend more time with the teams. The first meeting where we are all called to be present is the one before Christmas, from 20th to 23rd December.In that case, Villa will not allow absences.
