A sum of things finally led us to dust off a story from 2003, when Gilberto Simoni won the Giro d'Italia and then showed up boldly at the Tour de France, winning a stage. When a few days ago Simon Yates won at Le Mont Dore, my mind immediately went to the Trentino rider. Not many (except Pogacar and a few others) have won the Giro and then a stage at the Tour. Moreover, those two have that similar way of climbing. High ratio, low cadence and a rhythm that kills them. And when we realized that Friday's hill climb It left from Loudenvielle, we thought it couldn't be just a coincidence: It was right there that Gilberto won the only stage of his career at the Tour.
In short. Already victorious at the 2001 Giro when he was riding for Lampre, in 2003 Simoni rode in the Saeco jersey and competed in the Giro with Garzelli and PopovychThe last Pantani was also in the group. Gilberto arrived at the Giro after winning the Trentino and the Giro dell'Appennino. He finished second on Terminillo, beaten by Garzelli. He took the pink jersey in Faenza, where he finished third. Then wins on Zoncolan and at the Pampeago Alpine PastureAnd after his second place in Chianale, he won again at Cascata del Toce, in the stage where Pantani made his final moves. It comes out from Line of Business June 1st in great conditionThat year's Tour started on July 5th with a prologue in Paris. It featured a 47-kilometer time trial on the twelfth day at Cap Decouverte, and the next day it tackled the Pyrenees.
You went to the Tour, but was the Giro at the centre of your thoughts?
Yes, I've always had the Giro in my head. In short, there wasn't much room to go to Tour with the schedules of the timeIt was difficult to prepare for two dates. But I must say that in the years I went, I also put in the effort. And that year, after having done the Giro d'Italia, I was convinced that I would do well and I had prepared myself perfectly..
But not everything went as you hoped, right?
In the first week I was really feeling great, then I went out of revs in the time trialThe next day was a tough, intense stage. And from then on, I couldn't recover. I made a mistake that wasn't needed, otherwise I wouldn't have won because I wouldn't even have dreamed of it, but I think I could have made the top five.
Do you remember what you did in that month between the Giro and the Tour?
Not courses, but I went with Miozzo (his coach, ed.) to train on the Asiago plateauWe also went to high altitudes then, but it wasn't my favorite training. We went up to Asiago because I was feeling really good, and if I hadn't screwed up that time trial, it would have ended differently. The time trials in that period were long and decisive. I even gave my soul not to take an extra minute and instead I paid dearly for it.
Did you come out of the Giro well?
When you win, it doesn't even feel like you worked hard. I was calm, that's why I didn't go looking for the heights.I just wanted to get some fresh air; I had to recover. I remember the first stages being really nervous. Everything happened to me. I crashed at 70 miles an hour in a sprint, but I wasn't hurt. The first week at the Tour de France is always a disaster, more emotionally than physically.. In short, what he ended up paying RemcoWe need a strong team because In a race, hierarchies are created and to stay ahead you have to work from behind, shout and hold on.
Does it seem to you that the way you run has changed?
I remember that Indurain he let it happenWhen the breakaway was going away, he wasn't too interested, while now it's difficult to see a situation like that. All the teams are racing to get a result, so They have to show that they are there to work and not to go on holiday.I remember that for a week it was always like this: an hour at an average of 50 km/h, groups would form from all over and then you'd find them stopped in the middle of the road and you'd go towards the sprint, but often someone would arrive. I can't understand why a few days ago there was a breakaway of 50 riders and they didn't finish.
What do you remember about that victory at Loudenville?
As for the disappointment I was feeling, it was a huge thing. I was disappointed because in Paris I had done a truly exceptional prologue, I arrived twenty-firstWe circled the Eiffel Tower: I arrived and felt proud of myself, truly up to the challenge. I lost 13 seconds, I felt like I was in the thick of the action. Instead, we went to the Alps, and I experienced one disappointment after another. I also recognized people who came for me from Italy, but there was no way to get up againI skipped Morzine the next day. On the Alpe d'Huez stage I tried to hold on.
What happened?
I climbed behind the group, 20 meters away. I went back down and thought maybe the doll had passed me, but before the last climb even began, I had already jumpedI was confused, so I decided to rest and ignore the race. On my rest day, I ended up in L'Equipe, because They photographed me at the seaside with Bertagnolli sunbathingAnd little by little I began to grow. Bertagnolli, however, retired, and Martinelli came to tell me that if I didn't feel like continuing, I could go back home. Instead I replied that I had reached the stages I wanted and I would stayI didn't want to miss the chance to try. And in fact, the next day I broke away.
How did it go?
I just had one thought, only one, I had no others: I wanted to winI didn't let the weather, the rain, the heat, or the climbs affect me. I just wanted to win, and in the end, I managed it in a sprint, which wasn't a given for me. It was a tough stage, with six hard-fought climbs. I found myself with fast riders like Dufaux and Virenque.I knew I wasn't the fastest, but they soon realized I was the man to beat and tried to take me out. I went to the flagship and they attacked meBut I was cold, I went back and then I started leading the dance. The sprint would have been Russian roulette, but with a bit of luck, I managed to win the stage.
You saw Armstrong's Tour, now there's Pogacar: what spirit do you have in going to the races if your rivals are so much stronger?
You have to face reality. I've never had any illusions, but I've always considered saying: let's see where I get to. I never started out defeated, in short. The realization that I couldn't beat them came along the way, because At least at the beginning you have to start knowing that you can play it, right? I never left to participate, that's just how I was. That said, you can see that Vingegaard is running after Pogacar, who doesn't give a damn about anyone elseI've seen so many riders do this, I could make an endless list. Those who baptize a rival because they know he's going strong and wait for him to jump to steal his placeI've never been like that, I've never rushed around waiting for something to fall to me from the sky. In short, it wasn't in my nature.
What do you think of Pogacar?
He doesn't wait, he's not a wait-and-see person. Sometimes it seems like he doesn't follow any instructions. I think sometimes he wants to do things in a big way and then regrets doing something too big.In my opinion, given the result, in Hautacam he thought that he would have just had to attack in the last three kilometers, rather than from the foot of the climb.
Does he have the taste to amaze?
He often attacks from afar, although less would be enough. I like unpredictability, like Van der Poel. When they set out on a stage, they become unpredictable, but they are tenacious and do all sorts of things. In short, the biggest challenge is to understand whether they will win or not.. As for the rest, let's say Tadej is pretty infallible; the other guy has been circling him for a while. He's already won the Tour twice, but he'll continue to ride the same way.
