A year later, the Federation has shuffled the cards again: Marco Villa will take over the women's track and will manage the time trial sector. While Elia Viviani he was appointed team manager for road and track, taking over from Roberto Amadio. The latter became the head coach of the men's national team. More than ten years later Robert Amadio he will then return to drive the flagship and manage the racing dynamicsThe news is interesting, although the reasons behind the change in technical leadership remain to be understood.
Roberto Amadio returns to a role in the team after his years at Liquigas, with an adventure that began in 2005 and ended in 2014 when the team took the name Cannondale. A figure who worked alongside him for a long time is Stefano Zanatta, so we went directly to the sports director of the Polti VisitMalta to have him tell us the secrets and details of the technical Amadio.
Back on the machine
Zanatta is currently struggling with the path The Giro d'Italia is currently studying the route and logistics. His team isn't yet certain of a wildcard, although there seems to be a bit more certainty than last year. Basso and his men hope to get an answer in the first months of 2026, in the meantime they are making some progress with the work..
“I worked a lot with Amadio in the good years,” jokes Stefano Zanatta. “I think he’s the most suitable person to fill the role of coach at this time. He has been in the business for many years and knows the dynamics of the flagship well.The system has changed, there's no doubt about it, but perhaps less so for those who hold the role of city manager. Just think of the small radios; it's true that they existed in the Liquigas days, too, but they were less powerful and precise than the ones we have now.
You've been working side by side since you were riders...
We first met as a team in 1987 at Supermercati Brianzoli-Chateau d'Ax, which later became Chateau d'Ax and we raced together until 1990. Then when he started the Liquigas project, in 2005, he immediately called me to join him in the team car. In ten years we have shared many experiences, in short, those were the good years (laughs again, ed.).
Now he's given the role of city manager of the national team, what do you think?
Amadio has the skills and knowledge he can draw on to best fulfill this new role. The years spent in the flagship will certainly come in handy., without forgetting that as team manager of the national team he has always kept relationships alive, albeit with different professional nuances.
What qualities do you remember about him at Liquigas?
He has always been a figure capable of seeing problems and finding appropriate solutions. He also has a strong ability to see the qualities and characteristics of an athlete, both physical and human.
In what sense?
Roberto (Amadio, ed.) has always been able to understand if an athlete has technical skills and if he is able to keep pace with the expectations placed on him. Over the years at Liquigas the riders have always given what was expected, and this is thanks to Amadio's own choices. Now, with only two one-day appointments on the calendar, it will be more complicated, but I remain convinced that he is the right person.
You said it too, cycling has changed a lot…
True, but he didn't stay out of it all. Now teams have many more figures within them and you have to interact with all of them, but Amadio has always done so over the years. He also has an important gift: he knows how to talk to the athlete and understand if he really wants to follow him or not.
Can this aspect be useful?
Surely, think about the next World Cup in Canada. Runners don't always like to go on long journeys and if they don't refuse they do it reluctantly. (The same thing happened in various Federations for the World Championships in Rwanda, ed.) It will be important for him to start now, visit the various training camps, and understand which athletes he should start his training journey with. Also because sometimes the objectives of the team and the national team do not match perfectly, consequently Amadio will have to be good at communicating with everyone.
He's been a rider, sports director, team manager, and has a comprehensive vision of the various roles...
He knows the dynamics of each person and knows how to take responsibility for his own choices. Let's not forget that he will also have people like Elia Viviani at his sideThe two have known each other since their days at Liquigas and have worked together extensively. Viviani has just finished his career, He knows the dynamics of the group and can help Amadio in dealing with the young peopleIt's not always easy to relate to twenty-year-olds.
Which side of Amadio can be useful to him?
He knows what he has in his hands and can direct it in the best way. a strong human side, Roberto is big and bulky but he is goodHe can be authoritative but never avoids confrontation, he listens to what the rider has to say but knows how to command respect and give the right reasons to explain certain choices. The journey that begins now seems long, but time flies and the 2028 Olympics are just around the cornerAmadio will have to be good at creating a team to work with, also with a view to future commitments.
Take us in the flagship with him, what kind of technician is he?
He always worked instinctively on the run. He is a guy with very short reaction times, he can change the race tactics in a few seconds. Furthermore, he knows how to set up the race and the dynamics well right from the morning meeting, a fundamental aspect if once the flag has dropped you no longer have a way to communicate with the athletes.
