The opening of credit by Salvoldi, subordinated with great honesty to the request for convincing performances, has given Marta Bastianelli back her morale. The Lazio rider threw herself into the Giro d'Italia knowing that on the one hand she had to repay the team's trust, and on the other hand send the signals requested by the Italian national team.. The Tokyo Olympics They have a tough course, less so than the men's, but still challenging. Salvoldi's doubts are clear: I'm bringing four girls who can try to attack and challenge the Dutch. But if the Dutchwoman in question goes off alone and the group with the Italians arrives behind, which of ours can guarantee a medal in the sprint? Salvoldi knows that the best Bastianelli is the only one who managed to beat them all in the sprint. So he spoke clearly: if you return in 2019, one of the four places is yours.
«I would like it to be clear – says Marta – that I wouldn't take anyone's job away if I didn't. If Salvoldi brings me in, he obviously has a different idea of the team.And I'll be ready for any arrival that suits me. I'm not that far from the Marta of 2019. From the beginning of the season until now, everything has changed.. And especially 2021 still has to experience its most important moments, including the European and World Championships».
Was it difficult to get through spring without leaving a trace of you?
You have to try it to understand. I went from winning 10 races to winning nothing.I'm happy to feel better day by day, and this Giro has a series of stages that suit me. Maybe not so much the flat ones, where there are sprinters stronger than me. But I've seen some that are suitable for the escapes that I could fit into too..
Meanwhile, the team time trial went well…
And it surprised us, because I got the time trial bike a few days before the Giro, while the girls from the other teams study and rehearse.
Let's go back to Tokyo.
Salvoldi has his own idea of racing, but choosing to take me would be an enormous act of trust on both of our parts.And above all, I'll have to earn it. I'm not going to take a climber's place, if I go it's because I have different qualities and the race could be set in a way that smiles on me.
Different qualities?
If Dino has in mind that a medal could be awarded thanks to a sprint, the one who could represent an alternative is Elisa Balsamo, who however has the whole track programThe Olympics are not the World Cup, where bringing in even one more doesn't make much difference. There are four places here and if one was mine, I would be happyFor one reason or another, I never went to the Olympics.
Which one did you think you deserved?
Beijing was too tough. London was the one that was most within my reach.Rio was tough too, but the sprinter went anyway, evidently because of the same idea Salvoldi had this time too. In fact, he brought Giorgia Bronzini.
What do you need now to gain trust and possibly the job?
The possibility of work with peace of mind. And then I'm sure I'll reciprocate the trust.
