Marta Bastianelli says she feels very comfortable with Marco Velo in the role of women's technician. According to him it is the one who most deserved the job: present from today also on the track, before leaving for the Giro d'Italia Women's cycling, and curious about the juniorsHe knew her from the time trial selections, and what he misses is her telling him. Her second pregnancy is on the right track. And the Roman, who has been based in Abruzzo for years, he started touring the cycling world again, without ever having interrupted contact with the athletes. For this reason, a few days before the start of the Giro d'Italia, we asked her to do the update on the Azzurre that we will see in action from sunday.
«And I would start – he smiles Bastianelli - with the girl who won the Giro d'Italia last year, that is Elisa Longo Borghini (in the opening photo after winning her sixth Italian title, ed.) I'd say she's settled in very well with the new team, as her victories demonstrate. I think she's very motivated for this Giro d'Italia, as she will be for the Tour. She will obviously be one of the favourites for the general classification».
The new Cavalli
As has long been the case with men, Even in the women's group the division between Giro and Tour is turning into a rather deep divide This means that the athletes at the start of the pink challenge have a high profile, but the top riders who will compete for the yellow jersey are missing. Equally, there is no shortage of key figures. Go back to example Anna Van der Breggen, who closed her account with the Giro by winning the 2021 one before retiring. She had also won the world championship the year before on the streets of Imola, which will be the scene of the final stage. Alongside her will also be Lotte Kopeky, second by a whisker last yearIs the Belgian perhaps tempted by a route that ultimately appears similar to the one that concluded with the Block Haus and then the L'Aquila stage?
«Among ours – continues Bastianelli – there will also be Monica Trinca Colonel, which I saw well at the Italian championship (second behind Longo Borghini, ed.). And then there's Marta Cavalli who has been showing good signs for some time nowI spoke to her and her dad. Marta had taken a break after injuries and a few setbacks, but now everyone sees her as very happy. He wants to take back what he left along the way. She prepared well at high altitude, maybe he will need a bit to adapt to the race pace, but I am confident that he will be in good shape for the Giro."
The double option
The eye returns for a moment in house UAE Adq, his last team as an athlete which has changed its skin and caliber with the arrival of Elisa Longo Borghini. The overlapping of names, which makes SD Worx-Protime one of the battleships to be wary of, finds in the Emirati team the most effective response in presence alongside the Piedmontese of high-level teammates such as Silvia Persico, Erica Magnaldi and Eleonora GaspariniAthletes who could run as leaders and will be an alternative and support for the Italian champion.
«For some seasons now – analyses Bastianelli – the teams go to the start of the big races with a plan A and a plan B at the same time. Touch wood, it can happen that a captain has some setbacks, so it's logical that there are alternatives ready, especially in the strongest teams. If you manage to get the captain to the start two athletes with the same shape and the same profile, who maybe even understand each other, is just the bestThat said, having a fit Longo Borghini is a great asset. In my opinion, she's mentally strong, and that's already a good starting point. Having won last year's Giro gives her the confidence that she can try again and that's a point in his favor. But I don't think that if he hadn't won it, he wouldn't have tried this year anyway."
Consonni and the sprints
Removed from the deck Vittoria Guazzini, once again with an arm sling after the fall of the Italian flag, and with Elisa Balsamo who will only race the Tour de France, the front of the Italian sprinters who will have to deal with Lorena Wiebes is led by Chiara ConsonniCanyon//Sram zondacrypto has in fact chosen to field the leader Niewiadoma only in the Tour, giving space to Cecile Uttrup Ludwig and paying attention to the sprinter from Bergamo who will have the support of Soraya Paladin.
"I spoke to Chiara," explains Bastianelli, who has long been Consonni's inspiration, "at the Italian championship. She's very happy, I'd say serene. She likes the team, they get along well. They were recently in Austria doing some high-altitude training, He told me about a wonderful training camp where a truly serene and peaceful atmosphere was createdI see her very well, in a very strong team that can help her in the stages that are right for her. They will certainly also aim for the general classification, so they will know how to manage the race. It will be a Giro with different faces, which will also allow us in the national team to observe the girls who could become interesting for the world cup, which will certainly be very tough."
The space of continental
And here the names to be noted will also be those of Barale and Ciabocco, in addition to those of the many Italians who will start in the continental teams which constitute the reservoir of talent and they risk having a more difficult life from next year due to the reform of women's cycling and the desire to push professional teams.
«It would be a real shame if they were to disappear – Bastianelli explains – because a good part of the girls we see in the WorldTour today all come from continental teams. Let's remember that Monica Trinca was a cycle touring rider, who then joined Zini and now we see her debut in a top-level team. So I have a lot of faith in these small teams, so that they can to stand out for their sponsors and to give girls the opportunity to stand out and aim for the next category. So, even if the Giro will certainly be challenging, nothing prevents them from having their say. While waiting for understand if it will be a race worth playing on the edge of seconds or if there will be wider gapsLast year we all thought that with Block Haus in the final it would be hell, but that wasn't the case. This year the last two stages are really tough, but the level has risen a lot and the athletes have reached an amazing shapeIt will be difficult to decipher right away, I think it will be a great Giro and will bring a great show."
