The Italian championship was the turning point: with the Giro and then the Tour, the world championship will arrive in no time. So Paolo Sangalli, the Italian women's coach, followed the tricolour of Comano Terme from the motorbike like Daniele BennatiLooking your athletes in the face is the best way to give depth to their stories and include them in the path towards the (many) objectives that await the national team.
What did the Italian championship tell coach Sangalli about our Azzurre?
He gave us some confirmation. He highlighted three welcome returns with Cavalli, Pyrrho and Paternoster. And he gave some indications for the future, with Barale, masetti e Ciabocco. Besides Gasparini, which is a certainty, even if it wasn't a suitable path for her. Among the under 23s, she is the most likely to race the world championship in line with the elite.
Usually, we look for a tricolor path that resembles the one of the World Championships…
It would have been ideal, but recreating a circuit like the one in Glasgow in Comano Terme was objectively impossible. So the aim was to have an Italian championship with a mileage adequate for the world championshipThe only two nations that have run around 150 kilometers are us and Holland, in France they did 99. It was to make it clear that the Glasgow World Cup it's not last year's European Championship in Munich.
Are those who consider it a world championship for sprinters wrong?
In Scotland, athletes like Kopecky, Vos, Wiebes and Vollering will finish ahead. So I also put in Longo Borghini and PersicoAthletes who do well in the classics. What I keep telling the girls is that after the 150 kilometers, which are the 200 for men, the sprints are won by those with legsAnd this came out in Comano without a shadow of a doubt.
You spoke of Cavalli, Pirrone and Paternoster.
We know everything about Marta, about the accident and everything she's going through to get back. For Pirrone and Paternoster, there was bad luck and physical problems. With those resolved, the ones that offered great junior prospects are back: they still have a lot to do. Paternoster was recovering from the terrible tendinitis that developed during the pandemic, so he had Covid and then had it again. With this situation, everything becomes more challenging. The same goes for Alessia Vigilia and among the U23s for Carlotta Cipressi, who won the Italian under time trial championship, but she too has had many physical problems in the last two years.
Does it surprise you to see Longo Borghini so confident even in sprints?
Certainly Elisa has learned from many things, especially from defeats.There's nothing like a defeat to teach you. It's no surprise he's getting there at 32, because he's got depth. And if he now also has the belief that he can make certain sprints, The harder the race, the more advantageous she starts from.
Once again, Gaia Realini's generosity was striking.
I believe she will have her chances and that Longo Borghini will not hold back in helping her. Absolutely, Speaking of Gaia and other under 23s, this Italian helped me a lot in making the selection for the Tour de l'Avenir, which will be really tough.
Can you confirm that behind the big teams, there is a very strong U23 front?
With Realini, Cipressi, but also Gasparrini, Masetti, Ciabocco and Barale, which is from 2003. The two of them have settled in very well in Holland.I also have contacts with their team, they are working in the right way. And in this too you can see the advantage of racing in WorldTour teams, because they have a different leg, the gap is evident.
Will the Giro d'Italia be a further test?
For some, yes, especially the girls who were unable to express themselves at the Italian championshipI expect something more from the Giro, as well as from the Tour, which will be an excellent approach to the World Championships.
Returning to Comano and to girls who were not so suited to the path, we saw some of them working hard for their respective teams.
For the teams and for themselves too. I think of Sanguineti and Guazzini, but also of Barbara Guarischi that she was aloneThey did what I asked of them: give it their all, as long as they had the strength. And they were very good.
After the Giro, Marta Bastianelli's career is theoretically over. Of course, if she's in good shape, she'd be a real asset at the World Championships...
She also won the 2018 European Championships in Glasgow. Marta she arrived here with her head set on retreat. Personally it's a shame, because it's also a great reference for othersI even tried to change her mind, but there was no way. I hope she can make her mark at the Giro, but it won't be easy. At the start of the Italian championship, I experienced the emotion first handThe girls at the start are laughing, joking, but they are very emotional.
And what if he changes his mind, at least until the World Cup?
If it goes well, the doors are open. Those who deserve a place get it. You need a lot of brains, from the end of the Giro to August 13th there is a very long period.
Elisa Balsamo is missing from the roll call.
Let's keep quiet out of superstition. I follow her from a distance, without putting pressure on her.. But I know the check-up went well, so Elisa He might be back on the road soon, so I'm still optimistic. Maybe a little more than before...
The junior championship is on Saturday. What can we expect?
Venurelli didn't participate in the Comano time trial because he was taking his final exams; otherwise, he would have performed well. Looking abroad, We have two strong English opponents who are Izzy Sharp and Cat Ferguson for the road test, which we've already come up against several times this year, and not just at the World Championships and European Championships as has happened in previous years. We know them, they're strong. We will try to make the best teamI'm happy because after Cittiglio we were seventh in the ranking and after Flanders we are first, tied with Great Britain. The girls have grown so much, because they have seen what the wind is, the cobblestones, a fan, running under the rain on narrow streets that would be impossible in Italy.
In Sangalli's junior national team, are you working on your development?
I am for growth, clearly with an eye on the results. Italian history is full of girls who won the junior world championship and then lost their wayLet's try to reverse the trend. So when we go abroad with the national team, we always have a club team alongside us. In Holland, we had Bft Burzoni, and once again, Valcar. Each time there were 12 Italians gaining experience. The teams seem motivated, and I'm satisfied. There's a lot to do, and that's great news.
