The tears in the Roubaix meadow are a memory and the second place behind Alison Jackson stopped burning, especially because on the eve of the race Katia Ragusa, 25 years old (in the opening, photo Liv Racing-TechFind), would never have even dreamed of it. The girl from Vicenza spent four days at home and then left for Holland yesterday..
La Liv Racing-TeqFind has given an appointment to the girls who will run the race from May 1st Return for a team time trial, given that the Spanish race offers a 14,5-kilometer one on the first day. The training venue was the Tom Dumoulin Bike Park from Sittard.
It's like seeing Katia Ragusa, who finished second at the 2020 Italian championship, again, but who then got a bit lost...
Now that I have recovered from the fatigue of Roubaix, I can say that The start of the season has been positive, starting from ValencianaOf course, there was always something missing. It happened several times that I was among the leaders, then I'd have a fall in front of me and everything went up in smoke. But still... the sensations are definitely better than last year.
Second in Roubaix, second in the climbers' classification at the Valenciana: have you figured out what kind of rider you'll become when you grow up?
Let's say that I remain a rouleur. On long, hard climbs, I'm more comfortable than pure climbers.But if the climbs are rideable and I'm feeling good, I can get past them. If, however, I find myself in company at the end, I can only save myself in the sprint if we are in a small group and the race has been challengingLet's say that in a race like Roubaix, after a tough edition like Saturday's, there's no longer any question of being fast or slow: there is what remained in the pockets and that's it.
Are the problems of 2022 forgotten?
Last year for me was a somewhat troubled year and therefore the condition has never been the best. I left for the Roubaix with the charm of participating in a historic race and in the end I was happy to have finished it. This year I arrived with a different awarenessI knew the feeling was pretty good. The plan was to break away to take the first, easier cobblestone sectors, so as to have less stress and less hassle than in a group and then we would have seen what happened. Obviously I never imagined I would be competing for the podium or the victory itself.
Giorgia Bronzini has put her hand in the fire for you…
With her it was created a truly wonderful relationshipSometimes I think about it and it almost seems incredible to me that a champion of her caliber, with all the victories she's achieved, can create such a beautiful human relationship and be such a special person. She was always there, ready to push me when I needed to be pushed, or to support me. when she realized I needed a different kind of support. Last year was difficult, and she was always there for me, trying to cheer me up.
Was it really that hard?
At first I suffered a lot. I thought it was my first year in a strong team that had given me confidence and I wanted to prove that I was a valid athlete.. Then when mononucleosis was discovered and it was understood the reason for the problems, a little more tranquility has arrived. But at first it was hard, because I would have liked to do more anyway.The team is well-organized, we have very specific plans. The desire to do well comes naturally. It was quite a leap.
What awaits you now?
The program now includes the Flèche Wallonne (Katia is instead a reserve for the Amstel Gold Race, ed.), then I will be at the Vuelta from May 1st to 7thAt that point I will focus on the Giro d'Italia, which I asked to race. We will discover the stages at the end of April and I'm very curious to see themBut first there's the Italian championship.
Is discovering the Giro at the end of April a problem?
For me personally, it makes little difference, because I was already oriented towards doing it. But essentially This delay greatly disrupts the plans of the teams and all the other athletes who have not yet made their choices.If we think about the Tour de France which had already announced the stages last winter… The teams have need to know to get an idea of which athletes to bring and how to plan the rest of the seasonKnowing it so last minute is a difficult thing, let's put it that way.
Why are you a reserve at the Amstel after such a beautiful Roubaix?
It wasn't really in my plans., but I said: «Excuse me, since I'm coming up to prepare for the Vuelta team time trial, why couldn't I do the Amstel?». When I'm well, the more I run the better I feel.. So having one more race in the legs would be great.
So why not do the Liège?
It was initially in the program, however I asked to be able to skip itAfter the Freccia I'll go home straight away and so I'll have a few more days before the Vuelta. So far I've run quite a bit, I've done three more races than I had planned and I would like to get to the next ones as fresh as it needs to be.
