After a year, he's still on the top step of the podium. The location changes, the category changes, but he's still in first place. Mattia Agostinacchio who after the 2024 junior title also takes home the European one on his international debut among the under 23s. An extraordinary performance from the champion ofEF Education EasyPost: «I saw among the WhatsApp messages that they have already written to me to congratulate me, but within half an hour of arriving there were already over 300 active chats…».
Lots of people applauding the feat
Mattia has just finished the award ceremony and is patiently waiting for the anti-doping test when he answers from Middelkerke to tell us about his latest feat: «It was a really tough route, despite the perfect weather conditions, with so much sand that in many sections we had to get off our bikes. It was truly a race where you could ride and run, an old-school cyclocross, and winning like that gives me even more satisfaction. And that's without even considering the crowd: there were so many of them..."
A difficult race for him from the start. New to the category, Agostinacchio didn't have a high ranking on his side and so he found himself having to start from the third row. Punctual at the presentation stage had warned of this problem, trusting in its explosiveness: «I was hoping to soon find myself among the leaders, but on the first lap the boa on one of my shoes came off and I wasted time putting it back on., so the comeback was slower and more expensive than expected, in fact I caught up with the leaders at the end of the second lap with Sparfel who had already launched his escape."
Checkmate for the undefeated French
The under 23 race had its first shock there, on the other hand the Frenchman of the Decathlon AG2R, also a protagonist on the road, was perhaps the most accredited on the eve, undefeated this season. Mattia, however, was not scared if, in catching up with the first ones (including Stefano Viezzi, 12th at the end), the Frenchman was further ahead: «I wasn't thinking too much about the victory, I was the youngest of the group, I told myself that a medal could be within my reach, but I didn't go any further. So I didn't really think about it, I just thought about pushing."
The talented Aosta Valley native thought only about running, savouring the sensations that had projected him to the top of the world last year and that short gap, made up of seconds, gradually narrowed, also because the Middelkerke track was really treacherous (and he will find out something about it later, Sarah Casasola, who saw the podium slip away due to a fall when he was in the middle of the Dutch “sandwich”). Sparfel was caught after a slip by a small group of six, he tried to get away again but his energy tank was at the limit.
"The last lap? It was a little weird..."
That's where Agostinacchio's strength emerged, regardless of the energies previously spentWhen he launched his attack, he created a vacuum: "Before, I was in a push-pull situation, I was in front and then I found myself behind. At a certain point, as we were entering the final lap, I told myself to give it a try and I saw that no one was following me. The last lap was a bit strange, I felt like I was in limbo not knowing if Haverdings, the Dutchman was still able to catch meIt was difficult to contain the others, but also the emotions, until the finish line."
Mattia is always used to living his emotions by letting little show, while Pontoni and all the others around him joined him: «I can't deny that this victory feels a bit strange to me, it's very different from last season's because I'm a bit of a neophyte here., a kid competing against guys a few years older and more experienced, not just one year older like in juniors. I have to admit, I didn't expect to beat guys who have been at this level for a few seasons now. The second and third are in their last year in the category, I'm in my first..."
But the thought is also on the road…
And now? Agostinacchio is already looking ahead, as always torn between two directions to take and follow in parallel: "It's true, now the World Cup trials are coming up. but I also have to think about the teamWe'll have our first meeting in the next few days, and it'll be important to get to know each other and get a feel for this new road adventure. These will be important days, and I really care about them." Being able to show up wearing a star-spangled jersey certainly has a special meaning...
