The cyclocross season has just begun, but already the Selle Italia Guerciotti Elite he has swept the board with victories Tour of Italy with a rediscovered Bertolini already at the center of operations (opening at the 2021 European Championships). We are talking about one of the main companies in the Italian panorama, because The team wanted to create a setup that is as close as possible to the Belgian and Dutch teams that are the ones who call the shots on the international stage.. And after all, that is the target of the training, for which Vito By Tano, the former world champion who coordinates the boys, works.
The Lombard team consists of 7 athletes, with some changes compared to last year: «With the arrival of Sarah Casasola we have a prominent figure even among the elite, while Loconsolo it is added to Augustine e Lion forming a strong component among the Under 23s. Nicholas also arrived tile, Italian vice-champion among the 2nd year students who is moving up a category and on whom we count a lot for the future".
Let's start our analysis with an element that was already part of your team: Federica Venturelli, coming off an exceptional season on both track and road, which he firmly wanted to continue in cyclocross as well…
She needs constant competitive stimulation, so much so that it needs to be slowed down a bit. For example, I would have preferred to stop it during this period, but she was particularly keen to answer the called up to the national team for the youth trip to Spain and I didn't have the heart to deny it to him. But he knows he shouldn't push because the effects of the fall in Australia they can still be felt, especially in the arm with which she can't lift the bike. We'll try to manage her in any case so that she can emerge in the title races.
Venturelli is a heritage of all cycling: have you discussed with Pontoni how to use it this winter?
We often hear from Daniele, her and her Crows They are two top-level athletes who can really achieve great things at the World Championships also because the Backstedt she moves up a category, but Federica must be managed in the right way to get her in shape. Furthermore We will also have to work on the technical aspect with her: he has a somewhat static position on the bike, he can improve from this point of view.
How did you get to Casasola?
We had already spoken in spring, Sara wanted to find new stimuli not because she was uncomfortable with the DP66, but really because at 25 years old, after many seasons in the Friulian team, he wanted to breathe fresh airWe put our faith in her, and she's already repaid us. I'm convinced she can do well internationally, too. She just needed a mental reset.
What do you expect from the three under 23s?
I always tell him that They're good, but they have to prove it. They need to make the leap in quality and only they can do that, through their commitment. To grow they need compete with the best and for this they will have to compete a lot abroadThe World Cup features five events for under and juniors, with the last three being played by the national team. We'll be competing in the other two, and then they'll compete in the others among the elite. This is a double-edged sword, because you find yourself competing with more sophisticated peopleIf you do well, morale grows, but If you take a beating, you have to know how to evaluate it. and take whatever good there is in terms of experience.
Realini is also with you…
This year he changes teams on the road, moving to Trek Segafredo, we'll see what kind of activity she can do. I think that she, like many others who split between cyclocross and road, will make her debut in December. We're following the path traced by Van der Poel e Van Aert and it's normal that it is so. Too many races cannot be held, moreover Champions arrive fresher when pure specialists have already been battling it out for weeksThere is a disparity of forces, but this is the evolution of cycling.
How far can Bertolini go?
I am convinced that the truth Bertolini both that of Valkenburg 2018, firmly in the top 10 in the world, he just needs to believe in it and have an injury-free season. It's clear that champions who come from the streets are from another planet, but I am convinced that he can go far and recover what bad luck has taken from him.We're also counting heavily on Tavella, who has also won on the road and who, now changing categories, will have to really show what he's made of, because it's among the juniors that things really start to get serious. We have a complete team, now the verdict is up to the races.
