Powerful, gritty, with a full leg: Sarah Casasola he's going to get a fantastic European bronze. A bronze that perhaps not even she expected. Today on the beautiful Pontchateu circuit she was masterful. And it doesn't matter that... Fem Van Empel demolished her opponents. Italy's joy rests entirely on Sara Casasola's shoulders.
Van Empel hands down
In Pontchateu, a town in north-western France, almost on the Atlantic, it was real cyclocross. Il European championship The women's race saw a muddy race like it hasn't seen in a while. Especially for those accustomed to watching cross-country skiing in our latitudes, and even more so towards the end, when a heavy downpour returned to weigh down the ground. Yesterday's weather warning and subsequent stop had "redesigned" the course: muddier, slower, but also more technical.
But at the same time it remained a “legible” track: long straights, just a couple of hairpin bends, wide track… you could pass. A very different path from the narrow Italian fettucciati and one that deserves reflection.
But let's get back to Pontchateau. In this context, Van Empel has had a field day. A race that was never in doubt. After just a couple of laps, there were already meters of advantage, which then became seconds and finally minutes.
«Actually, on the first lap – said the new European champion – I had some problems: I couldn't get into a rhythm, then things improved and I did my race. Now I will enjoy this victory and rest for a couple of weeks."
Sara's Bronze
But just as the Dutch champion created a vacuum, so Casasola recovered. At first, she followed the footsteps of legends like Inge Van Der Heijden and Manon Bakker, then slowly overtook them. The others were increasingly turning their backs, while the Friulian was speeding along without hesitation, stable, compact and sure on her Guerciotti.
Two thirds of the way through the race, after having overtaken Van Der Heijden, For a while Casasola seemed to be able to even have Celyne Alvarado in his sights, Names that make you tremble just by mentioning them. But then the Dutchman would set the record straight, pushing and digging out a safe distance. But at the cost of considerable risks: boarding, slipping on the wooden steps, switching bikes.
Sara, on the other hand, drove cleanly. She looked for the grass, which has always been a sign of stability in certain situations, and it cut sharply into the inside of the curves. And on the exit it pushed the ratio well. A really excellent impression and a well-deserved bronze.
Adding a poetic note, when Casasola was about to cross the finish line a large rainbow also appeared and right under the colored arch the cittì Punctual he ran alongside her to cheer her on, even though the game was already over. There was just the last dirt bend to go, then only the stretch of asphalt that led to the finish line.
Blue joy
Eve Lechner he had told us a few days ago: «Sara is doing really well». Seventh place in the World Cup was therefore no coincidence. And this bronze could open up new prospects.
A bronze medal that didn't entirely please the Dutch. The Amsterdam press spoke of a "surprising Italian," an "unexpected youngster," and "the Italian who broke the Dutch hegemony." Since the top seven were all Dutch, the Oranje expected an easy hat trick, but instead...
Sara, first of all, congratulations. You drove beautifully...
Thank you – he replies with a beaming tone – I was actually fine.
Did you expect a similar result?
I wouldn't say I expected it, maybe after the good lap times I achieved in the World Cup I could have hoped for the top five. I was hoping for a good day, but not for a podium. Also because at these levels the best arrive determined and well prepared.
Have you changed anything in your preparation?
Honestly no, I simply managed to have a more complete road season, without too many hitches. The ones I had last year. As they say, you grow year after year, and I think that's the reason for my improvement.
Storm, weather warning, and a different route: did you enjoy this mud?
I don't mind such difficult routes and even if I had to run on foot it didn't scare me because I've always done well. If anything, there was the unknown factor of bad weather because in Italy we've never actually encountered mud or bad weather... but always everything was dry. This morning, however, when we practiced, everything was different, especially after the Under 23 match.
And in fact, I wanted to ask you about this and the technical choices. What tires did you race with?
At first we thought of putting a mudguard in front and an intermediate in the back, but then seeing the guys and also talking to Daniele (Pontoni, ed.) we decided not to take any chances and I fitted both mud tires. Also because with all that water and mud there weren't all those smooth stretches anymore.
And then it started raining again…
Exactly. The weather got worse, and this proved to be the right decision. The under-23s were really sliding.
Last question, we know you're really busy post-race: but tell us the truth, has the idea of going to pick up Alvarado even crossed your mind?
Well yes, I even thought about it for a while. I tried until the very end, I gave it my all, but I think my lap times went up a bit towards the end, while she was consistent. Maybe I paid a little for my middle part of the race, where I pushed harder. But that's okay, come on!
