Looking at that white, clean and neat jersey and comparing it with the mud encountered along the Follonica route, Tommaso Cafueri The images of the previous week's European Championships came back to mind. It was his first outing for the national team as an under-23, he had started with great ambitions and had finished behind: 27th, 4'33" behind the winner Jente. michaels. The standard bearer of DP66 he made up for it, finding his smile again after having fought for a long time against the elite, conquering the symbol of the category primacy at Tour of Italy.
For Cafueri it is an important result, which above all confirms his dimension as a multidisciplinary rider and speaking with him you notice how he goes quite against that trend which had been discussed with the patron of the Giro and former city manager Fausto Scotti, that is, the intention of the boys themselves, influenced or not by the teams, to favor the street.
The trainer's advice
«I care a lot about cyclocross, I'm in love with it – he explains – and in fact I chose my new team on the road, to land among the U23s, making it clear that I wanted to continue doing the double activity. Luckily there were no contrary voices, I was satisfied and this gave me a new energy". Cafueri, it is news of these hours, goes to strengthen the roster of the Zalf Euromobil Desirée Flor and the fact that his dual activity has been well accepted is an important signal.
Unlike many others, Cafueri used the final part of the road season to focus on winter activities: «I took a break in August so as not to be too tired at the start of the season. – he says – I approached the second half of the season thinking about the winter, without neglecting the result. I trust my trainer Enrico Licini a lot 4Performance and the results prove us right, in fact it will continue to follow me also in the new adventure of 2024".
Follonica as the Great North
Is the change in category making itself felt? "Definitely. At the European Championships the match lasted over 56 minutes, it's a bit different than what I'm used to and it takes time to recalibrate.In the last two laps I was really low on energy, and those two laps changed everything. Enrico reassured me, though, it's just a matter of getting used to it."
However, it was precisely his French experience that gave him the opportunity to understand how much cyclocross changes as soon as it crosses national borders: «The paths change a lot, but I wouldn't be so critical of the Italians, we are getting closer especially on certain occasionsThe same course in Follonica, with all that mud, became extremely tough and on par with the courses in Belgium and Holland: there was a lot of walking. It's clear that mud is almost a must there; in Italy there's more variety, but many courses reflect true cyclocross.
It all started on a mountain bike
Tracks that Cafueri seems to like, as seen in Follonica: «In the first lap I even stayed in front for a while, then we went away in 4, with Ceolin, Folcarelli e CominelliAt a certain point I preferred not to respond to the constant attacks of the others and to continue at my own pace, thinking above all about the white jersey. Being first in the standings is great, at this point I think I will try to defend the lead starting from the next stage in Cantoira».
At this point, however, the question arises spontaneously: is Cafueri more of a cyclocross rider or a road racer? Meanwhile, it has just been learned that in 2024 he will race on the road with Zalf, but the question remains.
«A lot of people ask me this, for now I'd say cyclo-cross rider based on my history. I started with mountain biking, then after the student category they pushed me to try it on the road and I immediately felt good, with some placings in the first year as a junior and a second year at a higher level. with a victory at the Giro del Veneto and a win at the Trofeo Commercio Industria e Artigianato in Rignano sull'Arno. On the road, I'm still discovering myself. I'm good on climbs and at pace, and I'm also quite fast, but I have a lot to learn."
The mud specialists
Meanwhile, in Follonica we had left three riders fighting for the win, and the Grosseto race brought Cristian Cominelli back to the forefront, ahead of Antonio Folcarelli, who is increasingly in the pink, with Cafueri third. A return to the top among the women as well, thanks to Rebecca Gariboldi, in improving condition and who, like Cominelli, excels in extreme race conditions, as a typical cyclocross racer, thus preventing the double victory for Cycling Café given the second place of the Bulleri, while the third, Lucia Craved she consoled herself with the confirmation of the symbol of primacy.
