Two almost identical races, for men and women. And the colours of the race always rejoice. Team Cingolani. Rebecca Gariboldi and Marco Pavan clearly dominate the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia Cyclocross, under the blazing sun of Follonica.
As we had written earlier, the heat took over and the two pink jerseys felt it even more. Rebecca and Marco in fact had to wear the leader's leotard and this, ironically (or seasonal logic) was long-sleeved!
Gariboldi Queen
«If I could have I would have run in a singlet – Gariboldi said immediately after arriving – oh my, it's so hot!
Rebecca was always in control. Calm. She called for laps when she needed to pass with complete calm. The idea is that it's changed something from last year. Among other things, it also seemed more "muscular."
"What have I changed? Let's say that every year I try to improve and I know myself better. This year in particular... With the team and my coach, Giovanni Gilberti, we are working a lot on technique. These are jobs that we do as a group with the team, which is giving us great support, thanks to Francesco Cingolani».
«And when I say technical work I mean specific work with the cyclocross bike. Because I had already been taking care of the dry and proprioception parts for years."
«More muscular? I'm glad you said so! I've been trying to gain some mass and strength for years. Because that's what you need (and in fact, she was pushing the gears well during the pedaling section, ed.) at high levels. When you see the girls on TV who do cyclocross in Belgium, they push gears that are almost road-going.
Top Amphitheater
But beyond the heat, which there was nothing we could do about, the focus of the fourth stage was the route. The race took place in an amphitheatre from which the entire course could be seen from every point. Track designed by Fausto Scotti.
"We raced here last year," said the Giro d'Italia Cyclocross patron, "but then I came back this summer for a site inspection. I wanted to make some changes, and they had to be made, at the request of the Municipality. And so... I added a couple of extra crosspieces. I think with all those ramps it was really tough."
And Gariboldi confirms: «A fast route, yes, but really challenging. The ramp section was all concentrated and you had to manage your energy carefully. Also because you couldn't relax too much in that more pedaled one."
"The steps," Scotti continues, "which we couldn't use, were ultimately transformed into a small grandstand for spectators. It was a carefully planned layout, also to be followed by security personnel and the media… There are 1.600 wooden stakes and a team is always ready with a mallet to intervene if necessary."
Pavan's Revenge
Yesterday in Brugherio, Pavan hadn't been lucky. He'd broken the Boas on his shoes. Today he wanted to make up for it at all costs. And he succeeded in a big way. At the first corner he was third, at the fifth he was second, at half the lap he was in the lead. And there, in practice, the race ended. Despite an excellent and always aggressive Antonio Folcarelli.
"I wanted to make up for it and show that yesterday only one problem had stopped me," Pavan said. "Today I wanted to prove my worth. In the first laps, I immediately tried to open up a gap. I took these 15” and from there I thought about managing: without losing or gaining."
The thing that struck us about Piedmontese is that compared to others He appeared under the ramps at a very high speed. And in practice he wasn't pedaling until halfway, despite monstrous slopes.
"It was a very demanding course with many ramps where you couldn't spare yourself. Maintaining a good pace was essential. That's why I tried to accelerate as much as possible before the ramps: I wanted to spend as little as possible on them, because if you start pushing from below you really waste a lot. So just before the “wall” I would change gear and lighten it as much as possible, to find the right ratio (it had a 42x33 as the lightest, ed.) when the push ended».
The tires? This morning we tried the super-smooth ones, but they were too slippery. In the end, we chose this setup: smooth in the front, with mud knobs in the rear. Plus I had a water bottle… which was a must with this heat and the long pink jersey bodysuit."
