Samuele Alari started again yesterday, with a first gym session followed by a ride on the rollers. Test and a jog to start working towards his third season as an Under 23, which will see him race in the jersey SC Padovani Polo Cherry Bank. His experience with the I have to team up of Tudor Pro Cycling It ended without much fuss, a handshake and everyone went their separate ways. The rider from Bergamo has returned to Italy to race, choosing an evolving reality capable of garnering excellent consensus already in its first year in the category.
«Today (yesterday for those reading, ed.) I did some maximal tests in the gym – says Alari – to understand how to program strength work. Once finished I got on the rollers for a jog, all in all it was a first work session lasting two hours and thirty minutes.It's a type of workout I've done in the past; after the gym you get on the bike to absorb the strength work you've done. Since it needs to be something fairly immediate, I preferred spinning so as not to waste too much time."
The desire to start again
The enthusiasm in Alari's tone is palpable; his voice is cheerful, a sign that the holidays have had their effect and the time has come to start again, looking ahead to 2026.
«I rested well – Samuele Alari continues – Together with my trainer we decided to take a two-week breakI went first to Sicily with my girlfriend and then to London with friends. We came back on Sunday, and I've been back to work since yesterday. I have to say I missed being active and working out. In 2026 I want to redeem myself after two years of silenceI owe it to myself and to SC Padovani who believed in me right from the start."
What do you feel you have to give to yourself?
Let's say I would like to reconnect with the feelings I had in the two years since junior , where things went quite well. I ran a lot with the national team and I achieved some victoriesUnfortunately, at the end of 2023 I broke my pelvis and I feel like everything kind of stopped there. In the two years since under 23 at Tudor I had some problems, next year I want to show my real worth.
What would you like to give to Padovani?
I would like to repay the trust shown in me from the very beginning. They told me I would have my own space and even before signing Alexander Petacchi He helped me solve the knee problem that affected my 2025 (Alari opens with Alessandro Petacchi and SC Padovani vice president Martino Scarso, Photors.it).
Get out of a I have to team up, what was the experience like?
The positive side is related to the things I feel I learned at Tudor, I have a better command of the English language and I have raced at high levels, even with professionals.
Even though you didn't run much overall?
It's theirs modus operandi, all the riders have few days of racing under their belt. There is a lot of emphasis on growth in training, on the other hand, I feel like an athlete who needs to compete to make certain progress. I also tried to talk to the team about it, but their philosophy remains the same..
Looking back, would you make this choice again?
When I signed with Tudor it was the period in which juniors were starting to leave Italy to race, I was one of the first to do so. There wasn't much feedback or experience from other riders to rely on.In the end, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into; Tudor initially offered me a growth path that was longer than two years.
What happened then?
When I signed I wasn't tied to results, but only to a process of growth and maturation. At the end of last season, when it came to understanding what to do, they told me they weren't sure they wanted to keep me.They told me that without a lot of results, it was hard to think of continuing. The point is that they didn't leave me the space to try what I wanted, to challenge myself. I have to admit I came very close to wanting to quit..
Why?
In two years I invested time, energy and so much more only to have no return. I asked myself if it was really worth itFor a month, the idea of quitting prevailed over the idea of continuing. I told myself: "Enough, I dedicate myself to school, I also have other interests besides cycling and this is obviously not my path". Then I spoke to my agent, Mori, and gave myself another year.
You had the strength to get back into the game, but not everyone has it, the choice of a I have to team up can it burn some?
In my case, in hindsight, I would say that going straight to Tudor was a mistake. However, I understand that for a junior the call is tempting., maybe if I could go back I would do it again. If you go abroad you have to take into account the fact that the I have to team up They are the antechamber of professionalism, it's true, but if you don't get in then the risk is that the blow will be very bigSome quit, some don't.
We need the courage to start again…
Mistakes happen, in cycling as in school or at work. It takes the mental strength to admit that you've made a mistake and want to try again., to say: "It's not over yet." I trusted SC Padovani because I saw in them the reflection of my desire to change my mentality. Some things will change in the team and the desire to improve will not be lacking, both to me and much less to them.
