«I still have to realize that I won the Italian championship. I've always seen it as a tactically difficult race. I think it's the pinnacle of growth and I hope to continue like this." He hit the nail on the head right away. Francesco Busatto new Italian under 23 champion. The rider of the Circus-ReUz After his arrival he immediately spoke of joy, tactics and growth.
The race
The Mordano race took place on the Tre Monti circuit, the one famous for the world championships of Adorni and partly of Alaphilippe
171 kilometers and 2.300 meters of altitude difference to be covered. Hot, but not impossible, and the race immediately becomes lively. Outside there is a large breakaway. On the fourth of nine laps, on the forcing of Sergio Merisin, eight of them leave, including the three on the podium, Busatto himself, Luca Cretti of Colpack-Ballan and Dario Igor Belletta of Jumbo-Visma Development. The decisive move came in the eighth round.
Busatto attacks decisively and only Cretti manages to respond and even counter-launch. It's immediately clear that the two have more power and they break away. It's a two-man sprint... but there's no contest. After Liège and the Orlen Nations Grand Prix, Busatto scores another prestigious victory.
"It's a dream come true," Busatto said after his arrival. not far from here, on the Gallisterna climb, I had seen the world championship win Alaphilippe... and I had also run on those roads. Roads that suited me today. I liked the route, with steep sections alternating with flat sections where the climbs were more flat."
The tactics
This isn't the first time this year that Busatto has played his cards right. And when he spoke about tactics at the beginning, he was right.
«From my team – explains the Venetian – There were only two of us and that worried me. We tried to run on the counterattack at the start, working to catch up with the first breakaway. From there, however, I tried to be ready for every attack."
As they say: the best defense is often a good offense. Francis had understood that he could not afford to be left behind again, better to anticipate, also because he was well aware of his skills as a finisher.
Champion's clarity
Nobody had told him to run like that. Also because the sports directors following Francesco and his partner, Alessio Delle Vedove, they weren't there. And even during the week they hadn't spoken that much.
«We didn't talk to each other that much – Francesco said then with a cool head – but I tried to run according to my experience, trying to do everything as diligently as possible."
«I knew I was fast, but I wasn't sure I'd win. However, I understood that I could do it when at the entrance to the last climb the advantage continued to increase.
"Plus, I was feeling good and ready to respond to any attack Cretti would make, just to try and sprint to the finish. Although I have to say that in the end, we were pretty much in agreement all the way to the finish. And maybe it was even a little easier than I expected."
Busatto truly speaks with the clarity of a champion. Of someone who has everything under control or simply someone who is confident. And this confidence is a key aspect he himself told us about.
"A confidence that comes with good results, and it will probably be even more so now with this jersey. Although I had gained some confidence after Liège.
«Actually, I wasn't so sure. Also because My legs weren't exactly the best and, especially during the first climbs, I had some stomach problems. I tried not to give up, to eat as much as possible... and luckily, in the end, the leg was there. Maybe because the others weren't very fresh either."
Special dedications
Francesco talks about a difficult post-Giro Next. The fatigue from the Giro d'Italia, combined with the first heat, weakened him. He said that the first heat is very hot and that's also why he only did unloading during the week.
"No hard training," said the rider from Bassano. "I just thought about recovering. Then I will have come out of the Giro Next with great legs, but In terms of sensations, I didn't feel very good. I repeat, I always pay a bit for the first week of heat."
Before leaving there is the inevitable dedication: «Who do I dedicate this to? To my family first of all. In the many years when I didn't have great results, when I even struggled to find a team, they were always there. Then I dedicate it to my team. It's still to my trainer, Paul Santello. It's thanks to him that I made a great leap in quality and that he gave me a different way of seeing things.
«And finally a dedication goes to the Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex Trentino who hosted me for two days for this race and who two years ago he took me when I was practically “on the street”. Without them I wouldn't be here now."
A word from Piva
And then there is Valerio Piva, Busatto will be sport director of the WorldTour from next year, Intermarche-Wanty GobertValerio is returning from the Italian pros' game when we intercept him. On one hand he's happy, on the other less so, because if Francesco has won, Lorenzo Rota he finished second once again.
«Busatto came out well from the Giro Next – says Piva – and We knew he was fine. We knew he could play his cards. He had already come close twice during the Giro. I haven't spoken to him yet. I will tomorrow (today, ed.) and he will tell me exactly how the race went."
Francesco's is another important victory. It's a victory that comes amid several equally important placings, a sign of the boy's consistent performance.
«It's the result of teamwork, of his sporting director Kévin Van Melsen, of our staff. And in fact, other guys are doing well too. We invested in him. We believed in him. Fondriest had spoken highly of him. We monitored him and chose him. But that doesn't mean we're stopping, or that he should stop. We have to keep making it grow."
