Italian and his pro debut: Zalf's season with flying colors

In the end Zalf did Zalf. In its season number 40, the team of Egidio Fior e Gaspare Lucchetta and directed by Gianni Faresin It's roared back like it hasn't in a while.

Okay, the Colpack Ballan At the moment he is on another level, but the boys from the Castelfranco Veneto team have been the authors of a second part of the season that is no laughing matter. In fact, it is truly laughable and smile-worthy given the so many triumphs, 30 in total, and most importantly with 14 different riders.

Starting like this, like this

With Faresin, we take stock of this two-faced season. A season that, among other things, was the first as a continental team. The team has debuted in this category to the Per Semper Alfredo (opening photo), took part in the Adriatica-Ionica Race, the Gp Adria Mobil, the Giro di Sicilia and the Veneto Classic.

"I'm satisfied. In fact, very satisfied," says the Venetian coach. "We didn't start well. We collected a little less than usual and than we thought. We achieved many placings. We were always present, but few triumphs."

«After the Giro Under 23 however things have changed since the Italian championshipFrom July onwards, we achieved more than we perhaps could have, we had episodes in our favor. I always say that luck and bad luck balance each other out, and that's exactly what happened. The boys also gained more confidence in themselves."

A Giro born badly

A big chunk of the season Zalf Euromobil Désirée Fior was marked by a bad U23 Giro. Faresin's riders (but also Mauro Busato ed Ilario Contessa,) you may remember, they went to high altitude but found unfavorable conditions and they ended up going down worse than they had gone up.

"To be strong in the Giro, we had to go to altitude, but of course the period wasn't the best," Gianni continues. "We had gone to Pordoi, but the weather wasn't good. Okay, we trained lower down, towards Cavalase, but It snowed practically every day.

"However, if we look at the results, I also say: okay, the Giro went badly. But we were present in the breakaways, we always attacked for what little we could do given that there were no intermediate stages. Given that Ayuso dominated always and that the race was pretty much closed. Apart from the Spaniard, there was room for very few others."

Many winners

Like Gianni, we analyze what was said at the beginning: thirty sack races with 14 different athletes, a truly good sign. The most victorious was Matteo Zurlo with five successes, followed by Riccardo Verza e Julius Masotto with three.

«Winning with many different riders has always been Zalf's strength "We don't start with just one captain, but we try to have more than one because they are all top-quality riders. We often decide along the way who to focus on. Plus, I have to say this year's group was a really good one, very close-knit.

«From July onwards there was a real change of pace starting from the Italian championship which we won with Gabriele Benedetti. We really pulled off a great move that day. The boys were brave enough to attack early, and in hindsight, that victory is even more valuable, considering that the second place went to Barons. It was a very difficult race:».

“Old” and young

And next year there will be a nice shake-up, but no revolution, we will continue along this line. Edward Zamabanini (at the Bahrain Victorious), Alex Tolio (at the Bardiani Csf Faizanè) to Gabriele Benedetti (at the Drone Hopper-Androni). And we continue with an even "old" team, if you like...

"Let's consider that the 1998-1997 class lost a year to Covid. In any case, we're keeping four elite players. And we're keeping them for two main reasons. First: a 22-23 year old boy is not old. Okay, so this is the path we've taken, but I'm not so sure. I'm actually convinced that we'll lose a lot of guys who aren't ready for the transition. It's well known that among the pros, you don't have much time to prove your worth. And not all of them are Evenepoels... Second, the elite players around the younger guys bring the right mix of experience. They teach him something, they give him security.

"Not to mention that these older athletes are more reliable. This summer, they really stood out, as was only natural. A first-year player's performance is more inconsistent. You need to rest them more. An elite player is less tired physically and mentally. Also because first-year players have to finish school."

But that doesn't stop Zalf from bringing in new players from the junior ranks. And what new players!

«We'll take five – concludes Faresin – Samuele Bonetto e Simone Griggion from Giorgione, Alberto Bruttomessi e Stefano Cavalli from Borgo Molino and Edoardo Zamperini from Assali-Omap».