Zalf is always Zalf. The team of Flower and Rui This year they made the leap to the continental ranks. Among the major under-23 teams, they were the only ones missing. For the occasion, they also called upon the sporting director Gianni Faresin, who took control of the situation.
Gianni's Return
The Venetian returned to base after a year at Casillo – Petroli Florence. And he found all the gears back in place.
"The Ointment rThis is a family team. There's true passion here, from the owners to the management, and that makes the foundation solid. You're happy when you win, but you're also aware that with the move to the continental championship, you'll get fewer results. We're just getting started and are getting used to the new category. We've already raced with the pros, and the work schedule is a little different. The calendar is "just right," there are only a few races, and we need to get all the guys racing.
"The races we've done have helped us gain experience, make ourselves visible, and find the right pace. We've worked especially hard with an international focus."
More kilometers
Faresin is also a coach. He supervises his players directly. For the occasion of the transition to continentals, he increased the share of the fund. In practice, the distances in training have increased, but for the rest, the sporting director himself admits, things have remained the same.
«For some years now – Faresin continues – also The training sessions of the under 23s have intensified and are closer to those of the pros. Previously, the tendency was to preserve the young riders, now the effort is to bring them to the races at all costs, since they are faster than the "old" riders. Then the arrival of foreigners has pushed this change even further.
Benedetti and Zambanini
In the "new" Zalf three boys have made themselves seen more than others and they are Gabriele Benedetti, Edoardo Zambanini and Stefano Gandin.
«Benedetti has already won a race and he is expected to confirm what he showed in his first year as an under-23, when he passed and immediately showed great promise. He's a rouleur-climber who can be a protagonist in stage races. It's his third year. I had him with me at Casillo, and his 2020 season wasn't easy. Now he's found the serenity he needs to race again."
«Zambanini is a second year player and there are great expectations on him too, especially after what he showed at the U23 Tour from last year when he won the white jersey against all those strong riders. He'll have to improve his endurance, like the others, and his consistency. Racing now isn't easy. The circuits have practically disappeared, the races often have a "pitfall" at the end, and the teams, given that there are few races, often have the same names. (the strongest, ed.)».
Gandin, modern rider
Finally there is Gandin, who this time we suggest to Faresin.
"He's one of our elite four. He's a leader, coming off a strong season, and he seems to have found his calling. He got off to a good start with a solid seventh place at Per Sempre Alfredo. A fast wheel? For me, he's more of a climber-router, I'd say. He's the prototype of the modern rider: he goes strong on climbs and is very fast."
Zalf will now be present in the Italian races in April from Piva to Belvedere, passing through the Giro di Romagna. But the Venetians have circled the Liberazione GP, the most beloved classic, in red.
