Juniors and tests. Juniors who grow. It's now clear that this category is no joke anymore. In fact, more and more often, they leap straight to the pro world. Everything is more professional, starting with preparation.
Last weekend, the Franco Ballerini has started its tests at the center of Pino Toni, coach who lends a hand to many youth teams. In addition to the team managed by Andrea Bardelli, the coach from Lucca also follows Cps Professional Team, scap, Uc Empolese…But what are the differences with the pros? What do the kids think when they enter the lab? What tests are done?
The incremental test
The season, in a way, begins here. It's based on the results of these tests that coaches and sporting directors then draw up the training program and subsequently the racing program.
«There are many tests – explains Toni – but in this case with the kids we do the incremental one to extract the intensity values to work on. With professionals we also do the more complex metabolic ones."
But how is the test carried out? «It's the classic incremental. First, I warm up, pushing them up to 3,5 watts/kilogram (depending on their weight), but they can go up to 220-250 watts. Once the warm-up is complete (and after a bit of recovery, ed.), the actual test begins. It starts at 100 watts and increases by 10 watts every minute.
The duration then depends on the individual and their weight. On average, it lasts about thirty minutes for individuals weighing around 65 kilos. But there are athletes with truly significant numbers who have gone much further. And in fact one of the most recurring questions from the kids themselves is: how much did he do? History? How long did it last? Contador?.
Amazement yes, reverence no
When they arrive at the center Cycling Project Italia the boys do not remain insensitive.
«My studio is special – explains Toni – There are memorabilia, trophies and photos of champions who perform the tests. There is one of Frank Vandenbroucke. The Belgian made, I think, his last test with me when he came to the Cinelli of Biasci. There's a photo of him with the Lion of Flanders on his shoulder, and I see that shot always has a certain effect. Some are excited, others aren't. I can also tell by the more tense ones' pulses: they're higher before starting than 5-6 minutes after, when they should have increased. As they pedal, however, they calm down and off they go. Except in exceptional cases, this type of tension doesn't affect the results.
«I have to say though that Compared to the past, the kids are less in awe of the coach, the manager... They have more guts in terms of behavior. They see you as more of an equal. A mirror of society? Maybe. Social media has flattened everything a bit."
Top-class accounts
The tests carried out by the boys of the Franco Ballerini has already highlighted good numbers for someone. And this will give young cyclists a nice boost of confidence to start working seriously. However, they don't always get off the cycle ergometer with a smile.
"It doesn't happen often with juniors," Toni continues, "because it's their first test and they don't have any feedback. It's possible that some might expect more, but they're not disappointed. Maybe it can happen even with amateurs. There are some who were very strong as juniors and hoped to improve as U23s, but that didn't happen. Furthermore, there are those who are laboratory “animals” and those who are racing animals».
The recent European champion, ponomar, but he was apparently an “animal” both on the cycle ergometer and on the bike.
"Also Tiberi, recently, or Butteroni As juniors they scored excellent performances. Among the many I had, Damian Caruso e Valerio Conti They delivered performances of the highest caliber. Conti especially. Valerio came here with the "poor" Antonio Fradusco as a student. He had a very high power-to-weight ratio for his age, in the intermediate phase of his career perhaps he didn't perform as well as he could have."
