"We have a 70 percent new team.". Michael Coppolillo It takes us straight to the heart of the matter. His Team Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna this year he made the big leap, from under 23 to continentalThe bar has been raised, and so have the prospects.
I"Coppo" is one of the team's longtime sporting directors. He can assess the differences from the past. The picture is of a highly motivated, young, and already hard-working team. These days, Technipes #inEmiliaRomagna is in Calpe, Spain, to sharpen its blades for the first races.
Michele, let's start with a new challenge...
A team - as mentioned - largely renewed. Now we're in Spain for the first real big training camp of the year, the one where the foundations for the season are laid. And we'll stay there until early February. We also did another one in December for 4-5 days, but mostly to get to know each other and to get the materials. Here, however, we produce large volumes and specific work.
What are the first impressions?
I think it's a very balanced team. We have 12 riders: six under 23 and six elite. And the older ones—but put the older ones in quotation marks—can act as a driving force for the younger ones, thanks to their experience. From what little I've seen so far, it seems that way.
What are your impressions from a technical point of view?
For now we haven't made any definitive plans and I'm struggling to make a technical evaluation of the riders, also because we haven't raced, And it's the running that counts. Plus, we mostly did long distance running, not even any specific training. Maybe by the end of the training camp I'll have a clearer idea.
With the arrival of the new sporting directors, will your role change? Will you be more of a manager?
No, no… I'm a sports director, it makes me sick just thinking about anything else! I've been here for four years, since this project was born, and I've enjoyed this role. This year I've been supported by Francesco Chicchi e Mario Chiesa, who also has a more managerial role. But I remain a technician, a flagship. We have a great relationship, even a friendship. And then they're two people with tons of experience. I think this is the perfect mix, too.
Chiesa, Coppolillo, Chicchi… a gigantic lineup of sporting directors for a continental team. And Cassani behind them. Is this a team already planning for something bigger?
Let's take it slow. Meanwhile, this year we became a continental team and we needed a more structured team to be able to compete with the professionals. We needed people with a certain amount of experience and we brought them in, but the main players remain the athletes.
And speaking of athletes, looking at the names stimulates curiosity thatAndrea InnocentiDespite his hiccups, it's said he has a strong engine...
I found a determined guy with a great drive. The first impression was good. He has clear ideas, he knows well that he has to climb a mountain... No, no: he's a good boy.
How long will it take for him to find himself or be ready for the first results?
I imagine the first few races will help him regain some racing rhythm after so many years of inactivity. But I think he could be better as early as April or May. And then the years pass here (Innocenti was born in 1999, ed.) and it's not that Andrea has all this time, but we don't want to put pressure on him either.
And then there is Matteo Montefiori, a well-developed boy, an excellent time trialist. This is his second year with you. Could he be a leader?
Matteo is a guy with great potential, but his good qualities shouldn't be limited to just time trials. He can go further. I'm not saying he can rank in stage races, because he's physically impressive, but in one-day races, even hilly ones, I think he can do well. It's also clear that with him, we're particularly committed to the time trial.
What do you expect from this move to continental?
I don't think it will change much in the end. We will certainly have more structured activities with the pros, but our great races with the under 23s will not be lacking. I expect to work hard, face tough races for us, and that it won't be easy to get results. This doesn't mean we'll start out defeated, but we're clearly aware of that. And then we have 12 athletes and we have to carefully consider the activity, otherwise we won't finish the season.
Especially if you have a dual job. Will you do it?
Yes, yes... elite on one side and under on the other. And this also applies to us sports directors: we'll swap. Basically I'll be more with the under 23s and Chicchi with the elite.
Thinking carefully about your activity means not running continuously under-23 style (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday), but calibrating your goals by taking breaks and "peak" periods...
Of course, otherwise you'll experience a physiological decline and won't even make it to June, not the end of the season as I said before. So yes: We'll run less, but we'll run better. We might even go 10-15 days without racing. Then verbally everything seems easy, the facts will count, but in the meantime the idea is this.
