Thanks to the performances achieved at Course de la Paix, especially from Agostinacchio, Capello e Magagnotti, Italy leads the men's junior Nations Cup. This is a result that is surprising in many ways, considering that the same coach Salvoldi, in commenting on the excellent Italian performances in Bohemia, did not fail to point out that the Italian tradition in youth cycling requires that in spring there is a normal gap with other nations, dictated above all by school commitments. We were used to seeing a different Italy from July onwards, but even the most deeply rooted traditions are destined to be updated, it seems.
Two blues, two goals
At the Peace Race all the Italians were protagonists, but, after having underlined the results and above all the presence as a team player of the cyclo-cross world champion Mattia Agostinacchio, the emphasis should be placed on two riders, Alessio Magagnotti e Roberto CapelloBecause they achieved very high performance by dedicating themselves to two very different objectives: the first aimed for stage victories and the resulting points classification, Capello for his part found himself battling for the general classification, bringing home a podium worth gold and which also made his team proud, Grenke Auto Eder who had believed in him, surprising many industry insiders with his hiring.
Let's start with Magagnotti, who with the results he brought home brings peace to a first part of the season that started with some worries: «The first part of the season had gone badly, too much bad luck and missed opportunities with victory. I had lost some self-esteem, I didn't understand why I couldn't translate my condition, my expectations into results.Then came my first victory at the Memorial Vangi, but the real turning point came at the Trofeo Emozione, where I managed to win despite having serious allergies. Everything changed a bit there."
The trip to Bohemia was your first trip abroad this season. Did you expect such a rich haul?
Let's say I didn't know what my real value could be, but at every stage I set out with the goal of victory. The podium in the first stage was very useful, in the semi-stage of the second day I realized that something had changed from a mental point of view, I felt quite confident, but beyond the results, what I take away from Bohemia is the fact that I managed to always stay with the best, even in the hardest stage.
One aspect of the results that deserves further exploration is the fact that you finished among the first in all the sprints, as did Agostinacchio: did you do different sprints?
On the first day, yes, we had been given the option of me sprinting with the team as a train and Mattia doing the isolated sprint. Unfortunately, we missed the Dutchman. Schoonvelde So he finished second and I third. But you could see we were going strong. On the second day, Mattia gave me a sprint up to 600 meters and that was important to be able to then launch the sprint, the victory is also thanks to himIn the hardest stage we stayed together, on the last day he won the bunch sprint, I was with the breakaway, but I was really short of energy, I sprinted but I didn't have the energy to win and I finished second.
While waiting to be able to officially announce the team for next year, we already know that it is a I have to team up of the WorldTour. Is having the road already paved at this point in the season helpful psychologically?
Up to a certain point. I know I'll have a future in a big team, but I'll think about it when the time comes. For now, the important thing is that I'm racing for the...Autozai Contri and I want to honor this jersey until the last day by getting as many victories as possible. My hunger for victory has not been quenched in the slightest after the 2026 agreement, I'm moving forward day by day.
Does the fact that the routes of the titled races are for pure climbers penalize you a little? Do you feel left out?
I know the European Championships aren't for me, but I'm still thinking about the World Championships. I want to see what the process is like to understand if and what I can do. Then there's always the track, which I now want to focus on. Also because I'd love to be called back to the quartet. I mean, there's a lot on the table...
A podium that came as a surprise
While Magagnotti and Agostinacchio were fighting for the stages, Roberto Capello was looking at the overall standings and his podium is perhaps the most surprising outcome of the stage race in the Czech Republic: «Honestly, I didn't expect the podium, even though I had previously finished 6th at the GP West Bohemia, but it was a different race and above all with a very different level of participation.The thing that surprised me was my time trial performance: I had never done one before and yet I finished in the top 10. In the queen stage I defended myself by attacking, I tried a couple of times to break away and in the end I finished 6th. In the end, third place is a great achievement."
It came out even without looking too hard…
The team was rightly more focused on chasing the stages, but I saw that I was holding up and the ranking was getting better and better. So little by little The team helped me, especially in the penultimate stage and in the final one. We even thought about trying to get a sensational shot, but we didn't succeed.
Did you and your teammates know each other?
Yes, except Agostinacchio. We often meet up with the others at competitions, it's been like this since we were students so even though we were in different teams we often found ourselves talking.A great group was formed, I believe it was the first ingredient for the results we brought home because we were very well-matched.
How much does the military influence the team within the Red Bull supply chain, how much has it changed you so far?
This is a fundamental aspect because we work a lot on mutual trust. You know that if one day you work to make a teammate win, then the time will come when he will reciprocate and run to make you winThis atmosphere has been recreated in the national team, with riders we normally compete with, and I think this is very important. I've already grown a lot in the international team, both technically and tactically, but assessments are made at the end of the season. Now I'm waiting for my first victory; I'm working towards that.
What are you learning in particular?
There's a different mentality, where you always race to win, no matter what the course or who your opponent is. This makes me understand that it was the right choice. Now I have a few races ahead of me in Italy where I'll be alone, but this doesn't bother me, because it's something I've done in the past and I know how to move., how to leverage the work of other teams. It's clear, however, that when my teammates are there, it's much better...
