It is no longer appropriate to consider him "the other Turconi". Because Matthew Turconi he is building his own path and in his second junior year he is now a reference for the category, considering that he brought home 5 victories in the season, all included in the national calendarAdd to these 12 top 10 finishes with podium finishes in stage races such as the Giro d'Abruzzo final classification. A complete rider, with the killer instinct to stand out even in the higher categories.
The impression is that of a boy who not only wants to free himself from his brother's shadow Filippo and not only (his mother Moira Tarraran he did the Giro d'Italia in 1999, his uncle is Stefano Zanini which certainly needs no introduction) but that has something more inside, an extraordinary desire to emerge.
«Maybe it comes from how things went last year, my first as a junior – says the rider of the Bustese Olonia – the season hadn't gone as I'd hoped, I'd achieved little. I'm also positively surprised by how things are going, because I've never had 5 victories, not even in previous categories. But I'm also looking forward to competing in many high-level races like last Sunday's. I've also achieved other placings, so I have to say I'm really happy with how things are going."
Your biggest win, the one that gave you the most satisfaction and made your season a better one?
For me, the regional championship was important, even if it was perhaps the lowest level of all, but it is still a title that gives importance. Even though the one I liked the most was the one from last Saturday, the Memorial Salvatico because there was a lot of climbing and I was able to express myself at my best.Then I also have to mention the one at Pistolesi, because it's on a climb that I often do in training because it's close to my house.
What are the differences between you and your brother from a technical point of view?
In my opinion, we are more or less similar in terms of characteristics. Maybe he's more lively and I'm a bit more regular, I'm going up the paceWe have two different styles but we can both consider ourselves climbers.
And how important is it to have Filippo as a current role model in cycling, that is, a brother who competes in the higher category?
I don't deny that it's an advantage, it certainly counts a lot, that is, having someone who can give you advice because he's already been through it recently. And in any case, he's proving that he can hold his own even in the higher categories. Let's just say I consider myself lucky because I have an excellent, very friendly relationship with him.
Did you have the opportunity to see your mother and uncle compete?
No, because my mother retired before we were born, while My uncle may have done some racing when I was born, but I was so young I can't even remember.But I've heard a few stories about his exploits, and I've seen something on social media about when he was running.
And what do you think when you hear those stories, that cycling of theirs that everyone says is so different from the one we experience now and that you guys experience?
I have to say that all my uncle's stories fascinate me. I also consider myself lucky to have an uncle like him, who has raced and above all won very high level races, who can give me adviceThe advice of a family member may be different from the advice someone in the same industry, who has no connection, can give you because they do it from the heart. We're talking about someone who's still in the thick of the action today, who knows what it's like to live in that environment, and who's a point of reference regardless of the team they work for or where I might be involved.
With a mother who rode the Giro d'Italia and an uncle like Zanini, was your path a bit forced towards cycling?
That certainly contributed, but it was a passion that grew within us, we never felt forced. Let's say that cycling has always been a part of our family, even my father raced up to the amateur level. The environment was that one, it involved us, but then we continued exclusively of our own will and we follow our own path, taking advice yes but making our own decisions.
What awaits you now in the second part of the season?
5 weeks of fire are coming, from the Sestriere race and then two international classics like Vertova and Paganessi, which I don't know if I'll do bothI'm hoping for a call-up to Lunigiana and the Buffoni Trophy to get called up to the European Championship, which they tell me is very tough and therefore suited to my characteristics.
And next year?
I will join my brother at VF Group Bardiani. The fact that he was already there influenced my choice, I see how he's doing, the team really made a good impression on me.And then running with my brother is something I've always wanted, but with two years between us, it's never been possible. That in itself is a dream come true...
