There is everything or almost everything in the liberating scream of Lorenzo Nespoli as he hugs team manager Antonio Bevilacqua immediately after crossing the finish line in Negrar. The Palio del Recioto is his and it is a victory that is worth a lot both for the twenty-year-old from Giussano and for the MBH Bank Ballan CSB Colpack (opening photo by Lisa Paletti).
Only time will tell if the U23 international classic will be Nespoli's turning point of the season, but his performance amidst the Valpolicella vineyards is certainly a great confidence boost for future races. In chronological order – riding the wave of Tuesday's excitement – The next targets in sight are tomorrow's Liberazione and the Giro della Provincia di Biella on Sunday 27 AprilSo we took the opportunity to gauge the mood and plans of the climber from Brianza, who is benefiting from his improved condition even in professional competitions.
Lorenzo, tell us about the Recioto feat? Was it thanks to the reconnaissance in early April?
No, we did the recon to review part of the route, but without necessarily planning anything strategic. On Tuesday I moved 40 kilometers from the finish exiting the circuit and pushing hard on the long climb of FiameneI immediately gained a good lead and from then on I managed it, trying to recover the effort. In the end I reached the top with about thirty seconds to spare without taking any risks on the descent. I knew that Finn and Schrettl were coming back down, but by now I had arrived.
And you let out a very heartfelt exultation…
Exactly, but not because it had been two years since I had won with my arms raised wearing the team's shirt, leaving aside the minor competitions in China at the end of 2024, the Italian team time trial championship and a hill climb time trial. In reality, the happiness I felt after crossing the finish line was frustration at not having achieved anything the day before at BelvedereFinn and Schrettl had attacked early, and I'd missed the moment. I tried to make up for it later, but in the end I didn't even crack the top ten. I wanted to redeem myself with Recioto, I had to.
Did you run under pressure to achieve results?
No, we didn't have any, but we'd failed in our first international matches and hadn't won since San Geo in February. For a team like ours, that's a bit strange. We absolutely wanted to return to success also to dedicate the victory to Pietro Valoti, Gianluca's father who passed away ten days ago., and to Antonio Bevilacqua, whose birthday was last week. We did it, and this victory of mine is for them.
What does the triumph of Recioto give you?
I felt good and the performance was a consequence. This success certainly makes me more aware of my abilities.However, I feel I still have a lot to prove. For example, I need to improve in short sprints. It's not like a beautiful day like Tuesday changes everything and suddenly you become strong.
At last year's Giro NextGen, you won the best climber's jersey. What are you aiming for this year?
The stages are not yet known, but Let's see what I can do on the first real climb (he says smiling, ed.). I'll figure out whether to focus on the general classification or whether to focus on the stages.To prepare for the NextGen, we've planned three weeks of high altitude training in Sestriere next month, but I also need to figure out if I'll race the Tour of Hungary, which is from May 14th to 18th. I'll talk to my technicians about it in the next few days and we'll decide what to do.
Is turning pro at the end of the season one of Lorenzo Nespoli's goals for 2025?
No, to what I'm not thinking about it because it's something that causes stress and therefore becomes counterproductiveSure, there are offers and we know what kind of rider I am, but my agent will take care of that and I'm calm. We'll talk about it again when the time is right. My goals are only related to the races. If I really have to christen one, then I say the Piccolo Lombardia, which for me is the home raceBut let's say I'd like to win again, more consistently.
