Bryan Olivo has just returned to training. Until two years ago, this was the most enjoyable part of the season for him. Cross was his home, the DP66 jersey and the Giant bike. In 2021 he conquered the junior tricolor jersey in Lecce, beating Masciarelli. Then, having switched to the road, he took his dirt bike and put it in the garage. 2022 was the first season as a full-time road racer with the CT Friuli.
Olivo participated in the Tour of Szeklerland and the Tour of Slovakia, while he retired after the second stage of the Giro del Friuli. The best results came in the time trials. Third at the Italian Championships, second in PonsaccoWith the national team he raced in the European time trial, road and track championships (the time trial in Anadia opens, photo UEC). Bryan he will turn twenty in January.
Are your holidays over?
I just started doing something again. I have been stopped from October 12th until now, it was necessaryHonestly, I didn't even feel the season that much, in the sense that I started to go strong at the end, so it didn't weigh on me particularly. Every now and then, however, a bit of rest is needed and now I'm ready to start again..
So what do you think of the street world?
I like it. If you want to emerge and become a professional, you have to go fast on the road And I had a great time. In Slovakia, I raced among the professionals, and I like their style of racing. Among the under 23s, especially in Italy, we start attacking from start to finishThere is no reasoned racing tactic. Instead I noticed that abroad the races are more thought out and I feel betterThere's also a lot more teamwork and in the end it feels a bit like the big races you see on TV.
You stayed on track, right?
I played in the European Under 23 Championship in Anadia, Portugal, in the individual pursuit (in the race in which Manlio Moro won the bronze, Bryan was 10th, ed.). I should keep the track, unless something sensational happens. My idea, and I think also that of my trainers and sports directors, is to start again from the base of the end of the year where I did well, then improveThere will be various objectives during the season that we will talk about. However, the idea for 2023 is to go strong and start winning.
The best results came in the time trials.
Seeing from this year, Time trials are really my strong pointIt's something you can work on well and maybe even get some great satisfaction from.I saw that against time I can give my true potential 100 percent.Obviously, I'll also have to win road races, but my strong point right now is time trials. It's something I feel is mine. When I get on that bike I feel like a different person and so I really like it a lot.
You mentioned the road, seeing you and remembering your skills in cross, we could take a look at the roads of the North, right?
I would say yes. In the end I saw that uphill after 3 kilometers I start to struggle, while on the steep and undulating paths I can make myself seenThe Northern classics could be good, but it all needs to be explored. Last year I wasn't able to test those routes, but the idea is to focus on the classics and hilly routes.
Let's get to the sore point: Trentin says that giving up cross-country early to focus on the road is a mistake.
My idea is that If you want to go pro and you're not an absolute phenomenon in cross, it's better that you focus on the road 100 percent, so maybe you have a chance. Do both, maybe not done well, in my opinion compromises the ability to move forwardAt least that's what I think.
When did you come to this awareness?
I've always said I love cyclocross and that I would never give it up. However, when you think carefully about the pros and cons, especially in cross-country racing in Italy... In Belgium and Holland, they are two different things. Likewise, Where are the Belgian and Dutch riders who do cross-country and go fast on the road? Aside from those two or three phenomenal riders, I mean. I'm talking about the under-23 and junior levels. If you look at the results, you won't find anyone who's fast on the road or does cross-country.
In theory, you do multi-disciplines not to win as a junior or U23, but to have a more complete pro training.
But let's say that now Cycling is taking you in a direction where if you don't go fast now, you'll never pass. We're seeing more and more juniors going straight to the pros, and under-23s struggling more and more. It's probably the movement that makes you so strong as a junior.
In your opinion, is Buratti's absence a missed opportunity, or will an extra year benefit him?
I do not know, It's a question I don't want to answer..
Following your reasoning, it almost seems like there's only one train...
If you have the contract in hand, one more year doesn't matter, but If you don't have the contract in hand, obviously not passing is a wasted opportunityIt depends on how you look at it. If you let him play a fourth year and you don't have a contract, maybe you're not motivated. If you already have it, one more year doesn't change anything., because you know you will get through it eventually.
If someone came to you right now and offered to come over right away, after you said you still had some growing up to do, what would you do?
I can't refuse, can I? It would be an opportunity. It's like saying that the train passes once and then maybe never passes again.I agree that it's necessary to grow, but what if something happens to you during this year to help you grow, even if it's just pure bad luck? What do you do afterward?
Likewise, what if you go over there, you're not ready, and you stop running?
Of course, these are just points of view in the end. But it is right that a rider must grow before moving on, this is what I want to say.
How does preparation resume now?
With a bit of gym time, especially that. A couple of hours on the bike 2-3 times a week, and then you can gradually increase the amount. For two more weeks alone, then we will meet almost every Saturday and Sunday together in the little houseIt's cold here in the mornings and evenings, but it's still pleasant during the day. It's perfect for a lunchtime bike ride, which doesn't hurt these days.
