SARCHE – Before meeting Bryan Olivo, just yesterday after his victory in the U23 Italian time trial, I happened to shake Roberto Bressan's hand. The team manager of the Cycling Team Friuli he walked around with a smile this big, since he has already personally worked on Olivo more than once. The technicians of his team are working since two years to transform him from a promising cross-country racer into a finger-lickingly talented track and road racer. This time trial, won with 1'12” on the second and 1'16” on the third, was the confirmation that the direction is right..
For the team and family
Olivo was hiding away in the box reserved for the top of the rankings, without the more classic “hot seat”, but with a series of sofas and benches in the shade, which under that very bad sun was a happy oasis.
“I expected to do well,” he said, “but not to give so much distance to the secondOn the rollers during the warm-up I saw some numbers that amazed me. I knew I was going strong, because I've been preparing this Italian since last year.I came in third and told myself I would come back to win. I gave it my all and I don't deny that I was very nervous since Monday: not because I felt the pressure of the race, but for all the trust I received from the team, for how they prepared me. I didn't want to disappoint them, myself and not even my parents who are always by my side».
Work in progress
The road passage was not free of pricks. We didn't look favourably on the escape of another of the best talents in cyclocross., to the point that, moved by a polemical impulse, Bressan said last summer that the following winter he would send Olivo back to cross-country. This did not happen (we had no doubts), on the other hand Bryan continued to grow consistently on almost all terrains.
"Winning the Italian championship," Olivo continued, "gives me indescribable emotions. The season started well, but then it became a bit dull. I had an intestinal problem, which made me lose 3 kilos in the whole month of MayIn June I wasn't making any progress, but in the end I recovered and it couldn't have gone better. That said, I still can't say what kind of rider I might be.I think you could say I'm good at time trials now. I'm good on the flats, but I'm strong on the climbs. You could say I'm an "all rounder", but I don't define myself as such.Yes, we'll see over time. There's still a long way to go."
Never give up
And so now, hearing him speak, you wonder if there is already someone on his trail some of those teams that go fishing for very young talentsIt must be said that the Cycling Team Friuli, as a nursery for Bahrain Victorious, is a great place to continue gaining your experiences, but how would a twenty-year-old boy reason when faced with a potential offer from a WorldTour team?
"I don't know what I'll do next year," he said immediately. It depends on whether I feel ready to move on or not, otherwise I'll wait another yearI still have a lot of goals this year. The Italian road championship is on Saturday, where I think I'll ride for my teammates. They did the Tour of Italy and for sure on the road they will be slightly more ready than meBut if the opportunity arises, I'll try to do my part. And then I'd also like to do well at the World Championships.
«They are all goals that come gradually and thanks to mental strengthI made the difference in this time trial because I didn't give up an inch, even though my legs were telling me to slow down. I didn't do that, and that's something that doesn't happen to me often. One thing that from now on must always be there. For me this means growing up."
