HASSELT (Belgium) – Disappointment for the Italian junior men's national team, who had to settle for of Ludovico Mellano's eighth place. So, while the Norwegian Felix Orn-Kristoff enjoys the deserved success in the road race of these European championships, our CT Dino Salvoldi he chews bitterly and doesn't mince his words.
«The eighth place of Mellano – he lets off steam – it's a placing that says very little about the progress of the raceThree of the strongest riders in the entire group arrived in front. Everyone knew it, including ours. Unfortunately, when the first gap opened up, we were unable to close on the three favorites, either as a team or individually. And I repeat, the whole group knew who they were, including Italy, Holland, Germany and Belgium. Everyone was left out of this escape."
A question of mentality?
Unfortunately it has been highlighted once again how Italian riders, in particular, always run on wheels, waiting for the othersWe must admit that if we don't change our mentality, we won't become more competitive and there's little future.
Yet at one point the gap was only eight seconds…
But you know, in these types of competitions, more than in the ones our guys are used to – Salvoldi sighs and adds – there's not even communication. We CTs are in the car and we can't do practically anythingAnd in a road race, even communication from the ground is not very continuous. That said, I want to emphasize the prejudiced and wait-and-see attitude, which inevitably has repercussions on what you do day by day.. This is no longer modern cycling, today. Races start at kilometer zero.
A brother of art
Returning to the race, as expected, the cobblestone sectors made the difference. Felix Orn-Kristoff (18 years old), who has already signed his first professional contract for 2026 with Intermarché-Wanty, it proved the fastest in the three-man sprint, after 129,7 kilometers of racing.
Spaniard Hector Alvarez took second place, while the Frenchman Paul Seixas (recent winner of Lunigiana) ranked third, also very promising. Felix didn't falter. He launched a very powerful sprint, perhaps also thanks to genetics. In fact He is the half-brother of Alexander Kristoff, a power monster and absolute champion.
Disappointed, but not too much
Eighth and first Italian, Ludovico Mellano is disappointed but not too muchThe most active of the Azzurri says he also paid the price for the cold and the seven degrees at the start at Circuit ZolderAnd to think that it's mid-September...
«The race was very fast – he says – we caught the first breakaway on the second cobbled sector, but the third was decisive. The three in the breakaway were really going strongI wasn't able to eat well and in the final sprint I couldn't do any better because I got cramps. In any case, on a personal level, a top ten is not bad. Of course, if no one had skipped the substitutions, maybe we would have come back."
Now we wait for the women, hoping that Elisa Balsamo and her companions will warm our hearts.
