Who was not chosen to take part in the Giro Next Gen he headed towards Eastern Europe and another major stage race on the Under 23 calendar, the Peace RaceIt may have lost some of the prestige it once enjoyed, especially in the last century, when it was the absolute benchmark for amateur stage racing, on a par with the Tour de l'Avenir, but it remains a top-level event; just look at its roll of honor to understand that.
The last edition, which lasted only 3 days and was valid for the Nations Cup, saw Italy as the absolute protagonist, with Davide De Cassan capable of getting on the podium and Simone Raccani a little behind, fifth. For the rider of the Eolo Kometa It is certainly the most important result at an international level, which confirms his predisposition for multi-day races as was also seen last year, when he finished 11th at the Giro di Sicilia against many long-serving professionals.
"It's the first important result in this very unusual season," says the boy from Thiene, taking us a bit by surprise, "because I've been out for a whole two months. I had to have an operation to remove the plaque from my wrist. It was applied to me after an accident last yearI was out for about ten days and then I trained, but my preparation suffered with this break. I knew I was fine, but I didn't think I was in such good condition."
The Corsa has been completely redesigned this year, how did you find it?
It was short, but not easy, especially the first two days when there was a lot of rain and consequently many falls. However, we ran very carefully, always remaining in the first part of the group and this saved us..
Where did your placements come from?
The second day was decisive with the uphill finish. Mario Scirea (for the occasion sporting director instead of amadori, ed.) had told me that I had to anticipate the race, going on the attack on the penultimate climb to prevent everything from being played out on the last climb. So I did, going on the run with the Frenchman Huby, and crossing the summit with more than half a minuteBehind Portugal, he took on the burden of the chase and did a good job, especially because we had the wind against us. On the final climb we were caught by a small group with De Cassan, but we stayed ahead, then in the final I gave in, losing those seconds that would have allowed me to finish even further ahead in the standings.
Were you two the team's strikers?
Yes, those responsible for the classification, but we also ran for the partial finishes, in fact Belletta He finished 3rd in the final stage. In the end the result was positive also because before leaving the tactic we had to implement was that of a team dedicated to attack, which had to make the run and not suffer it and I think we hit the target.
What can you tell us about the Frenchman who won, Antoine Huby, since you shared the breakaway?
He is the typical climber, who however also defends himself well on the pass. He's strong, when we were caught he didn't let go and instead responded to Dalby's attack, the Dane ending up attacked by him.I, on the other hand, had spent a lot; I probably paid for the two months of inactivity there. Then, in the final stage, the French national team ran all for him, keeping the race in check.
It's often said that these experiences abroad lead Italian riders to experience a different way of running. Is this true?
In some ways, yes, they have a great deal of weight, in my opinion even more than the Italian stage races, because you find yourself competing in very different contexts technically speaking. I have already had the opportunity to gain experience with Eolo Kometa in important competitions in Italy, but these occasions have helped me learn a lot.I have already run with the greatest, like evenepoel e pogacar and those opportunities gave me a lot.
Even though it was only a 3-day stage race, did it help you get fit?
I think so, but we will see it especially on the next occasions, especially returning to race at Open level, for example with the Italian championshipsI'll do both the time trial and the road race, then we'll decide what bases to base it on in the second part of the season.
You had the opportunity to do an internship with Quick Step in 2021, have you stayed in touch with them?
Yes, we are on good terms and I know they follow me, but I'm happy at Eolo and I have another year on my contract, so I'm calm and focused on the upcoming tests.
You're 22 years old and have another year with the Italian team: are you thinking about next year's Giro d'Italia?
Let's just say it's a dream that I hope comes true. The three-week race itself doesn't scare me, if you're confident in your fitness. And you worked well, ultimately it's your legs that count. Many factors can influence whether you participate or not, I know I have to earn it by working hard in the next year, training hard, and getting results. But there's no question of fear, I'd be curious to see how I handle it...
