Riccardo Lucca won the 84th Coppa San Daniele, race held on Tuesday, October 5. He won the two-man sprint against Davide Botta. Riccardo He is 24 years old and runs for General Store, is in his second year in the elite category but hasn't yet found the right path to become a professional. This season he has won six races, including the Giro Ciclistico del Piave (opening photo, Scanferla photo). His was a long and complete journey of maturation, not without some difficulty, as is normal, but now he feels ready and wants to run among the greats.
Hi Riccardo, first of all, how's this season going?
Well I would say, It was a season of two faces: I'm doing well in my category (elite, ed.) and I've had some good victories, six of them. But there was the not a positive parenthesis when I did the month of internship at Gazprom-RusVelo.
Why?
In the month I was with them I didn't perform as the team expected, nor as I expected. I raced with them from August 5th to September 4th, taking part in two stage races and a couple of one-day races.
Why weren't you able to express yourself to the fullest?
The stage, for the riders, It's a wonderful experience and should be seized upon without hesitation. However, a month is too short.Different teammates, different ways of running… There are many variables that can destabilize you. Considering that it took me four years to get into the under-23s (he says laughing, ed.).
It's also true that many riders take a year to get going among the professionals, so encapsulating all the processes in a month is perhaps not enough.
Yes, when I started racing with the pros I felt like a well-dressed amateur. You can't change your mentality and preparation in such a short time., it's also true that if someone goes fast he does it in all conditions, but we are not all the same. Then having this window at the end of the season creates a bottleneck, there are too many riders who want to show offA team like Gazprom already has its own athletes to manage and who need to show off, and they also have an advantage since the team has made an investment in them.
You're in your second year in the elite category, but what we see is a cycling team that's always looking for the youngest riders. Is there still room for a rider like you?
When I did the first year as an under 23, in 2016, I was at Zalf and things were very different, we ran in support of the elite ridersNow, however, if a strong junior arrives, we focus on him and maybe he turns pro in his second year, but he has never won or hasn't gained any experience.
Do you have the experience?
At the General Store I found an environment much more suited to me and the person I am., it is more familiar and also meritocratic. While running, young guys listen to me and ask me for advice, when there is a race decision to be made I am called upon because I know how certain situations are handled.
But if you become a professional too early, does this thing disappear?
There are cases and cases: Evenepoel or Ayuso is right to go between the professionalsTheir qualities are such that they would risk compromising their season if they remained among the under 18s because they would win every game. Normal kids are at risk of getting burned, also because when you pass the contract is for a minimum of two years, but if in the end you don't perform you find yourself at 24 without a team and have to return to the amateurs.
Was your path linear?
Let's say that I have gained the right experience to not make a bad impression, as an under 23 and continental I have been through many races and situations. Now if we look at the last Giro dell'Emilia I was the only continental to finish the race.
So do you feel ready?
It's obvious that when someone enters the under 23s they dream of being able to do this for a living and work to achieve their goalsI told myself that this is the last year I'll be in the elite category, if I don't receive offers I'll stop. I was a bit down after the experience with Gazprom, but after the victory in San Daniele I feel better.As they say: hope dies last.
