On these pages, Giacomo Sgherri It's not a completely new name. We had heard it when he made the jump to the juniors, coming from a two-year period as a student full of successes and promises, calling him in the morning while he was at school, thanks to a special permission. More than a year has passed since then and the rider from the Marche region is already a different person as well as a different athlete.
Talking to us, it is clear the feeling of a boy who, despite not having yet reached the age of majority, is aware of the world he lives in and where he's increasingly gaining recognition, but above all, he's only at one stage of the journey that he hopes will lead him to transforming his passion into a career. And based on his current results, he might just be able to do so very soon.
An unexpected victory for Pasqualando
This year he ran 5 Italian classics, with the pearl of success at Pasqualando (in the opening, photo Fruzzetti) but in all the tests, even in the Liberation where he finished near the Top 10, he showed a different attitude, that of a true sophomore who was able to learn a lot.
"I have to say I feel different; my approach to competitions has changed a bit. At first, I was still a little hesitant about how to interpret them, how to interact with the group. This year, the approach to the start of the season had not been easy., but when I returned to racing, I immediately saw that a year of experience makes its mark. I started at Pasqualando to do well, to achieve the goal, and having succeeded means a lot."
What happened this winter?
I fell during training and cracked my right kneecap. It was quite an injury, and I was practically out of action for two months.I started training mostly at the gym, then slowly started getting back into it, gradually speeding up my workouts, lengthening the distances, and shortening the intervals. I honestly didn't think I'd be in such good shape by April; who knows what my condition would have been without the break?
Have you noticed any differences compared to last season?
Huge, both physically and mentally. Meanwhile the numbers have changed, the wattages have increased and not by a littleThe tests show significant improvements, but there's still a lot of room to improve. Mentally, I'm managing the races better, even though I realize I still need to be more focused and focused on my goals. There are many small things that need to be put together.
You're a sophomore in junior high, starting to feel the pressure of moving up a division and deciding what direction to take to go pro?
No pressure, let's say it's a greater incentive to always do better, to put the pieces mentioned above together. I think the rest will all come naturally. It's clear that I aspire to a big team and I know that this period is fundamental to get there., but I can only do that with my performance.
What does the person who chooses you find?
A fast paced rider who holds his own on climbs but whose best weapon is his acceleration. At Pasqualando we found a completely flat race in which we of the Team Vangi Sama The Pirate We worked as a group to keep it together and after having sewn up the escapes we kept the group together and created the right train for the sprint. It was the victory that came from a day in which everything went smoothly.
It's in Rome?
The Liberation It's a special race, unique in its context. I experienced ups and downs there: in the first half I was fine, then something went wrong, I probably did something wrong in my diet and ended up behindI gritted my teeth and tried to sprint, but I ran out of energy and didn't get the finish I'd hoped for. It was a missed opportunity, but also a learning experience, because you learn a lot from mistakes.
The Liberazione was also an opportunity to compete with foreign teams. Do you find it much different?
Let's say that it is noticeable that they are used to more Garibaldi-style races, Focusing more on the physique, on performance. Ready, steady, go, and let's go. You can't relax, but we're at that level too and we can adapt. We've proven that in previous years too.
What schedule awaits you now?
We'll be competing in a few races, mostly regional ones, with the goal of getting into top form for the Italian championships, both time trials and road races. However, I am also looking towards the path towards the Italian championship and I want to gather as much as possible.
Even to earn a chance at the Italian title? It's true that the European Championships and World Championships are more geared towards climbers, but there are other opportunities on the international calendar as well...
I hope that Salvoldi He should notice me, perhaps for a few stage tests. Even in his case, I can only convince him with facts, that's why I don't ask myself many questions, but I think about working hard and bringing home as much as possible...
