Lots of new features, but the Cycling Team Friuli is always at the heart of it.

The summer and then the autumn of Cycling Team Friuli It's been a roller coaster ride. Having taken the young Milan from the team of Bressan e Boscola and having managed it well between Artuso e Fusaz, head of the CTFLab, the managers of the Team Bahrain Victorious at a certain point they proposed to the Juventus team to become its youth team.

It would have meant dissolve and lose the identity that in recent years has made the team a point of reference among the European continental teamsSomeone was for it. Someone was against it. Someone else was somewhere in between. Asked for an opinion in the middle of summer, even Giovanni Aleotti seemed perplexed.

«Probably – he had said – it would stop being the little family that brought so many of us to professionalism and that has always been its key. We would need to evaluate and understand if it's worth it."

The voices of summer

Between things left unsaid and things that were said, in September people were talking about it as a done dealThe sports directors of the pros talked about it, the riders talked about it, even if there was nothing definite. Among other things, the offer from the team led by Miholjevic, whose son Fran races in the CTF, had in the meantime allowed us to understand that the technical regulation linked to the UCI Development Teams set a series of constraints very stringent on the relationship between the WorldTour team and the one chosen to be its training ground. And since CTFriuli did not want to lose its identity, in the end, between things said and things that cannot be said, It will seem like reliving the collaboration that for a while linked Lampre-Merida and Team ColpackThe Bergamo team, in fact, maintained its colors and prerogatives, raced with bikes and materials from Saronni's team, and at the end of 2016 brought Consonni, Ganna, Ravasi, and Troìa into its ranks.

On a Merida bike

So, while waiting to see the new shirt, Cycling Team Friuli restarts with Merida bikes, a rider from the East, but the same philosophy as alwaysRenzo Boscolo on the flagship. The CTFLab team, now a top-notch technical team. And Roberto Bressan, setting the course with his wealth of experience.

«We had a great shopping campaign – says Boscolo – with a series of very interesting young people, including Bryan Olivo and Daniel Skerl who arrive directly from UC Pordenone, where we had placed them to grow. Unfortunately the team closed, so the supply chain issue has lapsed.Friuli is saved thanks to its small numbers, but we'll have to find another junior team. Having the students, the transition to the juniors is crucial».

You were talking about Olivo, who is the Italian junior cross-country champion, but he's not running...

For this year we have decided not to do cross-country. He didn't take it well, but we noticed that he's also good on the track and he couldn't follow three disciplines, given that he also has school.. Therefore, since the jump in category would also have affected cross-country racing, for the first year we will focus on road and track. The second place in the team pursuit world championship was a good sign and perhaps, if he had also played in the European Championship, they would have reached the final with more experience.

What do you say about Skerl?

You'll see if it won't be a revelation. He rode mountain bikes until he was a student, now he's going on the road. He hasn't won, but he has nine placings in the five races from March to October.

Is Matteo Milan, Jonathan's brother, also among the new players?

This year he won two races in a non-trivial wayOne with a 40-kilometer solo breakaway, the other starting from the first kilometers with a small group. It's completely different from “Johnny”, more mature in relation to age. The brother himself told us that every morning he gets up and does gymnastics, because perhaps he saw that Jonathan began to seriously make a difference when he began to follow Andrea Fusaz's instructions to the letter.

Who else is coming?

Longato and Andreaus, two great riders. The second one was brought by Fondriest and it made a great impression on us.. Then always from Maurizio's stable an Englishman called Oliver Stockwell will arriveIn 2021, he was in his first year, he took part in the pro Tour of Britain with the national team, a sign that they also believe in him a lot.

Is Donegà staying?

Of course, because we didn't want to deprive ourselves of a track cyclist we followed a lot, but it would certainly be better for him if he could join a military group.

And then there's Miholjevic…

I believe that 2022 will be his yearHe finished school and will be able to devote himself to cycling full time.

What about Pietrobon?

As perhaps few people know, Andrea had some health problems, a viral intoxication that took away his strength for a long time. Despite this, in 2022 he will race in the continental series Eolo-Kometa and then he'll go pro with them. The fact that they believed in him speaks in their favor. I already have some excellent reports on their work from Davide Bais, I'm happy if they can grow further.

Another year as coach of Friuli, then?

They liked our way of working with young people. We had carte blanche on the names to take and for the rest it will always be usWith a special jersey, but always in our style. And the rest will be seen in 2022.