It turns around once again Edward Zamperini. The final kilometer to the finish line in Trissino seems endless to him. Perhaps he senses the arrival of his pursuers, who, all things considered, have nibbled away at him quite a bit (photo Trissino 2024 at the top).
But the lead is good and in the end the tricolor jersey is his. The rider of theUC Trevigiani takes the legacy of Francesco Busatto. Born in 2003, Edoardo Zamperini is from Azzago, Verona, Not too far from the race venue. And that's also why there were so many fans cheering for him.
The film in brief
A brief summary of the race. Trissino, a town in the province of Vicenza, hosts the Italian Under-23 Championship. The race essentially runs parallel to the professional one. Zamperini and Bettiol they cross the finish line at the same time. Or at most with a difference of a few seconds.
The race proceeded according to plan. Several breakaways emerged in the opening laps, followed by intense anticipation for the 32-kilometer final circuit, with the steepest climb to Sella Trissino. The race takes its definitive form approximately 50 kilometres from the finish lineThere's a small group outside. Zamperini and others attack from behind and run away. Five of them escape. Also with him are Nicola Rossi, Pietro Mattio, Simone Gualdi, and Lorenzo Masciarelli.
As soon as the final climb begins, Zamperini jumps into the lead. At first, it doesn't make much difference, but then everyone gives in and he takes off. He manages to gain 35 seconds: enough to cover the last 10 kilometers, including descents, flat sections, and the final climb, which lead to the finish line in the lead. And therefore, the U23 national title.
Turbo Giro Next
«It's been a year – says Zamperini just after the finish line – that I'm chasing an important victory. I came close in the internationals in spring, then there was also some hitches (read the broken clavicle at Ronde de Isard). However, I knew I was among the favourites and that I was fine, as I came out of the Giro Next Gen with a good leg.
"On the contrary, Amazing leg. I felt really good today. When I decided to attack, I did. I recovered in the breakaway, first, and then I attacked on the climb. I tried to anticipate a little who might be stronger than me on the climbs, like Florian Kajamini, but I didn't succeed the first time, but it went well the second time."
The theme of who was leaving the Giro Next Gen It was on everyone's lips. It was known that the favorites were those who came out of the Giro d'Italia, and it's no coincidence that the top five all come from there. As he told us in the morning, amadori, in the end we saw a good Italy at the Giro Next, climb aside.
But today, without the climbers of the WorldTour teams, things might have gone differently. And so they did.
First of all, Edoardo, congratulations. So, from what you said after the finish, the race went as you expected...
Yes. The Italian Championships are a strange race, not easy to manage. We knew we were doing well, but we were unsure who would be the strongest on the climbs. So we wanted to run a tough race, and we succeeded. When I went into action my companions had already done an absurd job.
Did you know the route?
Yup, I came to try it out during the week and as soon as I saw it I understood that it could be a tough but also interesting race for me.
You ran with confidence, and your words confirmed it. But what did you think when you started? What was going through your head: fear? Adrenaline?
I just thought about fighting! Behind that group was Mattio, who's certainly not the last to arrive. He was also strong at the Giro Next. I knew that on that climb I would probably be a little stronger than him, but I also knew that the first part of the descent was a push. and that he is a very explosive guy, so I had to earn as much as possible.
Did you know the gaps? Shortly after the summit, there was talk of 35 seconds…
I could hear them from the motorcycle while it was moving. Exactly, 35", but then shortly after I also heard 19", 15"... I imagined that on the flat and in the first non-technical downhill section I would lose something, That they'd come back to me, so I pushed the whole time and thought about giving 110 percent. So, no extra grit, no fear: just the desire to give every last drop of energy, hoping those behind me had less.
And was that also why you often turned around in the last kilometer?
Exactly, because if those 15” were real on a climb as tough as the one at the end, someone as explosive as Mattio would have taken a moment to catch up with me.
Speaking of downhill: you took a couple of turns really at the limit…
Let's say that the fall to Ronde de l'Isard didn't scare me! Yes, really at the limit. But like I said, you had to push.
Just a curiosity: you had the computer on the horizontal bar and not on the handlebars: why?
Ah, ah – laughs Zamperini – simply because my attachment broke during the week Garmin and the new one didn't arrive in time. No frills, then. But it'll soon go back to its place. It's not very comfortable there. By the way. I ran without a heart rate monitor or a potentiometer. I was going by feeling. But I knew the final climb well and knew how to manage my strength.
Last question, Edoardo: you know this jersey is a key to professional football. Is anything moving in that direction?
Something moved this spring when I did well in the internationals, but between the crash in France and a less than stellar Giro Next, everything had come to a halt. Now I hope this jersey is a good calling card for professionalism.
