Ivan Quaranta says that sprinters are all a little fiery. And that In his group, the most nervous of all is Predomo. Perhaps because he is still so young.Mattia was born in 2004 and finished the season with two European titles and two world titles, excellently stylised on his DMT shoes. Like Bianchi, Predomo runs to the Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex Trentino di Alessandro Coden: the company that more than others has decided to believe in the speed sector and is now reaping the rewards.
The Quaranta Bet
The speed guys are super close, but at the right time, especially when they start to depart side by side, there is no shortage of jokes and provocationsAnd then you perceive that there is an unwritten hierarchy, linked to the palmares, age and at certain times physical size.
Predomo is one of the most compact, but when you hunch over your bike and sprint, blowing out the air, you can tell that the titles you won were not won by chanceAt the same time, he's also self-critical. So, when the rear wheel slips during a start and leaves rubber on the concrete, the South Tyrolean is the first to joke about his poor skills.
He has forty said immediately: he would have bet on a good result at the junior world championships, on the fact that he would have won two rainbow jerseys and a silver, not even Ivan would have dared to put his hand.
What's the atmosphere like in this new speed group?
We basically started from scratch. We are calm, we are like a family At the moment. We are very calm in preparation, We have a goal in mind and we will try in any way to achieve it.
Olympic qualification?
Exactly, the qualification. We hope so and we have shown that we are there, especially with the youth sector. Talking about the Under 23s with Matteo Bianchi and the juniors, where I was a key player. Let's try to do the best we can and then we'll see.
Quaranta said that if there were the U23 Olympics we would be on the podium in all specialties.
Yes, I think so too. Anyway, this year we showed that we're there, especially in disciplines where there is a possible qualification: therefore team sprint, keirin and speed. So I definitely think we'll be right there fighting with everyone else.
Did you expect certain results?
It was a bit unexpected. We arrived at the European Championship knowing we could do well and we brought home two: the keirin and speed. Then obviously We went to the World Cup with a different idea, that is, to bring home the best possible result, like obviously the European Championship. For me at that point, the best possible result was at least a podium and aver brought home two shirts Let's just say it's not every day, that's it... (smiles, ed.)
Is the level of the World Cup so different?
The preparation is different and the fact that They focus a lot on more performance-based qualifying, but I still have some difficulty in qualifying on time., as Ivan already said. But then in the economy of the tournament, towards the finals, whoever still has the last sprint comes out. And in the meantime we are working on that and little by little, Over the years, we will also improve in qualification.
What does it mean to have a technician like Quaranta by your side?
He is decisive and with him we are learning to hold on. It gave us the motivation to raise our level.
Is it a false myth that races are short and therefore we train little?
It 'just the most false myth that I've ever heard… (laughs, ed.).
Imagine the leg pain, after the morning lifting weights in the gym and the afternoon on the track trying one start after another with the 60x12There's something magical about this cycling, so different from the climbs and sprints of the road. In their ten-second races there are hours and days of reasoning and effort.Gestures to control and breathing to manage, different diets and a different conception of everything. The Olympic dream is a beautiful path to follow.
