In these hours Elia Viviani is facing its last competition. Traditionally the 6 Days of Ghent It is the catwalk for many of those who have written the history of the track. The Veronese did not deprive himself of this pleasure, of the greeting of a passionate audience that doesn't care about the color of the flag in paying due tribute to those who have given so much to this sector.
Silvio Martinello He too was a great track star. Like Viviani, he was able to combine his heart's racing with the road, excelling in both. He knows well what the Venetian has been through, especially in recent seasons, golden on the track but troubled on the road: "It's definitely an opportune moment," he says, "and an ideal stage to end it. It's a particularly heartfelt event, which I know very well because I participated and won it on a couple of occasions.In a country like Belgium, where cycling is very important, it's certainly the right opportunity to say goodbye to the fans who have followed it with affection over all these years."
The final part of Elia's career was lived on two parallel tracks: the track and the road. The track continued to give him great satisfaction, while on the road he struggled more and more, although he still managed to find moments to shine. Is this fluctuating trend normal?
He is a rider with the right characteristics for the big stage races, where sprinters find the most suitable terrain and more opportunities to win. In recent years, however, teams have focused on other objectives and have not called him up.I think he rode the Vuelta as his last outing in a major stage race, which this year didn't really have a route that was suitable for sprinters, so he had far fewer opportunities. He raced for very important teams in almost all his career, teams that looked at the standings. Therefore he was a road epilogue in step with current times and in relation to his athletic characteristics.
Do you think winning for more than 10 years on the track will become increasingly rare like on the road, or is there a greater chance of a repeat of a career like his?
The opportunities are much greater now than they used to be – I'm talking about my era. Back then, there were no European Championships, for example, and the competition programs were much more streamlined. The elimination where he won three world titles was not part of the program at the time, his sublimation was at the Six Days. Clearly nothing can be taken for granted, you need to have class, attitude, determination, concentration, professionalism and seriousness which Viviani always had until the end of his career.
Now that he's hanging up his bike, what do you think Elia can still give to this world?
Certainly, much of it depends on his experiences. From what I've read, it seems like there are opportunities for him both within some important team and as a federal collaborator, in a managerial role. It's the natural consequence of a brilliant career in terms of results. a way of behaving that is always respectful of both the blue shirt and the various choices that have seen him as the protagonist.
What do you mean?
He never raised his voice when he was excluded from some selection for the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France. He has always been a very correct rider and can also give something in a different roleNow for him, one chapter ends and another begins, even more complicated than the competitive one. Because life off the bike is much more complicated than life on it…
It's often been said in recent weeks that Elia's exploits revitalized the track movement. Do you think there's a risk that his departure will dim the spotlight, or has a virtuous circle already been triggered?
I'll start with these last two words: no, the virtuous circle has not been triggered and I say unfortunately because there were and still are all the conditions to be able to do so, but I see no signs of this. Elia is the fruit of work that began when he was young, attending the Pescantina center and taking advantage of the many activities that were planned in many regions of Italy. Now all of this has faded away.
Why do you say that?
I too at some point had to put it in the contract that I wanted the freedom to run my own track business with the teams I raced forHis is the fruit of a personal passion, of a great attraction towards the track that he was able to manage together with Marco Villa and certainly helped many other high quality riders like Ganna e MilanBut despite the extraordinary results our athletes have achieved over the past two four-year periods, this virtuous circle has not been triggered.
Why?
Because the extraordinary results that have arrived have not been exploited. Instead, they were used to hide the problems under the carpet and not to trigger that virtuous circle that a far-sighted choice would have recommended.. So for many years we have found ourselves with this paradox that we have very strong national men's and women's track teams, but without having a basic activity, with the plants left to the good will of the managers, more or less capable, more or less determined, more or less willing to plan their activity. There is no national project that allows the various centers to develop athletes with a specific programAll this is the result of a lack of planning and an inability to have even a modicum of vision. The result is that we have talents, but we discover them by chance and, for the most part, lose them.
What are the risks?
There is a risk of to run dry like in the 15 years after the Martinello-Villa and Collinelli era, a cycle that ended with the Sydney Games. We stayed until 2016, until Viviani himself, without touching the ball…
