The fastest Italian ever in the standing kilometer. Matteo Bianchi is not yet 21 years old (he will turn 18 on October 21st) and has already become a reference in Italian speed. One step away from moving to Switzerland at the UCI center in Aigle to fully dedicate yourself to speed on the track, in January he was recruited by Ivan Quaranta who gave him confidence and everything started from there.
59"661A stratospheric time from the Bolzano native from Laives who broke the one-minute barrier like no other Italian player had ever done before. A European silver medal among the "big" athletes, won in Monaco which gave many confirmations and relaunched the sprinter after the two gold medals won in the U23 European Championships to Anadia in the Keirin and in the standing kilometer. White Army athlete, is at the beginning of a journey, he is followed step by step by his team, the Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex and from his sports director Alessandro Coden who understood it and put him back in the saddle among the steep curves of the velodrome. Let's relive it with Matteo curve after curve, his kilometre and the emotions that led him to be the Italian record holder and European vice champion.
Where it all started
Twenty-one years old yet to be completed, but when Bianchi answers our questions it seems like we are talking to a boy who shows experienced, polite and level-headedThese are not just clichés, and you can tell by the measured and thoughtful answers. Behind each of these, in fact, you can feel the passion and dedication to such a stressful job as that of the speed disciplines on the track.
Matteo, tell us a little about yourself and your beginnings…
I started from G5 in the Mendelspeck sports group. As beginners and students, the South Tyrolean clubs introduced the boys to the track, encouraging them to participate in some races and training sessions. I started riding in the velodromes of Mori and PescantinaI always went willingly. At the beginning I did all the disciplines as one normally does. Then I continued until student, where I achieved my first result, a bronze at the Italian championships. Then as a junior I started to participate in the European Championship, the World Championship and in the second year I brought home two medals, both in the standing kilometerFrom there I focused on speed.
It was love at first sight the speed on the track
I approached it for its characteristics, it was quite suitable for those disciplines that required power and explosiveness. I ran on the street until I was a junior, then I had to make a choice.It was too difficult to prepare two such different things. I always make comparisons with the people I talk to. It's like asking Bolt to run a marathon.
Do you train on the road?
La my team the Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex They help me with my training. Obviously, I train on the road and do some specific training. But I don't run with them on Sundays.
In January you made an important decision: to train in Italy and give up going to Aigle in Switzerland…
In January there were only rumours about the speed movement that then came into being. In December I was determined to go to Switzerland and dedicate myself 100% to speed. Then, fortunately, this movement was born. Staying in Italy is always better because you can stay home with your friends and loved ones. We train in Montichiari; it was closed when I was a junior. Then it reopened, and now we go there. As you well know, the situation is complicated, and it's only open for us from the federation, with a limit of no more than 60 people at a time.
The record
We all have before our eyes the records that have marked the eras in all disciplines. These European Championships, which have seen the concentration of many sports, have reminded us that these Athletes spend their careers battling against the clock and against themselves. Speed is a skill that requires concentration and calm. On the outside, however, adrenaline and frenzy are transmitted. Perhaps that's why Bianchi almost seems to measure every word As if what he'd done were something natural. Even though he wasn't expecting it, he knows it wasn't a random outcome but a combination of factors.
How did you get to this European Championship in Munich?
I knew I was in good shape after theEuropean U23 where I won two gold medals. Surely I didn't think I'd be able to get such a time. Also because it being a track like this, I had no idea if it could be fast or not. It is a track that was built specifically for the eventWhen we race we know the fastest or slowest tracks, depending on the location, temperatures, humidity, materials. This it turned out to be fast.
Let's get to the day of the record, how did you experience it?
The races of the previous days did me good, the team sprint is always a thermometer for your condition. By running together with the other riders you understand if you are fit or notTwo days before I had the speed launch, the day before I had rest and in the morning I had qualifying at 1. In the morning I woke up at 8, I had my usual breakfastAbout two hours before, I went to the track and did my activation and warm-up. On the bike, we have some pretty extreme positions, so it's also important to stay flexible throughout the body. I did all the exercises to get there with my breath out and my legs readyEverything is in order and within the norm to be able to give my best. Nothing new, I didn't change anything.
Did you feel like you could do something great?
I don't suffer from competition. Now I've been competing for so many years that I have no worriesEspecially for a race like this, where I arrived with no expectations. No one expected the Italian, especially under 23, to challenge for the podium positions, against big nations and big movements like France, Germany, and England. So I was pressure-free and with a clear head.. That probably also made the difference. When you start like that without expectations trying to give your best in the end you are very free from thoughts and worries.
What goes through your head at the starting block?
Nothing. You get there with the handlebars tightly gripped in your hands, the wheel locked in the pistons placed in position by the judges, ready to give your all for the shirt you are wearing.
Tell us about the record from your perspective?
Qualifying I made a wrong startIn trying to get off to a good start and shave off every tenth, he may have left a few behind. But judging by the times, it wasn't a slow start. Even if that little mistake might have slowed the tempo down a bit. Once I left I was just focused on push the 59×14 well, stay composed on the bike and pay attention to the trajectories, also because if you get them wrong you go further and they affect the time.
What did you feel during the tours?
In qualifying I was at full speed, in those seconds I was like in a bubble and I couldn't hear anythingI had no idea what time I was in, I only realized it afterwards. when I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that time. In the final, unlike usual, I felt Ivan Quaranta who was yelling at me "You're first!" It gave me courage and confidence.
59”661, the one-minute barrier broken, no Italian had ever managed it before…
I was in disbelief. A strange sensation. In the end... it was a journey. When I was a junior and I saw 1.02, I said I'd done a great time. Then I had two unlucky years because in my first year as an under-23, I didn't run the kilometer at the European Championships or anywhere else. In my second year, I only ran it a few times, and when I went to the European Championships, I got a flat midway through the race. I had two somewhat empty years after that second year of junior that launched me. Then I resumed my path and arrived at this European Championship doing everything according to my plans with an excellent condition and I managed to do this time and win the medal.
Are you dedicating this medal to someone?
I believe it is the result of work and commitment. I dedicate it to my family who always supports me. Amy team is Alessandro Coden that is always behind me, I define it like a second dadHe always helps me, but he also beats me up when I mess up. But then, when you bring home the results, you can see him there with tears in his eyes and as happy as if we were his own children. Thanks also go to Matteo Tugnolo and Daniele Napolitano, my teammates on the sprint team. Ivan Quaranta who trains us in the best way in the national team.
Next goals?
We currently have on our calendar, the world cup in OctoberWe're going to participate and show off. We certainly won't be going with ambitions of success because it's a bit early. Then in February we will begin with the Olympic qualification for Paris. Although this is just an ambition that gives even more motivation, not a claim.
A growing movement
In the speed disciplines, Italy seems to have found a new, pure and genuine enthusiasm. The national team coaches with Quaranta at the forefront in the speed disciplines have managed to transmit goals and new energy for the future.
«We are a very young group – continues Bianchi – we have a long way to goIn the junior categories there are promising kids who are coming up very well. Ivan's work is paying offHe's also working with students to see if there's any fast athletes he can bring into this world. This project is gaining traction, then Maybe in the next few years we can create something interestingI hope that with a little visibility, seeing these medals on the track, some kids will take an interest and see an outlet, a path to take with dreams to chase. Until a few years ago it was difficult to imagine a career in speed».
