This weekend the Nations Cup of track cycling returns to Hong Kong and Marco Villa he found himself leaving for the Far East with a much more than patched up national team. Almost all the big names are missing, but the Azzurri coach isn't worried. Indeed, this away match could be very useful for understanding who is behind the two starting quartets.
Taking inspiration from the Italian squad, Villa tackles an important topic precisely because it has been somewhat sidelined in view of the imminent Olympic deadline: who is behind the owners? It is also by evaluating this perspective that the coach made his choices.
«In the men's field – he explains – I bring people who are already in the senior Italian team like Lamon, Scartezzini e Woodcutter and they will act with them, for the quartet but also in the other endurance tests, Galli, Giaimi e Sierra. Among the women around the expert Zanardi there will be a handful of young people with Crestanello, Fiorin, Pellegrini and Vitillo. I consider all these names part of the project, also for ParisIf someone shows me that they are really good, they can also enter the starting lineup, just like they did Milan in Tokyo giving us that little something extra."
Many of these guys are making their debut in the senior category and even in international competitions; you've never seen some of them before. What's your impression?
They were under the directives of Salvoldi and I know how they worked. Then I was there in training, I saw them, even last season. I know what they're capable of, and I also know they're all following the trend that's now prevalent in modern cycling: multi-discipline. I think they can do very well on the road, too.
How important is age in a quartet?
A lot, but I have to look at experience, and opportunities like these are gold. A quartet needs the right mix, but I live the quartet every day, I mean it in a broader sense. It's no coincidence, for example, that in Montichiari I have the girls train behind the boys. We need to understand the mechanisms, including how to help each other.
Also because you have to frame each element according to a specific role…
Exactly. While you have to be ready to take on another role, you still need to own your own role, like a tailored suit. To make ourselves clear, four Gannas do not make a winning quartet at the OlympicsI need to have interchangeable players: if Lamon can't play his usual pass, I know I can count on Boscaro for the same role. Consonni has Galli as a backup. Milan has plenty of options at third, like Scartezzini, Giaimi, or Viviani, and Ganna can be replaced by Milan and Giaimi at the end. The same principle applies to women, you have to know how to put the right grafts in the right place..
Speaking of girls, how many do you consider?
In addition to the regular ones, there are those from Hong Kong, but also younger girls, like Zanzi e Fat that I'm still a junior but I follow very carefully. Girls who aren't doing as well as the others at the moment, but I hope they pick up that pace. They have time to do it, but they need to get used to it as soon as possible.
Seeing all this youth involved, the feeling is that a part of you is already projected towards the post-Paris era.
It couldn't be otherwise. After the Olympics we will sit down and everyone will say what they want to do.: whether to continue and invest another four years in this activity or dedicate ourselves completely to the street. We will do it in absolute sincerity, without pressure. After Tokyo it was like this: we spoke frankly and The Olympians made a pact to get to Paris and defend their titleI promised them I would do my utmost to take them as far as possible, and that pact has never been broken. We'll address the issue after Paris.
You mentioned earlier about new signings from the juniors. Does this also apply to the men's team and, more generally, do you see fewer women's numbers?
Let's start with the first topic. There are already other young people I follow, I'll name two: Grimod e Favero. However, a lot depends on what the teams ask for. Not everyone is open to dual activity, and I need people who are ready to invest in the track without hesitation or external obstacles. For the rest there is material in both sexes and this is comforting, then it is clear that the work to be done to enter the team is long.If as a junior you run 3'55", when you move up a category there are starters who run 3'42". It's a big leap, but with time and work it can be done.
A speech that also applies to women?
Of course, of course then when you find yourself with a phenomenon like the Venturelli, junior world record holder who already goes at the speed of the owners then it's different, but there we are faced with a phenomenon aided by the physical, by what mother nature has given herI hope the new batch of juniors will provide me with more material, beyond the names I've already mentioned, especially considering that some emerge earlier than others. But it's my job to make sure nothing slips by, neither for today nor for tomorrow.
