We still have in our eyes the successes and the good performances of the Track World Championships in Roubaix. We opened them with gold Martina Fidanza and closed, in the true sense of the word, with that of captain Elijah Viviani. An expedition like this, ten medals, deserves the judgement of Silvio Martinello who knows about parquet!
Silvio, what a great World Cup for Italy. Do you agree?
These are the results of a great deal of work. I'll soon share my thoughts on the movement and the international movement on my social media channels. Overall, what can I say to the Italian expedition: well done! There are some speed issues, but we knew that. And Now we'll see on November 2nd with the appointments of the new city managers how the work will be organized. But it's not so much the name of the coach as the long-term project behind it.
Yes, in this sector we have practically only had Miriam Vece…
There's a recruitment problem because so many kids start out on the circuits, maybe even winning, and families and teams are already thinking big about their careers. I understand that becoming a Cipollini is exciting, but in most cases it doesn't work out that way. These kids should be given the opportunity to embark on a new path. Implement synergies with BMX, new training programs. I heard that there is talk of Ivan Quaranta as a technician in this sector. Okay, but what if Ivan has no one to select? So, very good in endurance, a sector in which we're now a benchmark nation, but poor in sprint. Then I'd use the right lens to judge these medals: of the golds, only one, the men's pursuit, is part of the Olympic program.
Let's start with Miriam Vece. How would you rate this girl?
I'd say a nice seven. She is the emblematic and "shameful" case of how A sprinter of that level isn't given the right support. She had to emigrate with a "cardboard suitcase," I use this metaphor, to Switzerland to the UCI center for her discipline. But that center was created to support Federations with few resources. And I said this in 2018, when Miriam made this choice. We're talking about a girl who won a medal last year in the 500-meter standing sprint. So, good marks for her high commitment and sacrifice.
Let's move on to the male quartet. Rating and judgment...
A ten! Sure, they didn't match Tokyo's times, but that was to be expected. Maintaining that level isn't easy, even if the competition wasn't the same as at the Olympics. But they... they were very good at keeping their motivation and desire to sacrifice high. We had been fasting for this gold for 24 years and this alone is enough to give us an idea of the scale of the result.
Here, in fact, we're working from a solid foundation. Besides the four starters from Roubaix, we shouldn't forget: Lamon, Plebani, Moro, Scartezzini, and Viviani...
Exact. This is a group that can They can mark an era and pull off a strong showing leading up to Paris 2024. They can win anything because they're so close-knit, and the internal competition keeps the pressure high. The coach will have to be good at maintaining relationships with the clubs to ensure the athletes aren't too distracted from the road.
How would you rate Elia Viviani?
Ten to him too, it can't be otherwise. After Rio 2016 he had many difficulties and each time he was good at getting back up. Even the bronze medal in Tokyo in the Omnium wasn't easy to repeat. The title he won in the Elimination (and the bronze in the Omnium, ed.) is a reward for his unwavering commitment. Elia is a role model for this team. A man of charisma recognized by all.
Consonni and Scartezzini, Madison silver medalists…
Here, For me, they are the real surprise of this World Cup. They fully deserve a nine, especially since it's a significant medal earned in an Olympic event. This demonstrates how fair internal competition fosters growth and motivation. The Madison is an event that has been somewhat neglected. The quartet rightly sought to perform, paying attention to every detail. A performance that is also good for Madison, otherwise you can't maintain the 57 kilometers per hour average, but then you also have to work on the technical fundamentals which requires. Here too, I'm thinking of a competition and imagine three pairings: Viviani-Bertazzo; Scartezzini-Consonni; and Milan-Ganna... it would be great to see them in the Italian championships.
Well, this is something Villa often says about the Italian championships…
Because he knows that this is the right direction, but he needs the support of the FederationBut those couples can be changed. Why not a Ganna-Viviani? I've heard that because one is tall and one is short. So what about me and Villa? Or Wiggins e Cavendish?
Let's move on: Jonathan Milan...
I give him a nine for his silver medal in the individual pursuit. He is the real added value of this quartet And it was clearly visible in the individual race. I think he has room for improvement. You can tell by the way he rides that he's been on the track for a short time. Sometimes he swerves a bit. I hope the road doesn't distract him too much.
Philip Ganna?
Nine to him too, both for this world championship and for the season. He had that lapse in qualification that I didn't quite understand, but it showed us the limitations of the format of this event since it was no longer an Olympic event. This mini-tournament as it is doesn't mean anything to me. With the finals already scheduled. First of all, I'd reduce the distances to 5 kilometers for men and 4 for women, because that's now possible, given the general growth of the movement. And then I'd hold the qualifications, semifinals, and finals, spaced a day apart. With the rankings based on the times. That way, you'll have the real power on the field.
Let's move on to women and start with Fidanza…
Ten! Exemplary performance in the scratch, which is the situational race par excellence. Martina took advantage of a situation and did the only thing she could do: shoot as hard as she could. Her opponents underestimated her a bit, but she's already shown great things as a junior.
Letizia Paternoster…
Ditto: a ten. Her elimination was a deliberate choice because of her qualities as a shrewd, powerful athlete, who knows how to conserve energy… It's the female Viviani. And let's not forget that she is very young.
Elisa Balsamo…
I like her very much. I give Elisa a nine. She deserves it. It wasn't easy for her to find the feeling again after the bad fall in Tokyo with this specialty, The Omnium. She was scared. She had a great season. The road title gave her great importance.
Only one medal is missing: the women's quartet...
Nine. They had little to do against Germany, who had won everything. they got the most out of what they could.
