Eight years later Arianna Fidanza is back on the track, or rather, competingAt the European Championships in Erfurt, Germany, the athlete from Bergamo won the bronze medal in derny (UEC photo above). An important medal for her return to the track, an opportunity that came suddenly and was about to slip away given the bad fall that saw her involved in the Kreiz Breizh.
In fact, a week before taking the plane to Germany, Arianna Fidanza she found herself in hospital with a sprain of the acromioclavicular ligament in her left shoulder.
"My recovery is going well," the eldest of the two Fidanza sisters tells us, "also because I've been able to run on the track again. After the derby final my shoulder got a bit inflamed due to the effort.I'm still convalescing, in fact. I will miss the next two road races which were scheduled for September 13th and 14th».
Everything to the last minute
The fall at Kreiz Breizh on August 28 almost ruined the continental expedition, the next few days were one of recovery and reflectionThe injury was not serious enough to force Arianna Fidanza to a lump sum obliged. He had time to understand and try and the decision to run anyway came almost at the last minute..
«The dynamics of the accident – explains the athlete of the Kutxa Laboral – it was trivial: there were three of us on the run, on a wet road, and while taking a bend the girl in front of me fell. To avoid it, I braked, but as soon as I touched the brakes, the front wheel skidded off.I hit the ground with the weight all on my shoulder. At the hospital they told me that there was nothing broken, but a detachment between the clavicle and the acromion.I was stopped for four days, during which I didn't know if I would be able to run or not."
When did you decide that?
The moment I went out for two workouts, one on the road on Monday and the other on Tuesday, on the trackI'd already seen that I could tolerate the pain on the first one, so the next day I tried it on parquet. It's a less stressful surface, and I could run. I made the decision to race and on Wednesday we left to go to Germany."
Not the ideal approach…
Exactly, I was coming from a four-day break during which I did nothing. The hour and a half I managed to cycle on the road was not enough, I also hadn't been able to do any specific work. I did something on the track the next day, I saw that I was responding well but I didn't know what to expect.
After eight years away from the track, can we call this a good return?
Yes, I have to thank the Dagnoni family because they were the ones who asked me to race, showing so much confidence in my abilities. I decided to take up this challenge partly because I missed running on the track and for the feeling of competing in such a context.
When did the proposal come?
Two weeks before the European Championship. I had done a couple of track workouts in December but I wasn't thinking about competing.But I have to admit that returning to the parquet was exciting, I missed the feeling that the track gives you.
How was it to get back in touch with the derny?
Mentally it wasn't difficult, I knew I had to give my all and that I had to trust the driver: Christian Dagnoni. The biggest difficulty was the technical one, on the road I had never worked to have a high pedalling cadenceI knew I could count on the resistance that the road gave me, furthermore the velodrome was semi-open and this increased energy expenditure while running, even more resistance was needed.
And the understanding with the pilot?
Christian Dagnoni was very good. We did a test the day before the race, and we immediately got along well. The tactic was to run a race at a steady pace, aimed at endurance.Dagnoni knew how to manage the pace very well, he always kept an eye on me.
Did you ever expect such a result?
As soon as I passed the qualifications I said to myself: "I've taken an important first step." The final was double the distance (30 kilometers compared to the 15 kilometers of the qualifications, ed.). A factor that played in my favor.
What did you think on the podium?
I was happy, I knew I had given my all. There are some missing pieces, because the preparation wasn't the best given the injury, but I was happy.The European bronze is worth a lot, it's a reward for an unlucky season in which, however, I never gave up.
Are you back on track now?
Tomorrow (Wednesday for those reading, ed.) for a training session. But I have no plans, I'm just enjoying the moment. Then, who knows, in the future...
