First as a member of the most famous and successful duo of the velodromes, then as technical manager of the track, the career of Marco Villa has always been strongly linked to the events of Madison, also known as “the American”, a specialty as spectacular as it is difficult to interpret, full of secrets and very fine balancesA race that is never won by chance, every victory is the result of tactics, technique but also, or rather above all, of a strong bond between the two riders, which is cemented on and off the track.
Over the years Villa has experienced first-hand the transformation of the specialty, moved from the Six Days stage to become an Olympic specialty: «The Madison has changed a lot: today it is run over 50 kilometres for the title races and 30 for the World Cup stages, at an average speed of 58 km/h, with the same relationships that have changed. Nowadays, pursuit cars are used, given their speeds. To stand out in the American great speed is needed, but also extraordinary resistance, because you have to spend a lot of time on the track at very high speeds, without ever losing concentration and evaluating the match also tactically. Then you have to consider the technical part."
What does it consist of?
Need always knowing how to position yourself in the right place to give the change to the partner and above all you need to know manage recovery momentsI often tell my kids that the race is run and won precisely in the phase in which your teammate is outYou need to know how to recover well in the shortest possible time, so you can hand over quickly. Even one extra lap is enough to lose energy, you can't recover anymore, and the race is over. In America you have to be altruistic, think about your own energy but also that of your partner.
Are the best pairs those made up of cyclists with similar or heterogeneous characteristics?
Let's say they have to be different in characteristics, but able to do everything and therefore replace each otherMartinello, for example, was faster than me, and he usually took the final sprints, but that didn't mean I wasn't also responsible for closing out some sprints, seeking points in the sprint. Or that it was up to him to counterattack. Complete interchangeability is needed, you have to know how to divide the work.
How important is team spirit within a couple, even off the track?
It is essential, it must be established a relationship of total trust and mutual respectThere must be a total understanding that is built over time.
It's therefore important to be able to race all year round in the same team, as happens with Viviani and Consonni...
It's a definite advantage: you can do the same loading and unloading periods, which also makes it easier for me to manage them, having them together to practice the technical movement and synchronize the changes. However, there's one important aspect to keep in mind. You can train the Madison as much as you want, but what matters is running it., test the mechanisms in competition. Competitions are needed, and the current situation certainly isn't helping. The Six Days would have played a pivotal role in the winter part, that's why we have to look for opportunities to compete: there will be a World Cup test in April and above all the European Championships in JuneThe guys will be coming from the Giro, they won't be able to be 100 percent, but on that occasion the final result won't be important, but rather the refinement of the technical gesture five weeks before the Games.
Many fans have loudly called for Ganna to be paired with Viviani…
It's a complex issue, which includes both what has been said so far and other aspects: if Filippo had tried American dancing as a rookie and student, he would have already gained important experience. It's clear that he has a special talent, but the physical effort of the madison is different from that of the pursuit or road races, here there is a very high pace almost continuously for 50 kilometers. In training we also tried some changes, some techniques, but It's one thing to do it alone, but another to have 18 couples competing at the same time.Without experience, you risk falling, possibly hurting yourself, and jeopardizing everything you've worked for. Trying something so different from your usual routine is out of the question.
In the Madison, pairs often emerge made up of riders who individually don't have great palmares: is this a coincidence?
Is always a matter of experience: those who are used to this type of race are able to quickly adapt and bring out that little bit extra. Look for example at Kluge who on the road leads Ewan in sprints, or Morkov who everyone considers the best "last car on the train" for a sprint. They have ideal technique and characteristics for this race. Returning to Ganna, Bradley Wiggins comes to mind (in the opening photo with Cavendish, in the victory of the 2016 world championships in London, ed.) who in the American won the world title, but in his legs he had the experience accumulated as a student and that is what makes the difference.
