Just a few more hours and Luca Mozzato will finally leave for Cape Verde tomorrow, together with his partner Giorgia. With them also Alexander Konychev and his Giulia for the friendship born at the time of the Dimension Data Continental led by Chicchi.
Half and half
The 2022 that the Vicenza native (Instagram photo at the top) has just put on his wall has many bright colors and some nuances that he didn't like, given that At the beginning of the season he had set out to win and instead the victory slipped away from him. On the other hand, there was no shortage of placings, even in stages of the Tour de France, although it was a debut and never had a real train.
«Those placements have a weight – he says – but in my head the idea was to winSo the year was positive, but I wasn't able to achieve my initial goal. If I had made the small step I managed to make on the performance front, maybe I would be happier.The fact that I moved well in certain scrums is because they are my characteristics. I handle certain situations well."
You also have a hard time calling yourself a sprinter, right?
Certainly in compact group arrivals I can't compete with the pure sprinters, unless they have some little problem or don't run a clean sprint. But if the finish is less banal, then I'm in, and for next year. I've already understood that I need to work on my acceleration and on getting through the climbs better..
Will you continue working on the track?
For fast men it is certainly a panacea. You get used to high speeds with different gear ratios than usual and you do strength work on the bike that wouldn't be possible on the road.I definitely think I'll get back to riding, without the goal of competing. And if Montichiari were to remain closed, We hope to save ourselves with favorable weather to find an outdoor track, or we will consider going on an away trip.
Even though there's no official announcement yet, Cavendish is coming in 2023. How does that make you feel?
There will certainly be something to learn. The atmosphere in the team during the meeting we had after Paris-Tours was that Mark had an important goal. And if I'm smart, I'll have to be able to take everything I can from him. He will be able to give or tell me something directly, but it will be up to me to understand the rest. because he is one of the riders in the group with the greatest professional experience. And he's still going strong, otherwise he wouldn't have won the national championship alone.
Does it change anything for you?
I'm aware that my personal chances, if I'm at the Tour again, will be less. If the group arrivals are for Mark and his train, I will have to be good at being ready in the stages that are most suitable for me. So in the next Tour, but we're talking about nothing since there's still so much time to go, I will probably get fewer placements.
Is being part of that train an opportunity?
It certainly is an opportunity and should be experienced as suchYou can't turn up your nose before leaving, it wouldn't work well. I am of the opinion that when you make a decision, you have to work 100 percent in the same direction.And that's what we'll do. Work 100 percent to try to win, even if on some occasions I won't be the one at the end of the action.
What does a rider like Mark mean to you?
My first memories of him are from 2010-2011 when he was at HTC. I was 11-12 years old, it was the period in which I started to follow and experience cyclingI had magazines at home where I looked at his photos, to see his position and his style.
Your neighbor should also be on the team…
I heard he should be there too (smiles, ed.). The strange thing is that although I live in the lower Vicenza area and when he's in Italy he stays around Marostica and Bassano, I have never had the chance to train with RichezeInstead, we went on a couple of summer outings in Livigno and got to know each other a little better.
Are you having a retreat in December?
I don't know the dates yet, but yes. It will be 10 days in the middle of the month and then another 10 in JanuaryAnd at that point, we'll evaluate, based on the weather, whether we can stay home and train or whether it's better to return to the warmer climate.
Do you already know what your schedule will be?
I asked, then we'll see. I would like to repeat the same thing this year, because I had a good time.A high-level calendar, staying in Europe for the first races. So Mallorca, Valenciana, one between Besseges and Provence. Then the classics and the Tour. And at that point we'll see if there's anything left in the legs...
While Mozzato finishes closing the suitcase and enjoys his rest, peaceful also for the contract extended until 2025, within the framework of possible scenarios, la B&B Hotels he could have as a sponsor the city of Paris. He should switch from KTM bikes to BMC and into the Cavendish train, in addition to Richeze There is talk of the arrival of experienced men from Groupama-FDJ and Bike Exchange-Jayco. As team manager Pineau said, Mark's salary is like that of a big name footballerMaybe that's why the team's headquarters has been buzzing with activity for some time now...
