When Bettini won the Olympic road race, Italy ran with five men, as did Germany, Spain, the USA, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Kazakhstan, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia, and Ukraine. The UCI ranking favored us, in which we stood out for our significant road victories and the fact that the IOC had not yet decided to distort the game.
With five men you could think about setting up a tactic And we remember well the great work Pozzato, Paolini, Nardello and Moreni undertook to get Paolo into the right position for the attack. Even in that case Ballerini was a magician and opened the Bettini cycle, who within three years would also win two world championships.
Empty village
As is sadly known, due to the ranking that sees us behind, Italy will run the Paris Olympics on the road with only three athletes, like in Barcelona 1992 when however there were amateurs in the race. For the ranking, of course, but also because of a further cut that the IOC has made to the quota of athletes eligible for the competitionIf, alongside this need for cost containment, there had been a consequent study of the calendar, we probably wouldn't be here bothering you. Instead They reduced the number of riders to the bare minimum and packed the trials into just a few days, preventing cross-sectional participation.. Consequently Ganna e Milan They cannot race on the road, having the team pursuit two days later. Like them, Elisa Balsamo is struggling with the same dilemma. While to give the quartet a reserve of substance like Manlio Moro, it will be necessary register Viviani as a road racer, even though he will only have his head for the track (in the opening photo, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, in red, the Pont d'Iena where the road race will finish).
"The truth," says the Veronese, "is that at least one of two considerations should be made. If you set low odds and make the road the first event and the track the last three days of the Olympics, then it works. But if you want to keep this schedule, then you have to give more sharesThings are changing, the Olympics aren't what they used to be. We and others won't be staying in the Village; we'll be staying in a hotel. So if the problem is the seats, there is no need for the Olympic Village be giganticIn this case, what difference does having more quotas make for the IOC? Let us bring the extra rider, it doesn't mean higher costs. Or create a calendar that allows us to organize the athletes well."
The doubts of the champions
One aspect that directly derives from this reorganization is also the skepticism of the champions in front of the Olympic challenge on the road. You can't plan much: as he recently said the French citizen VoecklerIt's a challenge he enjoys, but it's outside of any cycling logic. How do you manage a 270-kilometer race and a group of just 90 riders without teammates? It's no coincidence that Pogacar himself, who has all the credentials to aim for the gold medal, has admitted that he will go, but consider it much more concrete and programmable the world championship in Zurich.
«These odds – confirms Viviani – have also distorted the very structure of the competitions. This is what, I have to tell you the truth, in my opinion also puts off some road riders.Someone who has to invest time to compete in the Olympics, which is undoubtedly an important event, thinks about it. He thinks, "Okay, I'll go there, but it's a crazy race, because there are only 90 riders and if I lose control, there's nothing I can do." In the end it has to be good for you and then maybe you don't even prepare it in a maniacal way. It could be a classic, half-day, wasted breakaway at the World Championships, but with no men to pull, you'll find it at the finish line. Also because, forget about the fact that we're only ranked third, we've gone from five to four, and all the national teams will have to sacrifice someone. Otherwise, the race will explode and goodbye..."
The ranking by nation
The road ranking is an object that must be handled with care. Teams are very careful to score points that keep them ahead in their dedicated classification, while the matter gets more complicated when the points of athletes of the same nationality have to be added together.
«The truth is that the road ranking – says Viviani – is not like the track ranking, which we can control. It's not easy to tell the kids that they have to get points, because the teams manage everything anyway.As Italy, we're suffering from some poor results, especially in the general classifications, which yield more points. Lacking any GC riders, we're also struggling in the rankings. On the other hand, I think we need to think about it at a federal level.We need to pay more attention to this aspect. I don't know, over time we should look at holding one-day races, and try as a Federation not to make mistakes anymore. Some nations do this, like the British and Australians. Last year I had in my team Luke Plop and he told me that they were playing on points with France and he explained to me the reasoning they were using. On the track, the program is clear. You have the World Cups, the European Championships, the World Championships: they're all competitions you participate in with the national team. But in hindsight... for Los Angeles 2028 at the federal level we will also have to pay attention to the road».
We say goodbye to him by telling him to keep this in mind when he becomes federal president, but Viviani laughs and stretches out his hands as if to push the glass away. And yet, for the commitment he has always put in, his attachment to the blue and the track, his ability to reason and his determined character, we would really appreciate a federal president like himOne step at a time, however, the season is still long, and so is my career…
