Ludovico Crescioli's first season with Polti VisitMalta is going a bit slowly. After the first appointments in Spain, which also resulted in an eighth place on debut, a small setback has slowed things down. In recent months, the Tuscan, in his first year among the professionals, has nevertheless experienced a different world and has already learned to adapt to it (in the opening photo, Maurizio Borserini).
"It's just a slight pain in my knee," Crescioli says, "but I'm slowly recovering. The team is giving me a great hand and they don't let me go without anything. It's a shame because I started well, both in the training camps in December and January and in the first races, everything was going great. The team was happy and so am I, in particular after the debut at the Classica Camp de Morvedre».
Always better
How the life and daily routine of a boy who goes through during 23 a professionalJumping is not just about sport and athleticism, but also about managing many small details.
«Already last year – says Crescioli – when I was racing in a continental team, I had a good setup both in terms of the calendar and the organization. Among all the various commitments I have run around twenty races among the professionals with Technipes #InEmiliaRomagna. So what I found now with the Polti VisitMalta It's not entirely new, but everything is becoming more and more specific. I've already had the opportunity to compare myself with the way the professionals race, and I'm happy with it."
And in your routine?
In the two training camps we had this winter, you can see the team's organization. Everything is taken care of so that we cyclists can live the life of an athleteWe just had to worry about having breakfast, going out on the bike, and resting for the next day. Then there were times when, even if it was a day off work, the hours were filled with photos for sponsors, meetings with staff, etc…
You moved to a team with many more people on board…
Both with your teammates and the staff, you find yourself interacting with many new people. The first few days are a bit more difficult but then you start to get to know everyone and you find the right size.The team's primary language is Italian, but Spanish is also spoken extensively.
Now that you needed to make some visits, how did you organize yourself?
The team doctor Giulio Tempesti, who is also Tuscan, told me which structures I should contactThe convenience is knowing that everything is still handled by the team staff.
How did you find all the outside activities on retreat?
I liked them, you feel like you're part of a group and in the world of professionals. I'm a very quiet guy but these activities make me happy, as well as the various interviewsOur photographer, Maurizio Borserini, is really talented and friendly. When we organize the various sets to shoot all the sponsored content, he always makes us feel at ease. In fact, sometimes it seems like he doesn't want to bother us; he's very attentive in this regard.
How do you experience everything?
It's nice, also because it's a way to socialize and get to know your friends in other ways. It's true that we spend a lot of time on our bikes, but that's not all there is to it. On retreat there is time to get to know each other and spend time togetherWhen you go to races there are always seven or eight riders and you are very focused on performance, as is right.
Which sponsors did you meet?
At the January retreat Representatives of Kometa and Francesca Polti came (President and CEO of Polti Group, ed.) These are great initiatives that let you get to know the people behind the name on the shirt.
Have other details changed?
During the race, for example, you have to get your bag at the refreshments, whereas as an under-23 this didn't happen so often. Another different thing are the radios, in the past years I used them sometimes but now they are part of the routine.
Speaking of supply bags, has anything changed for on-the-go nutrition?
Not so much. My carb intake is very similar to last year; even when I was under 23, I paid close attention to these details.
Are there other things that moved you?
Well, when I received the box with all the technical equipment, it was nice: shirts, training kits, jackets and everything else. Even getting on the team bus was special, since you were a child you are used to seeing them from outside, entering them was a thrill. The technical meeting is held with VeloViewer and the sports directors show us all the pitfalls of the path and the crucial points. Many things that make it clear that I have arrived among the professionals.
