Filippo Conca has the physique of a Belgian rider, that's for sure! The Como native is 1.90 meters tall, so everything suggests he could break rocks in the North. In reality, he is also very thin, weighing just under 70 kilos, and Having also followed him as an amateur we can say that he is also a good climber.
Filippo has recently returned from the retreat in Oliva, Spain, with the Lotto Soudal. Two weeks of his first real experience in the WorldTour, two weeks in which he breathed great cycling.
First contacts
"It went really well," Conca enthusiastically recounts. "Coming to Lotto was my chance. I was supposed to go with Androni, but then this opportunity arose, and given the difficulties there are, not just in cycling, I took advantage of it. Now everyone is first or second in the under-23s, I was already in my fourth year.
«There were many champions over there in Spain, but I have to say that they were all simple. Ewan, Gilbert… no one was vain. The welcome ritual? Yeah, they did it for me… but they don't say it!
Philip then studied his companions. In particular, he was struck by Roger Kluge, former German track cyclist: «My goodness, how it went downhill! He had a way of his own. He'd enter very narrowly, lean the bike very far, and exit narrowly. Then he had a really hard time going uphill. I'm tall, but he's even taller than me. He's 1,93 meters tall."
The road chase
Filippo talks about the work he did in Spain, a job that focused heavily on volume rather than quality.
They divided us into three groups, partly to better control the bubbles. Especially in the first few days, we covered a lot of kilometers, then in the second half the intensity increased. We did some work, but mostly they were tests to assess our condition. One-, five-, and ten-minute runs.
«They divided the groups by technical characteristics, but it wasn't easy to find a balance between the numbers and the characteristics. And in fact, Oldani and I ended up with the sprinters! Which isn't really our group. But for January, it's fine. In the end, the three groups did more or less the same job."
Conca must have had a great time in Spain. Besides being among the greats, he also took on some unusual tasks, such as team pursuit.
"Exact, They divided our group into two teams of four and we did 7-8 minute sessions of chasing each other. Four would set off, and 20 seconds later, another four would chase them. And in the second session, the teams would switch between those who started first and those who started later."
Oldani trailblazer
"Are you worried? No, I didn't have any in particular. If anything, it was difficult to get to Spain. They canceled our flight twice, the first time because we didn't know what to expect, the second time because it was snowing in Madrid and the airport was closed. You know, arriving late for the first training camp wasn't ideal!
"Then Stefano (Oldani, (ed.) It helped me. Having another Italian on the team made it easier to settle in. Last year he was the only Italian and he was a neopro, he told me that it wasn't easy at all at the beginning. Stefano and I have known each other since we were 6 or 7 years old, during our first childhood races in Lombardy. He's from Varese, and we were already close. Sometimes if he comes to ride around Lake Como, we meet up for training, but otherwise, not because my house and his are almost 100 kilometers apart."
Ready for adventure
Conca is expected to make his debut on February 11th in Provence, but as he himself says, Covid permitting and with his fingers crossed.
«Yes, indeed. Both because they are cancelling several races, and because being a neopro, if they have to make room for a leader who perhaps should have run elsewhere, the first one they remove is me. After Provence I should go to Belgium: Het Nieuwsblad e Kurne».
Who knows what a thrill it would be to get up there wearing a special jersey, that of a Belgian team and with Gilbert in team.
"Oldani and I are in two different groups," Conca explains. "Stefano will reach the Classics via Paris-Nice. For now, we're only supposed to race together in Provence.
«What do I expect from this first year as a pro? I'm convinced I have room to define my role in the team, to help and improve. As an under-23, I've always improved a little, while I've seen others improve less, perhaps because they were already squeezed more as juniors, something that's increasingly imposed by today's system. The risk is not emerging, and in fact I've struggled too." But in the meantime, Filippo is there...
