The first season among the professionals of Davide De Pretto is proceeding according to the plan established by his team, the Jayco-AlUlaThe 2002-born Venetian, who returned a few days ago from the Dauphiné champs, is bringing together many different experiences. His schedule so far reads: 36 days of racing, of which exactly half, 18, in the WorldTour.
De Pretto has taken part in important races, such as Strade Bianche, Milan-Sanremo, Liège and Dauphiné. these he alternated with minor races where however he had the opportunity to test himself, collecting some placings and his first podium among the professionals, at the Tour of Oman. This was followed by a second and third place in a stage at the Coppi and Bartali.
The French labors
At the Dauphiné Tour From Pretto he had the opportunity to experience first-hand the rhythms of a high-level stage raceEvery day you hit very high paces, your legs are tired, and you have a lot of experience to put to good use.
"I'm fine, I just finished training," he says, "in the gym to be precise. I'm continuing to do it, even during the season, especially for the upper body, the so-called coreI've put some of the fatigue behind me against Dauphiné, now I'm recovering in preparation for the Italian championship on June 23rd. In France the thing I noticed is how the first ones are really going strong.I was coming from a period at high altitude during which I hadn't been well, so the condition wasn't what I wanted. I had stages two, three and five in my sights, but without adequate legs it was impossible to even think of holding on.».
A good experience anyway?
Absolutely, I've seen what the pace is at the Tour de France. my more experienced companions told me that the rhythms are the sameOn the climb everyone was holding on, it was difficult to see people dropping off immediately (this detail was also noticed by Fancellu, editor's note).
Full season so far…
I'm happy about this, I started running on January 21st in Spain at the Ruta de la Ceràmica and I practically never stopped. I had my space in the minor races, like the 2.Pro or the 2.1 like the Coppi and BartaliIn the WorldTour, however, I struggled a lot. Even though I achieved my first top 5 at the Tour of the Basque Country in the top division. That day, I must admit, I was very happy.
Was the condition at the expected level?
I was fine, maybe a little tired, so much so that after I would have gladly stopped at the Basques, but the team wanted to take me to Belgium to do the Flèche and Liège. I was keen on it too, so I gritted my teeth and went.
You finished third in the U23s at Liège. What was it like racing the professional race?
They are very different, even just in terms of distance. Running 80 kilometers more is not easy, then the altitude difference between the pros is 4.500 meters. It's a race for light people. For the future I think it could become a race suitable for me, with short and explosive climbsI think it's a question of maturation, because after 220 kilometers you have to have the legs to attack on the Dread and keep up with the best.
Growth and bottom line. By the way, how did you work in the winter?
During the preparation the hours I put in double compared to those I did among the under 23s. I've put a lot of money behind me, then as the races approached we increased the intensity. Even in the retreat that just ended in Andorra this last week I've been putting in more intense workoutsCompared to last year, I do more strength work in the gym rather than on the bike.
If you look at the calendar you'll notice that you're doing a lot more stage races than when you were U23.
This is helping me grow and improve. Already from the second stage race of this year, the Tour of Oman, I felt better and better. As an under 23, doing a stage race tired me out a lot., I arrived in the last days finished, I couldn't wait for it to end. Now I arrive fresh, with energy still in my body, I have a better recovery.
Hill behind you, how are you?
My fitness is improving; I'm someone who needs to run to digest the work done at altitude. The Dauphiné was proof of that, but I'm happy with how I finished. Now I'm aiming for the Italians and immediately after the Tour of Austria from 2nd to 7th JulyIn the end we'll see how I feel, I might do Castilla y Leon in July, then the Arctic Race and finally San Sebastian. But first, during the Tour de France, we who are not racing will have a retreat in Livigno.
