One hundred meters that have a before and an after, but above all, a during. Up until 600 meters from the finish, everything is perfect, so much so that you already imagine a great finale. A few seconds later, at 500 meters, you can only stare at the numbers of your opponents. Italy's European Championship can be told in these moments where a bit of everything happened.
Jakobsen wins ahead of Demare and Merlier. The Dutchman to Monaco of Bavaria signs an imperial sprint, respecting the predictions' favoritesOur national team finished with Viviani 7th and Dainese 11th. And with much regret for having caused a bit of chaos in those 100 meters.
«When you win it's always a great sprint – admits the new European champion, with his 11th victory of the season – but I actually have to thank the team who did a wonderful job and I'm very proud of themThis jersey represents one of the greatest victories of my career. I left the Tour feeling good. I recovered and maintained good form for this European Championship, which was a goal. I'm happy to be able to wear this shirt for a year."
Blue Chaos
After the finish line, we immediately try to understand what went wrong in the final part of the European Championship. Let's explain. The Azzurri all together climbed the rankings in the final and they pass under the red triangle perfectly lined up to launch their sprint. There is Barons that pulls hard and moves. They remain Ganna, Trentin, Guarnieri, Viviani and DaineseThey seem precise. Up to 600 meters. That's where the confusion comes in. The blue train gets stuck. These are frenetic moments that cannot be recovered.Belgium sets off, launching the sprint, and Italy's hopes remain stuck in the backup positions. It's hard to say after such an outcome, but the statements are finally here.
«We ran as we had to – he explains Trentino – it wasn't our job to pull or even keep the race sewn up. We were the only team that actually tried to do something. All the other teams seemed to want to sprint to Jakobsen and then complain that he's winning. The circuit made itself felt. Very nervous, full of narrow sections, the barriers were anything but straight. After four years we have to pass the baton of the European Championship to someone else».
Coach Daniele Bennati and federal president Cordiano Dagnoni. The post-match atmosphere was nevertheless serene. Matteo Trentin was the director of the Azzurri.
Coach Bennati and President Dagnoni. The post-match atmosphere was nevertheless serene. Matteo Trentin was the director of the Azzurri.
The atmosphere on the blue bus isn't the best, but there's a sense of calm as we approach the post-race phase. "I knew it would be complicated," he says. Welcome – but I'm happy with my team's performance. We really didn't have to make any mistakes to fight for the win or the podium.There were misunderstandings. Milan is a very important team, and his absence due to physical problems in the last two rounds affected us. It's a shame, I cared about the boys who deserved a result».
Seen by Jacopo
Among the various protagonists of those moments at the end of the European Championship, there was also, despite himself, Jacopo Guarnieri, who had the classic task of the last manWe looked into what happened.
Can you tell us about that ending?
There were a few mistakes. I made some myself. It wasn't so much confidence that was lacking, but rather experience between us. Because at the last corner, Trentin passed Ganna, who was in front, and they both moved aside. I didn't know what Pippo was trying to do. I started out long, but he still had someIn the end, this sprint was far from perfect. We were united, but we lacked the so-called timing. There was no chemistry in the finale, and it wasn't easy to create. I repeat, rather than united, we were not coordinated. This is the thing we missed most of all.
You should have moved earlier…
Yes, exactly. At the two-kilometer mark, I gave a push to get the team ahead. As soon as I finished this effort, Pippo came by and crucified me. I didn't feel I had the legs to leave it that long, because I didn't have time to recover. In my mind, we were long. I saw Belgium coming and I preferred to leave trying to leave Elia in the best position behind the Belgians. For me, at that point, both Trentin and Ganna were finished. But that wasn't the case. That was my mistake and I take responsibility for it.In hindsight, you know it too… If a few things hadn't happened, we'd be talking about another sprint.
Looking at the images, it seemed like Elia was Dainese's last man. Was it supposed to be that way?
No, the two of them were supposed to sprint. I was supposed to pull for both of them, basically, and each of them would sprint. It was a choice made by the national team, not to put the opponents in difficulty but to win.
Guarnieri, at minus 2, worked to bring the Azzurri forward Guarnieri confronts Pedersen after they made dangerous contact in a sprint Jacopo Guarnieri celebrated his 35th birthday wearing the Azzurri jersey. It's the second time he's done so.
Guarnieri, at minus 2, worked to bring the Azzurri forward Guarnieri confronts Pedersen after the contact in the sprint Jacopo celebrated his second birthday wearing the blue jersey
Then you almost fell when you moved. It wouldn't have been a good birthday present (he turned 35 today)...
Damn, what a risk, I almost killed myself (smiles, ed.) I want to look at the footage again, even from above, to understand the dynamics. Pedersen was coming up wide, I was closing and we touched. He kneed me right where the handlebar cap is. I completely lost my balance forward, I'm not sure I stayed standingLuckily, I didn't fall; I was in serious trouble. In fact, it would have been a real disaster. We hadn't been perfect enough; it took the fall to complete everything.
How was the mood between you on the bus?
Not the best of course. We took our responsibilities, but we get off the bus friends exactly as we got there in the morningDon't think of disagreements between us. I repeat, we wanted to set up as a compact team with a compact train. We weren't completely like that like other teams, like the Netherlands, who finished first and fourth. They set it up with two men. That is, they kept them in front with the hard men, then in the end they played it alone.We made a choice and followed it through. There, we could have done better, without a doubt. And we'll do it next time.
