Whatever it is go from the worst Roubaix of the last twenty years to the extreme smoothness of the velodrome It's a mystery that Jonathan Milan He will have to explain it to us at all costs. Therefore, taking advantage of his return home and with the bells ringing in the background, we asked him to explain how he managed to win the European individual pursuit championship, with a time of 4'04”, adding another gem to the Olympic gold seasonThe first time we went for him in Buja It was two days until last Christmas, but it seems like two years have passed.
“It’s been a long year,” he says, “and honestly, I don’t feel at my best. Mentally I'm tired, but I knew I could do well at the European Championships and Roubaix. I wanted it. I said to myself, “Johnny, don’t give up!”, but honestly, I didn’t think I’d push this hard. I hadn't been on the track for a month and a half, the others had done the right work."
Is this the Tokyo situation or are you still climbing?
After Tokyo I managed to take a break for a while, take above all mental restThen I dedicated myself mainly to the road, working on the bottom. I never went on the track again and this allowed me to disconnect from that kind of concentration.We calculated the recovery well with Marco (Villa, ed.) for reach 100 percent for the European and World Championships and it couldn't have been better.
A month and a half without a lead and gold in pursuit…
I needed the quartet I made earlier, maybe If I had made my debut in the individual pursuit I wouldn't have found the paceThe quartet helped me unblock myself, to compare myself with others. In individual pursuits, you're alone with yourself, but thanks to the quartet, I overcame my fears. That of not being in a condition, therefore of not being up to it. Instead…
Instead?
As the laps go by I started to feel like I was pushing well, better and betterI had the 64×15 and it really couldn't have gotten any better.
The great thing is that you were coming from Roubaix…
I had a bit of bad luck, with a couple of crashes. Yet I felt the urge to keep pushing, to make it the race of my dreams. I'm not discouraged. I like it. It gives me a nastiness that other races don't give me.. In the reconnaissance of the previous days, I thought it was really fantastic. To do well you need legs and style, the style of riding the bike by letting it run.
Colbrelli wins, just like in the Italian championship: maybe it'll bring him luck?
For that matter, I was also at the Benelux. It was wonderful. In the evening we went to a restaurant and toasted. We were all happy for Sonny.Even those who were supposed to leave stopped, like Sieberg who will retire at the end of the year, for whom Roubaix was the last raceSeeing him there with us was beautiful.
And now we're off to the World Cup?
Next week will be like the one before Tokyo. We will need certainty from everyone to understand if we will still be able to do well.We'll have to sharpen our legs, which were a bit lacking at the European Championships. But there's great confidence between us, I'm sure we'll give 102 percent, as we always have.. With harmony and tranquility. On Monday we will go to Montichiari and stay there until Friday. I have a flight to Roubaix on Saturday.
Do you ever think about walking around your hometown that you've become an Olympic champion?
The truth? I think about it every now and then. And I have to say, it still feels a little weird.
Jonathan Milan, 21 years old on October 1st. Two years ago they almost didn't know who he was, today he is one of the pillars of our cycling. Raised at Cycling Team Friuli and now to the Team Bahrain Victorious. Olympic champion in the team pursuit in TokyoEuropean individual champion, catching rival Gonov before the 3.500 meters. The future has just begun.
