The one of Mattia Gaffuri, in modern cycling, is a timeless tale. That of a rider who crowns his pursuit of professionalism at 26 years old, after having tried various paths, always believing in it and realizing his dream at an age that is considered extremely late for cycling that really counts.
Many ways to make a dream come true
Gaffuri followed every path to realize his dream. He came close to it twice. the professional contract at the Zwift Academy, he ran in various teams, among the under 23s, he was also the most prolific in terms of results. He was not afraid to accept the offers of a club and also to do amateur activities. In the meantime he specialized as a trainer, even earning a certain fame. Until the long-awaited contract finally arrived at Picnic PostNL. Taking everyone by surprise.
Gaffuri will be the only Italian in the Dutch team and the choice also surprised him: «I don't know exactly how this contact came about: they have a very detailed scouting process., which has been one of their strengths over the years, and I think they were already interested based on the performances they'd seen in various races or even through apps like Strava. After the Italian championship and the performances I'd achieved in May, they became interested and contacted my agent."
Could your performance at the Zwift Academy have also had an impact, given that other teams also watch what happens in the competition?
It could be, but I think it was actually more my performance this year that convinced them, What happened over the summer months. Starting with a simple club team, but one where I managed to shine.
Your dual role, the fact that you're highly regarded as a trainer, could have had an impact on the thought of Gaffuri potentially joining the staff in a different role in the future?
We haven't talked about that at the moment, we've only discussed my development as an athlete and I think they have the right characteristics as a team to try to make me do my best as a cyclist, because they have a great development program, they are very meticulous and that's exactly what I think I need.
You've been chasing this professional contract for years, following various paths...
The secret was at the end always trying to improve myself without necessarily following the goal of becoming a professional, because otherwise I would have already given up a long time ago. I did it mainly because I really like cycling, I like training and therefore trying to improve myself over timeThen this year I saw that I was in a position where I still had a chance and I wanted to try to go all out again in the UCI races, so I said: "Let's try one last year, see how it goes." But the key part was before, when I continued to train and never gave up.
What did you think when you signed the contract, after everything that had happened and the many changes of team just to find the right goal?
It was certainly a great satisfaction, but I prefer to see it as a starting point, in the sense that I already realized it during the internship with Polti of the points where we can work and what is the gap to be filled and therefore we say that I'm already focused on trying to improve myselfI've been given a pass to enter this magical world and now I have to try to make the most of it.
How do you rate this season and what do you think was the high point?
A season that is certainly beautiful in terms of results, but also as a group that we have managed to create with our team, with the Swat Club And the highlight was undoubtedly the Italian road race. That was a historic day for us and for me individually. But also the internship at Polti with participation in the Tre Valli Varesine, where I still managed to arrive in the small group behind PogacarIt was one of the strongest emotions, being there among so many stars, compared to the first part of the season where I wasn't expecting anything, it was something unexpected.
At Picnic, have you already talked about what your role and your goals could be?
No, we'll talk about it at the December training. I hope to be able to be first of all an important man for the team, maybe as a domestique for the climbThe team is already equipped with excellent ranking riders, and then I'll gradually try to learn from them in some races and try to play my cards. But it will obviously depend on the type of calendar I follow.
Yours is an example that stands out from the norm in cycling today. What would you say to a rider who's becoming elite now?
In my opinion, it's important to try to race at the elite level. Even if, rightly, one begins studying or finds a second job to build a life outside of cycling, However, he can find a compromise to still be able to continue competing at a competitive level, as I did with the Swatt ClubNot everyone develops at the same time, so maybe someone who gives up at 23 might actually be two years away from reaching physical maturity. I think it's important to try to clear this up, to understand that you can still try.
Are you putting your commitment as a trainer on hold?
For now, yes. Maybe I'll continue to give some advice to the guys at Swatt, but I definitely want to dedicate myself 100 percent to my work as an athlete.
