Filippo Fiorelli is in Spain with the team, the Bardiani Csf Faizanè, in search of his cycling characteristics and This makes him very determined and self-confident. He will certainly try in every way to assert himself this season…
The first pink race in 2020
I knew I was well trained between altitude and intense training. Face a 21-day race is not easy at all and since it was my first experience I wanted to prepare myself as best as possible. Once the Giro started I improvised as a sprinter and discovered a side of myself that I didn't know yet…I thought I was more of a long-distance rider.
Did you expect to get those two ninth places?
Honestly, no, at least not like this. I expected to get into a breakaway and fight for a place.If someone had told me beforehand that I'd be in the top 10 in the fourth and seventh stages with a bunch sprint finish, I probably wouldn't have believed it. I completely didn't expect it!
A future as a sprinter?
Certainly I'm not a pure sprinter and I don't strive to become one because, probably, it could just be a waste of time. I'm training for hold uphill longer, with the aim of finishing in a sprint with a small group. I completely rule out being a sprinter, but in the meantime I “enjoy” improvising as one when the team needs it.
And the sprint of the Vuelta alla Comunitat Valenciana?
With Giovanni (Visconti, ed.) and with his teammates We had already talked about it, even when we were training in PalermoIf we had arrived in a sprint, I would have been the one to do it and so it was. I finished in eighth position, but it was a placement that is too tight for me, that wasn't what I was aiming for. Now I want to fight to win, I'm not satisfied anymore.
Pickup in your city
I have friends to train with at home, down in Sicily, but when you have a teammate who picks up the pace during training, it's not the same. Here in Spain, there are even more of us. the average is different and also the type of trainingIf you're alone, you need to maintain an average that allows you to finish without being exhausted. If you are in a team, your physical effort also changes.. The small retreat in Palermo it certainly also helped to bond, joke and get to know each other better.
From Visconti…
I have a lot to learnWe have the same characteristics more or less, I see myself a lot in a guy from a few years ago when he was a little faster. Sure, I need to increase the engine size, but I'm here to grow and I know I'm in good hands. He never runs out of advice.
Did you ever think you'd get this far?
If I think about 2018… I was about to quit, I couldn't find a team despite the various placings and victories. There were people who believed in me so much, others didn't believe it at all... I would have really struggled to believe that today I would be in my second year as a professional. And not because I didn't have the skills, but it was the system… it was mentally destroying me.
Training with Cipollini?
I had already trained a couple of years ago in Tuscany with him and Visconti, but now He's with us on retreat, we train together every day, that's a whole other story. He gave me some advice for last Sunday since he knew I was going to be the one to do the sprint. Advice that focused mainly on pay attention to my opponents and their behavior, valuable advice.
Has the dream come true?
Now yes, absolutely. Looking at the results I've achieved, I know that I have room for improvement and I really believe in it. Yet I don't know what kind of rider I am and, for this very reason, whenever I feel good and have the team's consent I will try to fight for the victoryAll races are good… to win.
