Who would benefit from having Pozzovivo on their team? The question is a bone we've been chewing on for a few days, since it became clear that among the greats still without a contract, Cavendish has been officially signed by the Astana Qazaqstan Team, Domenico risks being the most difficult to place.
At this point, there will also be those who will suggest him retirement, but the will of certain athletes is worth more than the feelings of those who observe them, especially if they feel they still want to prove something. Also because the performances offered by the Lucanian in recent years have been much more flattering than those of more celebrated athletes.
Which teams
There are WorldTour teams that still have places available. Ag2R, Bahrain Victorious, Intermarché itself and Jumbo Visma, Soudal Quick Step and Trek-Segafredo. To be realistic, it's clear that perhaps only Intermarché could benefit from Domenico's hiring, not having a general classification man for the Giro d'Italia. There would have been a place for Astana too, but Cees Bol arrived with Cavendish and the number of riders has risen to 30.
Immediately below, Israel and Lotto are in the same position (the Belgian team, given the rescheduling of the UCI points, could retrace its steps and come to the Giro). Why not think about the Eolo-Kometa who would have someone to pair with Fortunato or of the Q36,5 of his mentor Ryder Douglas who would have wanted him still with him and of his friend Nibali of which (with Lello Ferrara) he animates the Twitch channel?
Finally, the Green Project Bardiani, the team where Pozzovivo turned professional and that with him on the roads of the Giro he could have another card to play, to add to the risky pursuit of glory in some breakaway. It seems that Reverberi no longer wants overly mature riders, perhaps disappointed by the recent experience with Battaglin and Modolo, but Pozzovivo is probably a different story.
The loot of points
Right now, Domenico is probably out on his bike, like every day for the last thirty years. Last year he signed the contract with the Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert on Valentine's Day, so the hope of finding a team burns strong. When he moved to NTT which would later become Qhubeka, he signed at Christmas, still recovering from the injury in August, when he was hit by a car. "You sold me when I was lame," he told his manager last year. "Why shouldn't you sell me now that I'm healthy?"
And 2022 proved him right, with a series of results that would make any rider younger than him proud. Best Italian at the Flèche Wallonne, 8th at the Giro d'Italia (where he lost almost 5 minutes in the Mortirolo crash due to mechanical problems), 9th at the Svizzera, 5th at the Agostoni, 3rd at the Giro dell'Emilia behind Mas and Pogacar.
At the end of the year, His contribution to the team's tally amounted to 714 points.: sixth in the domestic rankings. Kristoff, who took home 2.124 points, is gone, as are Hermans (1.007 points) and Pasqualon (514).
One thing is clear: last year a rider with those points would have been fought overNow that the three-year period has just begun – blessed cynicism of professional sport – we can do without it more lightly.
Numbers as a kid
Domenico he turned 40 on November 30 And the feeling, if it were up to him, is that the journey could continue well beyond this year. When training resumed in November, despite the season ending badly with the Lombardy crash, in a test done without even believing it too much, it read a value of 6,3 watts/kg. In one of the interviews last year, he was the one who opened the world to the need for more mature riders to go to look for margins of improvement in attentions never had beforeThose who succeeded are still there fighting, others have stopped.
At Intermarché, which in theory would have wanted to confirm him, meantime Boniface has arrived, bringing with him his 449 points, confirming the fact that this time the points are not looked at.
Our Customers I avoided calling Pozzovivo so as not to always ask him the same questions, to which he has no answers to give, if not to reiterate his iron will to move forward. Despite the doubts linked to age and falls and despite it being clear that the expectations can no longer be those of the best times, the more time passes the more It seems absurd that someone like that can't find a job.
