While the Tour of Italy As always, it draws cycling attention to itself. Outside Italy, things are certainly not standing still; on the contrary, the calendar continues to evolve and offers interesting insights, perhaps with meanings that need to be extrapolated, like Giacomo's victory. Nicelo al Tro-Bro Leon, the first of the year and the first for the Israel PremierTech since the team lost its WorldTour statusA much-needed boost of confidence, both individually and as a team.
The Milanese's final sprint closed a negative period, perhaps yet another for Nizzolo. He had placed a lot of hope in the spring, in the classics, but at the Tirreno-Adriatico he caught a virus of those that knock you down and make it difficult to get up again.
«I was without my bike for more than 10 days – he explains – and when you stop for that long between the end of March and the beginning of April, getting back on your feet is really hard. It was clear that the classics were now gone, the goal I had been working towards since the winter., which I had in mind even when I faced the first races overseas, in San Juan. But this is our job, you fall and you get up again, taking stock little by little."
You arrived at the French classic after participating in the Tour de Romandie, which ended with a retirement…
Yes, it was a precautionary withdrawal before the final stage. I fell in the fourth set and hit my left knee, and anyone who knows my story knows how much this has troubled me in the past.So, to avoid any risks, knowing that the final stage couldn't give me anything more, I decided to stop. The Swiss race, after all, had served the purpose I had set for myself: working hard, struggling to improve my condition.
What competition did you find in France?
It was my first time there. I'd heard about it, but I was surprised, more than by the route, which is unique in its own right, by the warmth of the people. There were so many around the track, even far from the finish line, but I could say that there was an audience in every section, it was really very heartfelt there.
You mentioned a particular path…
Yup, It is a race of over 200 kilometers that contains many sections of dirt road, especially uphill stretches.One after the other, you finally feel them in your legs, in fact it often has a very fluid evolution with a few riders fighting for the victory, as happened in this case. There were five of them in the breakaway, I and another rider started from the group to try to catch up, succeeding with 3 kilometers to go, then it was all a tactical game to set up the sprint.
How did you achieve success?
I had promised myself to make a comeback sprint and I had taken De Lie as a reference, but often the difference between saying and doing things is different and in the end I was forced to slalom a bit between the others to find the right opening. It was a slightly uphill straight, challenging, but in the end I came back and won quite clearly.
You certainly didn't beat just anyone, given how much has been said about the young Belgian from Lotto Dstny...
I'm telling the truth, when I win I don't really look at who was there, who I beat. But it's also true that he is a rider on the rise, very strong especially on this type of route which is not strictly reserved for sprintersDe Lie's future is assured, and having beaten him might add a little something extra to the success. It means he's starting to feel the energy...
You won the first weekend of the Giro d'Italia. Aren't you disappointed not being there?
I couldn't have, objectively. When you lose so many days in a crucial period, you can't expect to be in the condition to face three consecutive weeks of competition, with challenging elevation changes like those encountered in the Giro d'Italia. It's one thing to do a one-day race, pump it all up, and then recover; it's another to be pushed day after day. I've done it in the past, arriving at the Grand Tour without the right condition and I paid the price.In Romandie you could see that his form was improving, but certainly not what is needed to be at the Giro.
The Tour de France is already included in the program.
And I'm happy about that, because I don't hide the fact that I'm looking forward to the Glasgow World Championships, on a course that I think is suited to my characteristics, so I want to do everything I can to deserve the call-up and get there at my best.The Tour is the ideal approach in this sense, but I prefer not to make flights of fancy, I go forward week by week.
In 2021 you broke the Giro's curse, who knows, maybe you'll manage to do the double...
It would be nice to win a stage in France too, but as I said, it's better to go slowly and see what the road brings.
What awaits you now?
I will continue with a series of races between France, Belgium and Holland, all one-day races at fairly close intervals, This should help the condition to improve and then understand if and how to go to the Tour. Besides, the team hasn't been assembled yet, and rightly so. There's still time to go, but many of us are on high alert, so we're getting ready.
How are you feeling about the Israeli team? You're a sophomore...
They welcomed me warmly; this was my first win of the year, and it boosted everyone's morale. It wasn't just for me. On the other hand, there's another detail that makes this success special.
What?
Unfortunately, during this period I suffer a lot from allergies, for me May has always been a critical month and those who followed me at the Giro know itLuckily, the race was in Brittany, by the sea, so the air was cleaner for me, but winning in this period always has a special meaning for me. Just like it was at Verona in 2021.
