A few days ago we have talked by Benoit Cosnefroy and his transition to UAE EmiratesStarting from this piece and its contents, Today we return to French and we do it with Mauro Gianetti, CEO of the number one team in the world.
In particular, a phrase by Cosnefroy struck us: «When Mauro Gianetti presented the project to me, I understood that this team was the ideal challenge for me at this stage of my career.». Why then would the new team be so ideal for the former Decathlon-Ag2R?
Mauro, let's start with Cosnefroy's arrival to you: how did it go? Did you look for him?
Indeed It was his agent who contacted us telling us that he was free and that he would be happy to race with us. At that point we asked him why he was coming to us, what he expected, and his answer was important.
Which one was it?
Racing with you would motivate me immensely. I'm French, but I don't have the pretension or obsession of the Tour de France. I want to be on the world's number one team to grow as an athlete. to try to do everything as best as possible as all the riders who have arrived in have done UAE Team Emirates. Especially since I'm coming off a difficult year and I want to get back on my feet. I know you can give me the technical support I need to improve, and I'm ready to lend a hand. And if I can prove I have the necessary qualities and the right paths are found, I'd be ready to have my say.
Oh well! If only they were all like that...
Truly! He immediately showed himself to have remarkable human qualities. And I appreciated that.
Have you already had it with you?
Yes, in the days we spent in the United Arab Emirates. He was very happy, serene and convinced of the choice he had made and of finding himself in this environment. He integrated immediately, but I must say that this is also easy in our group.
Why?
Because as I often say we are truly friends. The one from UAE Team Emirates is an open, international, and warm group. I saw Benoit as very lively, easy to talk to others. And I think he even had fun. Come on, I'm confident. He was happy among his teammates. I think it was a good purchase.
And Mauro, from a technical standpoint, what kind of player are we talking about? And how does he fit into your roster?
He is a rider who it somehow replaces Alessandro Covi: a rider that every team would like to have, as he knows how to help but also knows how to win. He knows how to take responsibility regardless of the role he is given.An athlete like this can perform well in both one-day and week-long races. He can sprint, he can break away, and, most importantly, he can perform high-intensity workouts, obviously on rough terrain or on climbs lasting up to 10-15 minutes.
Have you already defined your program?
No, for now there's only been this meeting. We'll make the plans with Matxin in December.
Cosnefroy wants to grow, even technically: has he already done something on a technical level?
He's already come to our service course. For now, we've started with a soft approach, in the sense that we reported the measurements it had on the old bike and we adapted them on the Colnago, but we've already made a few small changes to the position. The rest will be done over time.
A living rider
The idea that a rider, as Cosnefroy says, wants to continue to grow, experiment, and improve means that he is still active. He's mentally fit. He'll probably be used as a support player, especially at the start. La UAE Emirates It's full of samples and It is understandable that there is a certain inclusion and, why not, even hierarchies. But that doesn't take away the fact that if Benoit were to go strong, he wouldn't hesitate to have more space. In recent years, the UAE she has always shown herself very willing to leave space to those who were going strong and in rotation everyone had their chances.
Among other things, he proposed himself with humility. He even reiterated to his fan club that he has no intention of being at the Tour and that, in fact, he almost certainly won't be there.
"My injuries have complicated the transfer market," Cosnefroy told his local newspaper, La Presse de la Manche, "but it was my last resort to stay at the top level." This determination is what keeps him vibrant and young, despite the fact that next season will see him turn 31.
