Alberto Dainese He was born in 1998 and last year when he was 24 he suffered Tour of Italy e Tour de France. He's now preparing to begin his fourth pro season. Young riders, but already an expert.
A big commitment, but the rider of the dsm He not only completed the two Giro d'Italia, but he finished them well and in the 42 stages in total he also managed to raise his arms to the sky.
Alberto, the city Daniele bennati He said that at your age, doing two Grand Tours in the same season is a bit much, especially with the Giro and the Tour so close together, and that in the end you arrived at the European Championships feeling tired. What do you think?
Did he say that before or after the Tour?! It was actually quite a lot overall, especially because between the Giro and the Tour I also did the Tour of Belgium. And it made itself felt, but that was also an experience. It couldn't have been harder!
And how did you feel?
It went well at the Giro and a little less at the Tour, because I was a little tired and fatigued.Although I have to say that things have been going better in the last week. I got third place. And all things considered, I can say that it was right to do both.
Doing well in the "sixth" week means a lot. Also, why did you do Belgium in between? Maybe the Tour wasn't on your agenda?
Let's say no. They didn't tell me at the last minute, but theI wasn't initially supposed to do the Tour. The decision came in the middle. And when they told me I was a bit shocked… I took it as training!
It's said that the Grand Tours, especially for young riders, help increase engine capacity. Has this immense amount of work left you with something extra?
I've had experience in all three Grand Tours and now I know more or less what to expect in the next one. I still don't know this year's plans, whether I'll do one, none, or all three. It was certainly a great help, both physically and not onlyI have gained a lot of experience.
And compared to last year's Dainese, do you feel stronger in these first training sessions?
A little bit, yes, I feel better. Then I train with the "individual" here next to me (the reference is to Milesi(ed.) and it strains my neck when climbing. I feel more aware of my abilities and then it's a natural maturation, I guess, with advancing age. But I think general experience also counts: preparing better, knowing how to eat... and in this, the great Giro helps you a lot. Also because you have to organize yourself and you understand that you can't make mistakes.
After your great season, have they given you a point man? Do you also have a Guarnieri of the situation?
In DSM they are investing more in creating a group for the sprint than in a single man, this way when you go to the races and someone is not there, everyone knows what they have to do… But he arrived Alex Edmondson from BikeExchange–Jayco and I think it was a good buy because he was sprinting Gronewegen And he knows how to maneuver in the final kilometers. He has experience, and that's especially useful with us, who are young. Consider that I am the twelfth oldest rider on the team and I'm not even 25 yet.
Are you trying the trains too?
Yup, We did some tests, not only for the positions, but also to get back to stimulating high intensities, high speeds. Maybe you're missing something after the winter... but that's also the most fun part of training camps! There's a valley in Spain where we do these sprints... Of course, in a race it's totally different, since there are 180 riders trying to do the same, but it's necessary.
And what about the materials?
Even before the Tour they had given me the Scott Foil, which is the bike we all have now, and that alone was a clear improvement, especially for sprints. Then this winter, like everyone else, I changed my saddle and handlebars thanks to the arrival of Syncros. I managed to stretch quite a bit, two centimeters, while maintaining the 42-centimeter fold: I have broad shoulders.
