"I'm living a dream. I'm a professional and I'm fighting for a win." A running thought with 10 kilometers to go. Dario Igor Belletta, who turned 19 on January 27, made his professional debut and did so wearing the senior national team shirt at Tour of the Metropolitan City of Reggio CalabriaHe took home a seventh place and a wealth of experiences full of emotions, wonder, mistakes and a great desire to be part of that world.
On the phone, Dario's voice is clear and full of enthusiasm, but he seems to have a firm head on his shoulders. Perhaps also thanks to the battleship. Jumbo-Visma Development Team who is guiding him step by step into the world of European cycling. A Junior until four months ago, the young Lombard woke up one morning to a WhatsApp call from coach Bennati. Let's be transported into his... debut among the pros…
How did this debut come about?
It was a race that it wasn't planned in my calendar, but when the coach calls you up you certainly can't say no, on the contrary... (laughs, ed.). The Jumbo was doing very well, to wean me a little'. Actually, everything was organized at the last minute.
When did you receive the summons?
They called me right after the Circuit des Ardennes where the under 23 national team was present. I had the chance to speak with Mario ScireaHe saw me in excellent condition and above all growing. I had been stopped for ten days for a flu that had hit me about two weeks before.
How did you receive this call to the national team?
Means Gianluca Bortolami who is a bit like my cycling father and knows it very well Welcome who made me this proposal. After that I found myself one morning with a message from the technical commissioner He asked me how I'd fared in the Ardennes and that he was, in fact, inviting me. I immediately replied that there was no reason not to say yes. I couldn't wait to wear the senior national team jersey and make my professional debut.
Did you expect that?
I was actually supposed to make my professional debut at Volta Limburg Classic with the WorldTour teamHowever, having been sidelined for ten days with the flu, I had to postpone my debut. The team was very pleased with the national team's interest and thus also had the opportunity to see me debut among the seniors.
Did you feel physically ready?
Mine condition was growingI'd been riding well in the Ardennes for a week. I'd already been talking about it with my trainer, and he told me my numbers were improving, and I was actually feeling better and better.
How exciting was it to get there among the pros?
Of course, racing among professionals is always exciting and in the days before the fact of going to sleep in the same hotel as Viviani It was a different kind of feeling. For a guy who just turned 19, it's something special. Plus, I hadn't run in Italy since last year. Add to that the fact that I was out the day before wearing my national team jersey, surrounded by people who were watching you and maybe even coming up curiously to chat. It was all special, and it's... a world that I honestly have yet to get to know.
Did you already know Viviani?
Yes. We're both very active on the track. He obviously has a different kind of results than me (laughs, ed.). Elia is a guy I honestly can't describe. To say that he is a formidable athlete is an understatement, because he is also a person with a good heart.For example, when we were walking around the city center, they must have stopped him 10 times for photos and he stopped to take them all with a smile.
As a national team, you were mostly young, except for Elia. What kind of captain was he?
He gave us a sense of calm and security and was our guiding light. In the pre-race meeting, he was very active and you could see he wanted to teach us. We also we were even more eager to learn from such an athlete and person. Among other things, there was also Marco VillaHe paints me a bit like a little heir and seeing us in action thrilled Marco first and foremost. I know I have a lot to learn from Elijah. and I'm happy to have the opportunity to do so.
Did you share any pre-race emotions with your teammates?
We all more or less knew each other already. I had already run with people my age, for example with Andrea Raccagni Noviero who rides for the Soudal-Quick-Step Devo Team, we joked about when we met as kids, and now we're wearing the senior national team jersey together. This brought a smile and a few jokes to both of us.
Let's get to the race. Were you able to stay focused?
I may have done a little influenced by the atmosphere that was thereI thought Reggio Calabria was a large city, but not a metropolitan city. Racing among the pros, fighting for the win, in a city of almost 200.000 people who stopped to see you is something crazy.I didn't expect it. Seeing all that crowd probably didn't work in my favor because I felt a lot of responsibilityThere were really a lot of people. Emotion got the better of me a bit.
A seventh-place finish in your first professional race. Tell us about your feelings during the race…
I felt really good. I knew I'd give it my all. Mentally, I have to say I paid the price for my inexperience. I was playing for a victory, I let the crowd influence me and I was doing that extra push that wasn't necessary. Not being used to a pro race finish, which is obviously different from the junior one, I was influenced more by the mental aspect than by the physical one because I was really well. All an experience that will certainly benefit me.
So if you could go back, would you take a few fewer shots and have a different ending?
Yes, exactly. I remember that in the last 10 kilometers, in the middle of the crowd, I was shaking with emotion and I said to myself: "I'm living a dream, I'm among the professionals and I'm playing for a victory." But I know it's better to make mistakes now that I'm 19 than to make them in the near future when I'll have to give my best. It was obvious that I would make these mistakes., but it's true that they are all part of the baggage of experiences that I am building.
Have you noticed any differences in your racing between your first races with the Jumbo-Visma Development Team and this one?
Running with the Jumbo we are used to controlling the race and always being in the first positions of the group, talk to your companions on the radio and go to the flagship. These are all things you don't know how to do coming from the junior world, but growing up in this team they immediately taught me and passed them on to me. From that point of view, I was already quite prepared.
What are you doing now?
I stay home for a few days, then I go on retreat with the team and from there I resume training in a more continuous and demanding manner. In general we alternate periods in which we do a lot of competitions with periods in which we recover and we train.
Next goals?
I hope that Marino Amadori Please consider me for some stage races abroad because I really want to wear the blue jersey. I'll be making my debut with the WT team soon, it should be in May. After that My goal is to do well at the Paris-Roubaix Espoirs. A bit to redeem what happened to the senior team this year. We Jumbo boys believe in it and want to bring a yellow jersey on the top step of the podiumWe'll see after that. I have a running program, but we'd rather adapt it and see how the season evolves based on my performance.
