CAMERON HIGHLANDS (Malaysia) – From the zoo to the strawberries. From the equatorial forest to the mountains. And finally, the humidity is loosening its grip. This is probably what gave wings to Thomas Pesenti, good at integrating himself among the WorldTour athletes.
The difference between the plains and this mountain at 1.620 meters above sea level is all there. And it's not a small one. The rest of the area is covered in palm trees and dense forest, just like down below, but also with abundant flower and strawberry fields. Climbing up here we saw hectares of greenhouses dotting the forest itself with white. And around these greenhouses remote villages.
The cork of the Tour of Langkawi goes to Max Poole, Englishman, born in 2003, who won as the favorite. And it wasn't easy because the climb was really fast, so more than a few fit people, even non-climbers, could have had their say. We also rode it in the press vans, and, aside from a couple of dents, it was a 54 fixed gear.
JCL again
The Tour de Langkawi is consecrating the boys of Manuel BoaroYesterday first malucelli, Pesenti third today. JCL Team UKYO in great shape, in short.
«Things that happen when you work well and with serenity – explains the young sporting director – and then the boys are happy, motivated… They are satisfied with the materials, Some of which we buy ourselves and don't take because maybe that sponsor gives us a little extra money. In cycling today, this aspect is very important."
In addition to Pesenti, he also did well John Carboni, Despite yesterday's crash, he finished sixth, dueling with Max Poole, Harold Lopez, and Anthon Charmig. In short, the best riders in the race. Coincidentally, WorldTour riders.
Podium heavyweights
After the finish, the usual scenes we see everywhere take place, with riders immediately seeking relief from the masseur. The only difference from previous days is that this time no one passes under the firefighters' jet of water. It's cool here in Cameron Highlands.
«I didn't expect such a performance – says Pesenti while sipping from his water bottle – especially after the first day when I went on the run and the sensations were terrible. Maybe because I suffer a lot from the humidity. And in fact, even this morning, for the first 100 kilometers, I wasn't feeling particularly good; the heat was still making me suffer. We weren't going fast, and it was also a bit boring, to be honest. There was a lot of chatter.
«Things changed in the last 40 kilometers and, thanks also to greater concentration, time passed more quickly. La Dsm-Firmenich , EF Education they started pulling hard. And when we started to gain altitude, I felt a bit of a coolness, the humidity dropped and I immediately felt comfortable."
When these situations arise, the rider changes his mindset from one pedal stroke to the next. In a second, he gains confidence and realizes he can stay ahead.
"The last climb," the Emilian continues, "we rode at a truly exaggerated pace. In the last 8 kilometers, DSM and EF took it even more head-on. I was on the edge, on the edge between breaking away and holding on. I thought there were 20-30 riders left, but instead there were only a dozen of us. at the sprint."
Thomas striker
And here, perhaps, there's a hint of regret. When we ask him about his skills after the awards ceremony, Pesenti says he's a filer. Malucelli, who's behind us, hears the question and replies, "He files more than I do!"
«Really – Pesenti continues – I'm a rider who likes to attack, who knows how to stay covered, who is good on hilly routes and who is also quite fast. And in fact – he pauses briefly – I may have lost this sprint. I took it a little too far in front and in the end they passed me. From behind they managed to get ahead of me… but that's fine. Third place here is no small feat."
It's always better to have lost by being too proactive than by giving up.
«No, no… I dared. Now there are other stages to try and gain a few seconds: I think that from here on the general classification will depend a bit on the intermediate sprints. Sprints are becoming important now. I imagine the race will also change a bit. My tactic on the first day was to get ahead of the curve and gain extra seconds at the intermediate finish lines, but I only managed one, partly due to my situation with the humidity.
A complicated past
Thomas Pesenti was born in 1999: he's young, but not very young. He's already been through a lot in his career.
When it was supposed to pass with Androni, Savio's team failed. He stayed in the amateurs and lived for a couple of years on the promises of those who were supposed to sign him, and then he was left stranded. And in some other cases, Pesenti himself told us, he had a hand in it. He hasn't always lived the life of a rider to perfection, as they say in the trade. But that's also normal in certain situations.
Then he landed in a team, JCL Ukyo, where the environment was positive and he flourished again.
«This season has just been quite positive – says Pesenti – I had some great races and for this I thank my team because they gave me some wonderful experiences. Experiences that I wouldn't have been able to have if I had stayed in Italy. After Langkawi, I'll have a couple more races in Japan, including the Japan Cup."
Present and future
The feeling, given the esteem we've gathered among various sports directors, is that this boy still has room for improvement and significant ambitions ahead.
"This team's plan," says Pesenti, "is clear: they want to go to the Tour, gradually growing in size. The starting point seems more than excellent to me. Bikes, staff, high-level races: we have everything at our disposal. Not every continental team can make trips like this."
Pesenti has important ambitions: «For my part, I want to continue growing and improving. If I do my best, maybe the opportunity of a lifetime will come along.».
And who knows, maybe the opportunity will come right here. Since the race will now be decided on time bonuses, as new leader Max Pool also said, and since Pesenti is fast and a fine rider, perhaps he'll be able to take advantage of it. And why not, Malucelli himself could help him. It remains to be seen. The future also lies here.
