Pozzovivo's message arrives after we've been trying to speak to him for a couple of days. "It's been a logistically complicated couple of days," he writes. around for bike fitting and wind tunnel testing, always based on Etna».
There are six days left until the start of the Giro d'Italia. Domenico entered the season on March 21st at Coppi and Bartali Week, having to carry out all those operations that are normally carried out in the winter. The end of the relationship with the Intermarché it did not leave him indifferent, but as the great professional he has always been, he rolled up his sleeves and tried to reconcile training, racing and the search for the best position.
«But I have to admit – he explains – that al Tour of the Alps Unfortunately I didn't have any great sensationsSo I tried to take some countermeasures, let's see if I can restart as I'd like. It might not go as well as I'd hoped, I didn't have any great references, given that until recently I'd been at high altitude. Usually, I just had to descend and be fine. But this time, there wasn't the change I'd imagined. I was 12 riders behind...».
Why are we still chasing the position so close to the start of the Giro?
I wanted to get back to work after the Coppi e Bartali, to get back to my previous position. I definitely made a mistake and so I went back a bit on my choices.It's part of cycling these days. If you don't push yourself to the limit, you can't keep up. As with training, you are always at risk of overtraining.You really have to reach the limit, whereas once you were satisfied with values that were sufficient to be at a certain level.
Why the wind tunnel?
The one for the time trial position. I hadn't done anything yet, I had taken the bike in hand at Coppi and Bartali and I needed a work baseWe were in Gorizia, and I liked the work we did. The only complicated thing was the logistics, which were a bit too tight. If there had been an accident on the Venice-Trieste highway, everything would have been ruined. And in the middle, to make sure we don't miss anything and waste another 15 minutes, I had a doping control, up there in the tunnelThen I took the last ride of the day to the airport on the time trial bike…
In fact, this year you've been a little too long with your contract...
In fact, from February onwards my head was filled with worries. Unfortunately, I'm not one who can turn off my brain., so anyway I worked and thought about all the difficulties, the leg pains and back pains that would come from changing bikes.
How do you feel about the new bike?
I drive it quite well, it depends on the wheels. Strangely, I'm better with the high profile ones than with the medium ones. The 45s are better than the 30s.. Otherwise it's a nice bike. With the Factor I had already raced in 2017 at the Ag2R and I can say that it is a different bike compared to then.
Last year you were left without a team because Qhubeka closed down. How did you feel when Intermarché didn't keep you?
I was quite disappointed, because I think I had achieved what I had promised and maybe even more.I expected different treatment, but I don't need these reasons to be more aggressive in the race. I have motivation within me, I don't need to look for it outside.
Last year at the end of the Giro we talked about the desire to finally do the perfect Giro…
But this year I think we're ruling it out a priori. I believe that the right conditions will eventually arrive for Lombardy (laughs with a hint of melancholy, ed.) And we'll have to figure out what program I'll have after the Giro. We won't be doing the Vuelta, so we'll have to figure that out.
From what you say, apart from the racing periods, you spent the rest of your time at altitude…
I've been there a lot, like in other years. Teide, Etna and Val SenalesI was also lucky, because you're not guaranteed to find rooms by calling two weeks in advance. However, I managed this type of logistics well. In February I was on Teide, which was the card of desperation, thinking that maybe it was the last timeI was there without a team and I lived it halfway between a tourist and a rider, training and admiring the landscapes.
Have you had moments of despair?
It happened, especially if things weren't going well. On the bike I did what I had to do, but I happened to think that this time I wouldn't find a teamWhen you're a certain age, the question you ask yourself when you're in trouble is, "Why are you doing this?" "Stop, you're pathetic," you tell yourself, whereas perhaps when you're younger, you wouldn't. Difficult moments exist in all seasons and at all ages, the difference is the enthusiasm with which you face them.The recklessness of a young man is different from the motivation of someone who has been through many battles.
What is your goal for the Giro?
It would be hard not to declare that I want to rank. I have to get there with that mentality, to have more solid motivations.It's not the same as setting out on an adventure, just scraping by.
What answers will you seek this week? What are you missing?
To be as bright again as I was two weeks ago. I ran to the Tour of the AlpsI built up my speed while running. It's been a really intense five days, I've recovered well, and now I need a booster, if anything. What I want is to see through testing that we finally have it.A great Giro doesn't forgive you. Once upon a time, you grew and lost weight during the race. Now with the uphill finish on the third day, you have to get right to the point. So what I want is to regain my brilliance and chase away bad thoughts. I'll work some more, then I'll descend from Etna, I'll stop at the house in Cosenza. And then we'll go and see the Tour of Italy...
