It was supposed to be at Tour de Suisse left just yesterday and instead in the roster of the XDS-Astana Harold Martin Lopez was not there. We were eagerly awaiting the Ecuadorian's return to the WorldTour after many months in which he had improved so much. Why? We asked Mario Manzoni, one of the Kazakh team's sporting directors. Of course, the Lombard coach told us more.
But first it is worth remembering something about Harold Martin LopezThis season the 25-year-old has confirmed himself as a solid and powerful climber and if two athletes of the experience of Diego Ulissi e Fausto Masnada they expressed words of appreciation for him, that must mean something. He won two stage races, Greece e Hungary, and finished second to Tour of TürkiyeHowever, he has hardly competed at all in the WorldTour: four days of racing in Australia on his debut (where he also retired due to a bad fall) and Catalunya, where he finished in 13th place.
Mario, has he had a great run this year? Harold Martin Lopez isn't "super young" considering these times...
But he got there a little slower. His numbers are impressive; he's a quality guy. He spent two years with us, in I have to team upWe believed in him and now he's proving to be a winner. He has some characteristics: he's strong on climbs and he's also, so to speak, fast. He's won two stage races and done very well in others. Yes, a nice step forward...
And did you expect such a dramatic success?
Let's say we were confident, but winning is always difficult. But we knew his values, his numbers, and... he had to come through.
When did you realize it could make this leap in quality?
It was a path planned by the team. If you've noticed, we tried to put him in non-WorldTour races, therefore at a lower level, knowing he could excel. Also because we, and we have always said it, needed points to save the team. So we analyzed the entire calendar and our riders: consequently, we put together the best lineups to be protagonists and bring home as many points as possible. So his leap is also the result of this planning.
But would he be ready to do (well) in WorldTour races, in your opinion?
In my opinion, yes, because last year he also showed something important. Sure, he wouldn't have gone to Switzerland to win, but he would have made himself seen on the climbs. The problem, and I'm going back to what I said before, is to decide whether to risk it for a placing or try to win the Qinghai Lake, since we are now also interested in the Chinese calendar.
With XDS, of course…
After Hungary, Martin returned to his home in Ecuador. He spent many days at high altitude in Quito and having him as the protagonist in China wouldn't be bad at all.
You said earlier that maybe he wouldn't win in Switzerland, but given how it's going uphill, could he afford to wait until he's going head-to-head with the big names, or could he win by breaking away from afar?
Well, we're talking about "riders" here, so in my opinion he still needs to take another step. Let's say he can afford to measure himself against the big names, to run the race alongside the big names and see how it goes. However, for now we have preferred to make an alternative calendar, also to have it at the top later on.
When do you think you'll be able to get him to make his WorldTour debut between now and the end of the year? We imagine the boy is eager to do so, too...
Of course he wants to and I tell you he will do the Return: to say we believe in it. Not only that, but he'll be riding San Sebastian and Burgos as a lead-up to the Vuelta. So, at the end of September, we'll really know if he's ready for this leap.
What do you think Mario still needs to improve on?
Given the two-man sprints he's done, and which he hasn't won, perhaps he needs to be a little more cunning in that sense. But in general, even Considering his young age, he already seems to me to be a thoughtful, confident man who knows what he wants. Maybe he could manage the final part of the race better, but we're very happy with him. From a technical and professional standpoint, there's always room for improvement, even at 30 years old.
Finale of the race: for reasons of coolness?
No, no, if anything almost the opposite: it's very quiet. SIt's really a matter, as I said before, of being a little more cunning.
You said he'll do the Vuelta: could he be the surprise package? Clearly not for the win, but for a top 10 finish?
In these cases there is always something to do decide in advance what to do: ranking or stages? This assessment must also be made based on the individual rider. Should we keep him out of the stress of trying to get into the standings and aim for the stages, or should we keep him there? It remains to be seen.
Knowing him, what do you think he would want?
In my opinion he would like to rank, But it also depends on how we approach it. We already know the numbers, we know what's needed, so based on that, we'll decide which tactics to implement.
Chrono chapter: how are we doing?
Reserve question! Let's just say he has room for improvement, so he'll need to make some progress in this specialty too, especially if he wants to aim for the rankings. I think that little by little we will understand which path will be best for him. All in all, we're not in such a rush.
