VITORIA GASTEIZ – Gianni moscon it's the shadow of Mark Cavendish. Where the Englishman goes, the Trentino goes. Even during the first stage they rode together on the Pike. Cav in front, that is, in the rear but ahead of Gianni, taking the applause, and Moscon dangling on his wheel. But he wasn't dangling because he was tired, on the contrary...
After ithe Giro d'Italia We admit that we were a little surprised to see Gianni at the Tour de France. Yet at home Astana-Qazaqstan, from the sports director Stefano Zanini to the preparer Maurizio Mazzoleni, and in part up to Gianni himself they tell us that the yellow race was planned.
Zanini, now it's Gianni's turn
Moscon is coming off a season and a half that was, to say the least, troubled. After all, we've been writing about his struggles for a year now, about how he paid a heavy price for Covid, about how unlucky he was at the start of the season with a broken collarbone in Australia... but he's here.
«Gianni – says Zanini – He is an important rider for the team. What matters is that he is well and that can be unlocked, Maybe even win a stage. It would be a great thing for him, first and foremost. And for us, obviously."
Gianni “won” a sort of trial with other teammates to be deployed in France, a sign that his presence was not so obvious after all.
«The level – continues Zazà – is very high everywhere, but here at Tour there's always something extra and you have to get the riders in better condition – the reference is to the selection made in Astana for the available places – and so after the Italian championship we told him that he would come to the Tour».
For Cav first of all
The condition seems to be there, the talent is there, and so is the goal. Gianni came out of the Giro d'Italia well. He probably earned a large share of the Tour in Rome, in the final stage of the Giro, when he helped Cavendish a lot, and well. And Mark, who knows a thing or two, somehow forced him into it.
"Moscon was supposed to do the Giro and the Tour," Mazzoleni explained, "but it's not easy to pull off this combination, as everything has to go smoothly in the four weeks between one Giro and the next. Gianni had a few days of flu-related issues, but he recovered. He recovered a week after the Giro, had that issue, and then started training again. He didn't go to high altitude."
"How is he arriving at this Tour? I'd say he's in good shape. Initially, he'll have to support Mark, a job he did very well at the Giro d'Italia. Then we'll see how things go along the way. In teams we proceed by objectives and the minimum one is to stay close to Cavendish, then we'll see if he can go hunting for a stage.
«In general I say that It was very important that Gianni finished the Giro after the troubled year he had. That was the first step, now we need to add another and we are confident that he can do well in the role he has."
For the history
And then there's the person directly involved. Gianni Moscon speaks to us directly. He's now an adult and an experienced rider. His leg shape seems good to the outside eye, and so do his words. The words of someone who is acutely aware... that not everything is rosy, not even if you're at the Tour.
"Was it planned for you to be here? Let's say so," Gianni snorts a little, as if to say that perhaps he was expecting a different approach during the season. We're here with Mark and we're going to try to do something historic.
«True, in these first stages I escorted him and this is my role, at least for now. Then Maybe, along the way, I'll have some space for myself, but the main goal is to stay close to Cav. The ambitions are great and it rightly needs all the help it can get."
Gianni admits he came out of the Giro well. He also talks about those days with the flu: he had to take some antibiotics, but now he's fine. The heat and the consistent racing are finally getting him back on track.
"After the Italian," Moscon concluded, "I just did some light exercise; I felt tired. But here, I repeat, I feel good. It's not easy. Even mentally after what I've been through in recent seasons, but you must never give up. Some things you can only solve yourself. Unfortunately, I realize that sometimes it's difficult to be understood. And you don't always get help."
