6th place on Sunday at Grand Prix d'Isbergues, a classic of the French calendar, brings back to the fore Luca Mozzato of which the traces had been somewhat lost after the Tour of Italy. For the twenty-seven year old from Arzignano it is not an easy year, certainly different from last year which saw him as the protagonist to the point of putting his signature – and in a decisive way – on the Belgian classics with the victory in Koksijde and above all second place at the Tour of Flanders.
On the other hand, the Veneto knows that there are years that go a bit like this and the secret is to try to take all the positive things you can. Even a placing can have greater value in these cases, especially if, as in your case, it is a sign of recovery. And that result also allows him to take the small daily obstacles philosophically., on this occasion a day of training in the rain.
“We keep going despite everything,” he says, laughing as soon as the session is over, “even the rain. In this part of the season things are not going so well, but at least we have had some more satisfaction.Let's say that in the race I move better, even in the group, I've rediscovered my desire."
What happened that made you see racing a little differently?
I think it's all related to my condition, to feeling good. Finally, for a couple of months now, I've been feeling better on the bike too. Because At the beginning of the year I had some problems and I didn't perform as well as I had hoped.It was a real pain because I'd had a wonderful winter, perhaps the best I've ever run. But when I started running in Belgium, I crashed in one of the first races after the altitude and hurt my knee.
A serious injury?
Not really, but I carried it with me for about ten days, and at the height of the classics, for a rider like me it's a major obstacle. I tried to grit my teeth and see what I could do, but the pain in my knee turned into an infection. So the first part of the season was completely wasted because I couldn't express myself as I wanted and we tried to be present in the races anyway, but I wasn't able to perform and I kept getting more and more down, it had become a vicious circle.
When did the trend turn around?
I stopped in agreement with the team and we analyzed the situation. We decided to change plans and go to the Giro. Things started to work out, even though we didn't achieve excellent results in the Giro.But I was there anyway. After the Italian championship we turned the page, and in this second half of the season I recognize myself a little more.
In this difficult season, what do you think has been your best race so far?
Probably the Tour of Wallonia. When I came down from Livigno, I saw that my condition was improving. I placed a couple of times, and I was back to being competitive almost every day. The second day was important, I was coming from a rather difficult first part of the season, so the team decided to do the race for other riders.The tip was Rouland He finished third, but I still finished fifth, and I realized I could still play my cards. On the other days of the race, I was always in the thick of the action, and I realized that something had changed, that I could look to the future with more optimism. The stage had been quite challenging and winning the bunch sprint was the sign I was waiting for..
When did the contact with the Tudor?
They looked for me quite early. To me it immediately seemed like a project that seems to grow well, quickly and with great attention for the next few yearsWe found ourselves in harmony and even though this year has been a bit of a rough one, they decided to put their trust in me and so I hope I can repay them.
You are at thearkea, a WorldTour team while Tudor, at least officially, is still a professional team. Is this a step backwards?
I would say no, quite the opposite. At the moment I can only speak from hearsay or from what I see from the outside, but It seems that the whole structure that revolves around the team, including organization, performance, materials, is truly exceptional and there is everything to continue growing.
Have they already told you what your roles and what your chips to play on the team might be?
No, at the moment I think it's still early, we'll see at the first retreat, in the meetings where we'll have a draft calendar and a bit of an idea of how the season will go. The idea is to continue getting results, and I don't mean in the second-tier races. You may have both a personal opportunity and a need to lend a hand.
So you're wrapping up with your team. How do you feel about having to take stock?
These have been three years that, overall, have been very satisfying and also enjoyable to spend. I arrived at Arkea in a somewhat adventurous way through the closure of the B&B and for this I can only thank them Because they gave me the opportunity to compete in the top division, to take part in the most beautiful races. I think I've repaid them with my utmost commitment, always, but also with some great results.
