For Luca Vergallito The first season in the WorldTour gets more demanding with each passing day. First the Australian trip, then the other stage races until the Paris-Nice, where with his 36th place he was the third Italian in the ranking after Cattaneo e BattistellaFor the Milanese, the impact with the French race was hard, because we are not talking about a stage race like the others, it is the ideal traffic divider between the many on the calendar and the three major Tours.
Back home and waiting to get back on the road in a few weeks (the Tour of the Basque Country awaits him in early April before heading to the Ardennes Classics), Vergallito takes stock without focusing on the last race.
"I started immediately in Australia, getting a taste of the top circuit," explains the Milanese. "Then I did the first European stage races, but they're not the same thing. There, even at opposite ends of the spectrum, you find WorldTour teams, but also Professional and Continental teams. At Paris-Nice everything changes: there are the top teams, only a few other teams by invitation, you can see that the level is higher».
How did you notice that?
The start list said from the start that All the teams brought the big guns and in the race you feel it, you experience itThere's a lot more tension in the group, the pace is higher, everyone's trying to stand out. Then there's one factor that stands out: the length—there are eight stages, which is different compared to other multi-day races. Once the race is over, you feel in your legs that it's different from all the others.
How did you experience it?
It was pretty calm because the team didn't put any pressure on me, nor did I. I knew it was a different kind of commitment than usual, a longer race with top-quality competition. It's clear that inside you always feel the desire to get to the top, to achieve results, but you don't get there overnight.
What were your duties?
Initially the whole team was devoted to supporting Kaden Groves For the sprints, then in the third stage, a team time trial, we knew we were at a disadvantage compared to the other teams. We're not specialized and could only defend ourselves. The fourth stage was perhaps the toughest: I was in the first group, but when Gaudu fell I lost contact with the first ones And I couldn't recover. Then I continued at pretty much the same level. I didn't achieve exceptional results, but I'm satisfied because I think I learned more this week than in all the other races of the year.
What changes in a top-level race?
The tension is palpable. The tactical aspect of the race becomes essential, positioning in the race for every single kilometer. You really can't go wrong with anything.. The fact of having experienced all this, of having seen small improvements in my race conduct, I consider it a personal victory.
This is your first year on the senior team. At Paris-Nice, you also faced some big guns, including riders like Evenepoel and Roglic, two of those considered among the "Magnificent Five" who are changing modern cycling. What does it mean to race against them?
In this sense, Paris-Nice told me a lot. It's clear that they have something more both from a physical and tactical point of view.You see riders like that, and you see the others: 95 percent of them try to keep up, giving it their all, but then they make the difference. You don't see any ups and downs in them, or any clear signs of giving up. Regardless of their condition, they get results. But I also understood that with sacrifice, growing slowly you can get to compete: the victory of Jorgenson In this sense, it's a message of hope for me because even those who aren't blessed with pure talent can make it.
Now the Basque Country, the Classics, and the Romandie await you. The team seems to believe so strongly in you that they've almost completely exhausted your schedule...
It's true, and I know that in races like this, getting results is very difficult. But that's the only way to grow. giving your best and analyzing your mistakes, that's why I say the outcome of Paris-Nice was an inspiration. Alpecin Deceuninck It's not a team of climbers, so I have some space in the more difficult races, and I hope to gradually exploit it.
Everyone knows that you come from the experience of the Zwift Academy, where a few weeks ago Mattia Gaffuri He almost got the contract. You've been there, what advice do you have for him?
If he wants to become a professional he must persist, maintain relationships with the environment and hope for a stroke of luck. Logic dictates that anyone who, from a pool of tens of thousands around the world, makes it to the final, the ideal podium, should have a chance in this world, but it's unlikely that other teams will come after you. The reason is simple: the professional world is small, there's constant turnover; look at how many riders in last year's peloton were left without a contract... Even if he has talent – and he has plenty of it – that's not enough.I know it well: with Chiara Doni I knew he'd narrowly missed the final: I contacted everyone, and in the end, only a short internship at the end of the season turned out to be possible. Who knows, it could happen to him too; never give up.
