Matteo sobrero He closed his season with a final triumph. Important above all for his morale, but also to understand who he is and who he can be. The rider from Alba finished third in the Chrono of Nations, a direct descendant of the Trophy of Nations which, until the advent of the World Time Trial Championships, annually awarded the best time trial performer.
At Les Herbiers Sobrero was the author of a masterful performance, climbing onto the podium behind two top calibers of the specialty, the Swiss winner kung and the Norwegian world champion Foss and the gap was minimal, just 11” from the first.
Sobrero, eager like all his colleagues to put his bike aside for a while and focus on a well-deserved vacation, was surprised by his performance and especially by the small gap between him and his two rivals, the protagonists of the recent World Championships, where the gap between them and the Piedmontese had been much wider.
«It was actually a surprise – he confirms – but More than the placing, I was struck by the very small gapWe had spoken to Pinotti, who had already run the race and knew it well, the day before and he told me that If everything went well, I could have my say on that path.».
After all, just one month passed between the World Time Trial Championships and the race in France: what has changed in the meantime?
Going from a good 1'30" to just a few seconds, something evidently changed. Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't just an aspect related to the race venues or the routes, Maybe in Australia I wasn't in top form, especially in the individual race, while in France I felt really good.
What were the differences between the two events in terms of the route?
For me, the Australian one was faster. It's true that there was a steep climb to tackle twice, but otherwise it was pretty smooth. The French one was instead a typical route of those parts, a continuous up and downI express myself better on these tracks where agility can emerge, the world championship course was all about power, with my 60 kilos I could do very little.
Did your opponents give their all in the race in your opinion?
I definitely think so. I spoke to them before the start: Foss was very keen on the fact that it was his first race wearing the rainbow jersey, while Kung, for his part, was relishing the chance to get his revenge and confirm last year's victory. The Swiss really cared a lot about it because the defeat in the World Cup still stung. It's clear that both physically and mentally, your strengths are what they are, but when you're fighting you bring out unexpected energy.
You know that the tradition at the Chrono des Nations has not always been favorable to the Italians, a podium is a rare thing…
He told me Pinotti, who had finished fourth. I know that Ganna One year I finished second, now I've finished third, and I'm even happier. I couldn't have finished my season any better.
What awaits you now?
A week in the heat, I don't know where yet and strictly without a bikeI did my last race on October 16th and I promised myself that I would don't pick it up again until at least November 16thThere is a need to recharge our batteries at all levels and a month of rest is more necessary than ever.
Don't you think the season was too long?
Looking closely, I wouldn't say so. Next year, we'll even start again in January, with the Australian races returning to the calendar. In my opinion, the long season is a false problem.: each rider has all the time in the world to choose their goals and adjust accordingly, taking their breaks, in this way everyone has their own space. For example, with the injury at the beginning of the season I had the opportunity to recover and make up for it. Of course this system is mentally tough, maybe at 42 we will all be watching the races on TV and we won't be able to do as Valverde...
