At 36, Fabio Sabatini he says enough, ending a pro career that lasted 16 years. If you look at his track record, the numbers say there isn't even one victory, but numbers sometimes lie, because the Tuscan's successes have been so many. They are the victories of its captains, of the sprinters who have launched it towards the finish line after year, becoming the one who, together with the Dane MorkovHe is considered the greatest "last man standing" in recent cycling history. He has often crossed the finish line with his arms raised, because those victories were his too.
His figure in the group will be missed and retracing his history we understand how through him the role of last man has become a cornerstone of sprints, but also something that the frenzy of current cycling is devouring, like so much else, in the frantic search for the young champion, the new pogacar o evenepoel, forgetting that this sport is made up of many other things.
Let's start with Milram…
Our chat starts from the now distant 2006 and from his arrival at Milram, a Professional team in which Sabatini found himself with a particular neighbor, Alessandro Petaks: «He is from Montecatini Terme, I am in Camaiore, we were a stone's throw away so we trained together. I started my apprenticeship with him and with Ongarato, Bags, Velo, Zabel we built one of the first large sprint trains. At the time I was, so to speak, the first carriage, but I learned a lot, little by little, race after race. I understood that sprints are a very delicate mechanism, where there are a thousand interlocking parts that must work."
No one better than you can explain what it means to be the last man…
You have to understand so many things, always be careful: There are variables that influence every sprint, such as where the wind blows or the trajectories chosen by the group.You have to study the roads down to the smallest detail: today there's Google Maps, there's technology that helps, before you had to see them with your own eyes. I remember that at the Vuelta we sent the press officer Agostini to view the last kilometers, he who had been a cyclist and told us the road in detail, bend after bend, how to take the trajectories, where to close one's portion and so on.
Let's retrace your career through the sprinters you've coached. Let's start with Petacchi...
Alessandro is an older brother. I learned a lot from him; suffice it to say that he even hosted me in his home for two years. He taught me so much, explaining sprinting to me in detail. He was the ideal mentor, the one that unfortunately many young people who are now professional no longer want to have, no longer listen to...
Daniele Bennati wants to talk about his time at Liquigas.
With him I really started to be the last man. With Benna the communication was continuous, he told us when to leave, when to wait and this participation was total, I really felt part of his victories because it was the completion of a sprint done well.
Then came Cannondale and Peter Sagan…
Great Peter, a true tightrope walker. The job with him was different: it wasn't so much about giving him a sprint, but rather putting him in a good position to start. It might happen that you couldn't find it right next to you and had to go get it. But in the end, the result would come...
You also worked for Mark Cavendish…
There haven't been many sprints where we've worked together, moreover Even then, Morkov was the man who was supposed to throw it last. However, it was a useful experience and we remained on good terms.
Then two years with Marcel Kittel…
With him we worked with power, I took it from 400 to 200 meters, but the sprint started already before the 2 kilometersnali. I got along well with him even though our relationship was very professional.
Finally Viviani arrived, at Deceuninck and then to the Cofidis.
It was the fulfillment of my work: Elia and I have a deep friendship, made of joys and sorrows, nights spent talking, sharing everything.When you spend more than 100 days traveling the world, a deep bond is created. Our sprints have always been special; we had a common word. When I heard it, it meant I had to launch him at full speed, or that he was breaking away and needed to be recovered. That's why his victories brought me enormous joy.
Let's put it all together: what spirit do you close with?
Without regrets, I think I was good at understanding that I could perhaps win some races, find different spaces in small teams, but I wanted the best and I could have given much more in that specific role. I've always kept my feet on the ground, aware of my role and happy with what I've done.
Is it a question of young people's approach?
Not only. Everyone only looks at the data, what the trainers say, and based on that they decide whether to let you race or not, But we forget that running improves your condition for the next one, and that even unconsciously, in training you'll never give that "extra" that comes naturally in a race. Numbers don't tell the whole story.
What will sprints of the future be like?
I say that soon the trains will no longer exist. I wasn't at the last Tour and we often watched the stages with Cipollini, we agreed that in the end it was all a mess, many sprints saw the sprinters make a thousand mistakes. Cavendish won so much precisely because he had an exceptional team, but who will replace those people, the Morkovs or the Sabatinis of the situation? For example, I tried to teach Simone a lot. agree, would be a great last man.
In short, what does it take to be “the last car on the train”?
First of all, you have to gain experience over time, and you need a lot of it. That experience will allow you to improvise when you're in a s...t. because things rarely go exactly the way you want them to. and you have to decide in a few seconds what to do, knowing that your teammate's sprint and possible victory depend on you.
What will Fabio Sabatini do now?
I don't know, in the meantime I'm thinking of taking the 1st level in Florence, near my home, for a future as a sports director. What is certain is that I will not give up cycling…
