When Pidcock came to eat up the Giro d'Italia

When Pidcock ate the Giro d'Italia for the under 23s in 2020, behind him, eating dust and toil, there was also Giovanni Aleotti with the black and white shirt of Cycling Team FriuliAlthough the Giro had become his best fallback option after the cancellation (due to Covid) of the Tour de l'Avenir, he never imagined that that Englishman with the slightly… crazy look (in the opening photo, Scanferla) would slap them all.

«I knew who Pidcock was – says the Emilian – I had seen him fleetingly in the juniors and in 2019 at the Tour de l'Avenir where I came secondHe was also leading the standings, but right on the Privas stage where I took the leader's jersey, he had a very bad fall. We were on a slightly wet descent and he was going really fast, then he fell and went down on his face.I saw him again at the World Championships in Harrogate, where he finished behind Battistella and Bissegger."

Back to work

It's eight o'clock on a chilly evening in Emilia. The morning has been spent with a thousand commitments, so Giovanni managed to train late, taking advantage of the hottest hours, and now he has just left the gym, having started his training with the attitude of someone who wants to do well right away. He's still unsure of his plans for next season, so we asked him to comment on Pidcock's comments, who is intent on finishing in the Giro d'Italia.

Can someone who dominates the U23 Giro like this and then goes so fast in his first year really rank in the Giro dei grandi?

In 2020 he was very strong, winning three stages. My Giro was a bit of a catch-up. We had worked to get to the top at the end of July, wanting to try the assault on the Avenir, to improve on the second place from the previous year. Instead, at the last minute they cancelled it and so I found myself with a three-week gap, inventing the two victories of Extra Giro and looking for a way to get in shape for the Giro d'ItaliaHe, on the other hand, was incredibly fit, and we've seen him go strong again this year. He almost won the Amstel, he won the Brabant. He's certainly not talking nonsense.

What do you remember about Pidcock?

He immediately lost some teammates in a fall, but he still had two young riders with him, who I saw again at the 2021 Giro and who went strong again. He just had to take him to the front on the climbs and then he would do the rest.In the stages he won, he always moved towards the end.

He was always alone, rarely seen bonding with the group…

Among the under 23s it's different. You come from abroad in a race full of Italian riders and teams, you don't know anyone. Among professionals, it's not like that. After you've been doing stage races around for a while, transversal friendships are created. In the under the environment is completely different.

Impossible to forget his domination on the Mortirolo.

That day I had no legs and I had confirmation that I don't perform at my best on extreme slopes. Then we went down and on the way back towards Aprica I also went to pick up Colleoni who was in front. Surely being so light on the Mortirolo was an advantage. And then I remember that He rides the bike really well, definitely because of cross and mountain biking.

In his first year as a pro he won and surprised: was it predictable?

I wasn't surprised, not me. In this cycling where you can see numbers already in the first years, someone like him fits in very well.From here to saying that he can aim for the Giro is a long step, but for example this year Evenepoel has been very strong.

But at a certain point he too paid…

I dare you, he was returning to racing after almost a year and after that bad accident. It's already done a lot to go the way it was goingPidcock did the Vuelta after the Olympics, but you could see he was in decline and in any case the team before him had Yates and Bernal. The team will also be decisive for the Giro. Ineos is spoiled for choice…