After Australia, silence. And thanks to the frenetic pace of the season that has just begun, We had lost track of Mattia Cattaneo a bitThe photos showed him going upstream between Catalunya and the Tour of the Basque Country and then on the route of the Tour, as support for evenepoel. Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that the little captain will be busy in Liège, We asked the Bergamo native to take stock of his situation and that of the team, the Soudal-Quick Step, which is transforming from a cobblestone battleship into a group for the Giro.
«Everything is fine now – he says – it took me a while to recover from the fall in Australia. I had a micro fracture in the tibial plateau which in itself was not so important, but a hematoma had formed inside the bone which was no longer reabsorbed and consequently caused a lot of pain. I couldn't pedal or even exert enough force to even think about training."
Will this mean you'll arrive at the Giro feeling fresher?
The first part of the season is all concentrated there, so it wouldn't be bad. The Giro is much more important for us this year than other times and I feel like I'm getting there quite well.I'm happy with my condition, but I don't know yet if they'll take me. The group will be finalized in the next few days.
Have you talked about the route?
A little, yes, but in the end it depends a lot on how the race goes. You can talk about it as much as you want, but maybe you imagine a situation and it goes the way On the contrary. Grand Tours in general are difficult to predict, because of the dynamics of the stages and the classification. You can make a prediction but in my opinion it's difficult to get it right.
Soudal-Quick Step used to be the cobblestone team, but now they're changing their ways. How do you feel about it?
I think it's clear to everyone now. This is becoming noticeable, and when this happens, it means that change is already underway. It's clear that the team is investing in this direction, but now it's up to us to make it work. The Classics have always been the key moment of our season, this year their place was taken by the Giro.
However, everyone is certain that Evenepoel will go to Liège and not just pass through.
From what I know of him, I think he also wants to make a great LiègeI don't know how he lives it, but if I were in his place, I wouldn't put on the brakes, but I would be aware that in those races there are sometimes a lot of risks, so I would keep my head a little further ahead. Maybe he'll win anyway, but I don't think it would be surprising if he were to fall a little behind in certain circumstances. We must always remember that he set up the whole first part of the season on the Giro, which starts 10 days after Liège. I think he'll race to win, but perhaps he'll have an extra eye.
Has your preparation changed, given the work that awaits you?
I worked as I did when I had to take advantage of opportunities. This time I worked to help Remco as best as I could.What matters is having the condition, then You can put a rider like me to sprint or to climb, without any big differences..
And will the time trials be done at half throttle or by trying?
It depends on what they tell me. For my part, I have never hidden that thetime trial is an important part of myselfIt's an aspect that I care a lot about, but we're talking about a big Giro, so certainly the time trial must not be to the detriment of the final objective.
What will you do in the days leading up to the Giro?
Training, recovery and eating right. What really mattered has already been done, now it's "just" a matter of maintaining and maybe improving a little on the brilliance. in the days immediately before. But without arriving tired. The two weeks before are mostly used to don't lose condition and arrive fresh and ready for the start of the Giro. Also because then you have to run for three weeks…
Is the working base broader than before?
It's the standard preparation for a major Giro. Now every year we do a little more because this is modern cycling and if you don't adapt, you fall away.
Is the weight okay or do you need to reach it?
I'm already fine, in the sense that I have to try to maintain what I have achievedHonestly, I've rarely been this thin, so I don't need to say that I still have another kilo to lose, nor that it's okay if I put one on. You'll have to live the life of an athlete, you can't afford to get to the point of cutting weight at the last minute., because you risk losing some strength too.
Do you feel the weight of responsibility on your shoulders?
Personally, I'm still like in other years, then maybe you arrive in Pescara and the environment affects you. At the moment I am calm and serene, then I must also say that I'm not exactly the most nervous person in the world, so maybe I'm not too reliable (laughs, ed.).
