Remco Evenepoel he said he already had in mind the companions to bring with him to the Giro d'Italia. And in fact four, maybe five, men have already been chosen. Nibali, Instead, in the past he had told us that cycling has changed today and that not even a captain like him could demand all the men at his whim.
Training isn't easy. There are many balancing acts at play, often hidden from most people's eyes, including those related to sponsorship. But staying on a more technical level, Paolo Savoldelli he told us how it worked in his day. Paolo was a leader in stage races and also a top-notch domestique. He won "alone" and he won with his teammates.
Confidence in choices
At the time of So, how did Falco Bergamasco work? Could Salvoldelli have chosen his teammates?
«Usually – explains Savoldelli – The men who made up the team for a major Giro were chosen by the manager or sports director. They were the ones who created the lineup. But in this choice he had Obviously, the champion, one of those with a capital "C," had a certain weight. In this case, his opinion counted a lot.
«Then there was also the rider who could afford to be part of the team. For example, when I ran for Armstrong, already in the training camp in California at the beginning of the year, it was known which eight men would make the Tour de France with him. During the year, unexpected things could always happen and something would change. For example, one year Ekimov had a problem and didn't come to France. And the same thing happened with another boy. They were replaced, but... basically the team was made upstream.
«At Ullrich's T-Track, on the other hand, they put someone close to him right from the start, in the winter. Those three or four riders knew they would follow him to France, but the others didn't. They made them run, they saw who was good, who was strong and then they made their choice.
"But that's wrong because, ultimately, that rider is giving it his all to show off. He does more than he has to to earn his place, and at the crucial moment, he might not perform as well as he should. If you have faith in a person, you have to make a choice beforehand and have faith in him."
The loyalists
What Salvoldelli says is right. And in fact it is a bit like what the Jumbo Visma (and not only that). But it's also true, and you see it when there are important transfers, that a captain has his super-trusted teammates... who he takes with him when he changes sides. Not last carapaz to the EF Education With Amador. Trust is important, but not just from the management. Trust from your teammates is also important...
So maybe having at least 3-4 loyal followers can be useful to the leader.
«Having them is not unpleasant, it's clear – continues Savoldelli – but for example, when I did the Giro with Saeco the team was made more for Cipollini than for me. He was the strongest sprinter around and he needed the men, also because with him in the race all the work of the race ended up on his shoulders and therefore on his team. And that's more or less what happened when I won my first Giro with Alexia. Ivan Quaranta was on the team."
"When Instead, I did the stage races for the Discovery Channel, things were a little different. They had hired a couple of men especially for me. Two climbers, But then one of them had some problems and dropped out, so once again I found myself a bit alone. But I knew it in part. I was on Armstrong's team; the main goal was the Tour, and the strongest riders were going there. So I never had the chance to build a big team around me… Even though I would have liked to!
"And the most loyal supporter who makes the leader laugh in his room at night when things haven't gone well?" we ask the man from Bergamo. «I never really believed in the confidant – replies Paolo – I have always preferred men of substance rather than words."
Responsibility or stimulus?
«But a big team – continues Savoldelli – It is created for a champion who has proven himself many times to be truly strong. In the case of Remco he is the rising star. He's just over twenty, but he's already won a world championship, the Vuelta, and a lot of one-day races... and can afford to build a team."
So the champion counts for Savoldelli. We believe that the context in which that sample operates also matters. Remco Evenepoel has some room for maneuver because, in addition to being extremely strong, he's Belgian on a Belgian team, with Belgian sponsors and a Belgian team manager. All of this certainly gives him strength. The two therefore go hand in hand.
However, this is not always an advantage. There's also a sense of pressure, especially if the leader also chooses the men. It's as if he's burdened himself with additional responsibilities. And he has to demonstrate that the choices he's made are the right ones, even for those left behind.
«I – Savoldelli continues – I think all this is more of a motivation. The captain is under pressure regardless. Then, someone who builds a team obviously has all the responsibility, but that's normal. And, I repeat, he would have it anyway."
The weight of the super champion
Marco Pantani he was a pioneer, in modern cycling, of the all-team captain. Then the same thing happened with Armstrong: we ran for just one goal.
They also influenced the team's racing style. No one moved or broke away. Paolo himself, when he won the stage at the Tour, told us that he found himself in the breakaway almost by chance. And once inside the breakaway, he asked the team car if he should stop or continue. The situation for the Texan leader was calm and Salvoldelli got the green light. But it was a fluke. And perhaps also because the "gregarious" in question had just won his second Giro d'Italia...
Mario Traversoni, sprinter and companion of Pantani, he was brought to the Tour to obtain good placings in the initial sprints and to gain places in the classification so that the Mercatone Uno flagship was not too far behind, Since the car column reflects the overall classification, interventions would have been quicker if necessary.
«True – concludes Salvoldelli – But what names have we mentioned? We're talking about two champions here who provided spectacular performances and guaranteed success. When these were going strong, there was no one to stand against. And they could choose the men too.
"Is it feasible today for a rider to bang his fists on the table to get his men? Aside from super champions, I think a lot also depends on the leader's character."
