Stories of national championships and strange intersections. Tomorrow at the finish line in Sesto Fiorentino we will know Velasco's successor, while in Belgium it will be Zottegem that will greet Evenepoel's heir.Stories of national championships and strange encounters. Last year, at the finish line in Comano Terme, right behind Velasco and Lorenzo Rota, Kristian Sbaragli achieved his best result in recent months: third. Then he participated in the Glasgow World Cup and after four years of honorable service he discovered he had to find a team. La Alpecin-Deceuninck he wouldn't have kept it and he thus landed at Team Corratec: tomorrow's Italian championship could be the way to appear on a more prestigious stage.
At the same time in Belgium two of his former teammates from Alpecin will find themselves facing each other after a week of slaps given and received at the Baloise Belgium Tour. Merlier and Philipsen, two stages for the first and one for the second, keeping alive a rivalry that began when they already shared a jersey and an employer. Who better than Sbaragli to guide us through this tangle of stories and names? A curious case for a tricolor that will be decided on the streets of Tuscany, the number one favourite will be one of his best friends – Alberto Bettiol – with whom he has shared training and dreams for a long time (the two are together in the opening photo at the Grosser Preis des Kantons Aargau, won on June 7 by Van Gils with Bettiol in second place).
Kristian recently returned from training. Tomorrow (today, for those reading this) he'll just do a quick run and then wait for the race. Over Tuscany, as in Grosseto for the time trials, a heavy, gray sky hangs over him, smelling of heat, even if The forecast for Sunday also gives the possibility of rain.
How did you get to the Italian championship?
In a little different way, because not having done the Giro, maybe there is a little less base. But I have done several races, as a period in general I worked well enough to be competitive in the Italian championship, which is an important goal of the season.
Does knowing the roads and running close to home give you any advantages?
In the end, it really doesn't matter. I think everyone will have seen the roads: those who have already run the Per Sempre Alfredo know the climbs and descents. We'll do five laps of the circuit, they'll have time to get the hang of it, it's not a road race where you can invent somethingOf course, running close to home is an extra incentive; it's the first Italian championship I've ever run in Tuscany.
Could learning Italian well be a way to turn your career around and revitalize it?
Definitely. I think objectively there are many riders who are going strong, who perhaps are more favored than us at the start. But we will do our best and the goal is always the same.: it is an important goal.
The strange thing is that one of the favorites could be your "good friend" Bettiol...
In the end, if you look at the results and the current condition of the riders, I think Alberto is the number one favorite on paperHe'll have a good run, so we'll draw a line under it on Sunday night and see how it goes.
In past years you rode in the classics, the Giro or the Tour: what do you think of this season away from the limelight?
It's a little different. It's a more relaxed environment, there's less stress regarding the result itself. As with all things, there are positive sides and slightly more negative sides.. Not being invited to the Giro d'Italia It was a disappointment that changed the plans in the first part of the season. I found myself doing races I didn't know about, but in terms of performance I'm quite satisfied, even if in terms of results we haven't achieved much. However there's still a good chunk of the season left, so I think there is a chance to make amends.
What about your former colleagues, though: did they get along well when they ran together?
Let's say that there was internal rivalry at the 2021 TourWe were there with a team for the sprints, even if we then kept the yellow jersey for the first week with MathieuIt seems to me that Merlier won the first sprint and Philipsen finished secondJasper is six years younger and had yet to become what he is today. For us the reference sprinter was Tim and so objectively there was a bit of healthy rivalry.
Was Philipsen Merler's last man?
He was a winner, perhaps that role was too tight for himWhen Tim won the first sprint, the roles remained the same, until Merlier ran out of time and had to return home. So in the second part of the Tour it was Philipsen who did the sprintsHe made a couple of podiums (he finished third twice and then second in Paris behind Van Aert, ed.) and he didn't manage to win, in fact I remember he was a little disappointed. instead in 2022 he did well again and last year even more so.
So was it predictable that Merlier would leave in 2023?
Yes, objectively, even seen from the inside, it was a bit predictableIn any team, it's very difficult to keep two riders with the same characteristics. Perhaps if there's a climber or a sprinter, even if you don't have a huge budget, there's often an opportunity to keep them. Instead, two riders with the same characteristics are really a problemEven if it weren't a financial issue, it could become a scheduling issue, because ultimately, we were a team based on one-day races and stages. We didn't have any GC riders, so ultimately, those are the opportunities. And if you have two leaders, it is difficult for coexistence to be possible. So finally a decision was made.
They had a hell of a fight at the Tour of Belgium. Do you think there's a healthy rivalry between them or a bit of bitterness?
I don't think there's any bitterness, I think it's more of a nice rivalry. Especially because Tim is a really calm, peaceful person. It's hard to argue with him, he's really super relaxed and in any case he also proved to be competitive at the Giro d'Italia. and I'm happy for him too. He had the reputation of being unable to finish the Grand Tours, instead this year he won well at the beginning and he won well also the Rome stageI think it was a real satisfaction for him.
Could the fact that Philipsen is such a good friend of Van der Poel have influenced the choice?
Those are a little more personal things. I believe that choices are made 99 percent on the technical aspect and then on the rest. So I guess it was just a matter of evaluating what Jasper could bring to the team and In hindsight, I think they both benefited.So in the end, everyone's happy...
For the day before (today) a jog or a rest?
A little walk. An hour and a half, two at mostDon't worry. It's the day before the race, so there'll be time to work hard on Sunday.
