Sam Welsford has burned the stages. After victories at the Vuelta a San Juan, his coaches had pricked up their ears, even if in the words of Roy Curvers that prepares it, the enthusiasm was equal to the caution. Then the work moved forward. The Australian (at the top of the photo by Patrick Brunt) won the GP Criquielion and achieved podium finishes in all the sprint classics. At that point the plan has changed and the track cyclist from the Australian Subiaco, 1,80m tall and weighing 79kg, has been lined up at the Tour de France.
The Surprise Tour
The starting problem is that until 2021, Welsford was “just” a track rider, with two Olympic medals, four world titles between quartets and scratch and two golds at the Commonwealth Games. But when the DSM Team he suggested that they go by road, and he gladly accepted. His first road season in 2022 included 56 days of racing, one win, and a few placings. This year, his second season, yielded much more solid results.
“What happened since the first races of the year,” he said in a video call, “has been crazy, if I think about it, unpredictable. In a short time I was offered many opportunities as a top sprinter and for me continuing at this level has been very helpful. The Tour was a surpriseAt some point in the spring, the team told me that it could be an option, that we could have gone with a team for the sprints and I could have been the sprinter. Up until that point, we had worked tirelessly to build a train. We demonstrated this during the spring, even in the classics. We've had a really good start to the season with good consistency. And that’s one of the reasons I was selected.”
What do you mean?
It's changed a lot. It probably has something to do with it. the way we worked, preparation is an important factor. But I think above all about the fact that We worked consistently as a team throughout the sprints, with very high levels of communication. It's important to be able to stay together and work in the same direction. Being consistently on the podium is not easy.In recent months we have seen many different winners, always being there at a high level is not easy and it is a good sign of how we are working and how I am growing.
Will you have a train here at the Tour?
Yes, I will have you by my side John Degenkolb, Nils Eekoff and Alex Edmondson as the last three men to launch the sprint. They're really incredible guys for the work they do. John has been around for many years, so it's really nice to have his direction and experience as a sprinter and as a last man. I'm really happy with these guys. They've put in so many hours of work with me throughout the year, especially with Alex, who's always been part of my team.
Will the ranking men lend a hand?
They can do a great job too. On some occasions, Bardet also shot a lotI'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do, and the same goes for Kevin Vermarke. He's been part of my train since San JuanHe moved well in the final 500 meters despite being a climber for the general classification. It confirms the great culture of this team. We can have mutual help between the GC men and the sprint men, to achieve success on both fronts.
So you will help the climbers in the mountain stages?
It's a two-way job. We'll try to help them in the mountain stages. We can guide them well through the group. so that they can take the climbs ahead and then do their job.
Have you already studied the final stages of the fast stages?
In this cycling, you have to study the finishes meter by meter. We did it with VeloViewer and then with the race book. You have to study the best way to interpret them, because you have no way of seeing them, it's not like doing laps of a circuit. You only get one chance, so you need to be sure which side of the road you're going to take., when you start to climb the group, when you think it will open up. It takes timing and experience to handle situations where you're going 65-70 miles an hour. There isn't much time to make decisions, so the more you plan in the days leading up to it, the better prepared you will be to make the right choices.
You've already experienced important eve events. What was your approach to the Tour de France?
I have experienced many great events on the track and I think that they should all be treated equally. The Tour is probably the most important race of the year, but there are the same riders as every dayIt's always the same terrain, but not the same level, because everything here is crazy. There are 160 riders all at the top and this adds another element of tensionThis is why it's important to take it day by day. If you start looking too far ahead and think you'll only have one sprint in the next 10 days, you risk getting caught up in the importance of the event. If, on the other hand, you think stage by stage, Every day you will look for the way to cross the finish line in the best possible way.
Did you watch the Tour when you were little?
It was and still is the race I dreamed of doing. I watched it as a child and I remember admiring it Cavendish and Mark Renshaw when they raced and won together. I always said that one day I wanted to be there and win too, but over time I realized how difficult it was to get there.
You did it in the year when Cavendish will try to beat Merckx's record with Renshaw directing…
I'm a fan of his, I really want him to succeed. It will be fantastic for the sport and for him. It's his last year, people want him to break the record and I'm really curious and excited about the possibility of it being possible. At the same time, Mark is a rival and I will do everything to beat him. So, if I don't win, I'd be happy for him to. I think he was the best sprinter of all time, so being alongside him in this final Tour will be an honor.
