The Italian mountain bike champion joining the pros is already news, but what exactly is a training camp? During the final races of the season, teams have the opportunity to recruit trainees from among their rosters. The internship is a limited period of time, a month to be precise, during which a rider can show off and carve out a place for himself among the professionals for the following seasonWe had already heard Riccardo Lucca as far as this kind of experience goes, now We decided to ask Roberto Reverberi how this experience is managed from a managerial point of view.. La Bardiani CSF Faizanè, moreover, he had in his team, always as an intern, Juri Zanotti, Italian champion and European and world vice-champion of cross-country mountain biking. Talking with Juri and Roberto we sawI wanted to explore the reasons for this internship and what they expected from this experience..
Let's start with Reverberi
The Bardiani technician explains and it is clear that in light of the many training courses that have been taking place for years, the biker from Lecco is an exception.
«It had the aim of testing itself on the road – he explains – let's say that He wanted to see what his level was in this kind of competition.. He also raced on the road up to the Juniors, so these races were nothing new for him.We decided to take him on because one of the masseurs on his current team, the KTM Protek Electrosystem, worked with us until 2020."
Are you happy with the responses you've received so far?
The month spent together made us understand that the rider is there, has the ability to express itself at high power values for long periods (an hour and a half), which is the duration of cross country testsFrom this point of view it has an advantage over the others. What he lacks is the bottom, after three hours, which is a lot for him, he passes out, which is the difficulty he had on the Milan-Turin.
So should he do his winter preparation period on the road?
Juri He explained to me how in cross country they train a lot on the road also because they wouldn't be able to train their strength well otherwise.The initial idea was to have a double membership but Its aim is to maintain cross country as its main activity in view of Paris 2024, consequently it is not possible to express oneself in both disciplines to the best of one's ability.
Is there any difference compared to cyclocross?
If the comparison you intend to make is with Van Aert or Van Der Poel the difference is that they they do cyclocross mainly in winter. Consequently these two they don't take time away from road activity, which remains their main objective.Cross country, on the other hand, is run in the same period as road activity and this takes time away from both disciplines.In this way the athlete does not excel in either of the two and becomes neither fish nor fowl.
A word from the rider
Zanotti He was born in 1999 and raced on the road until 2017, then he switched to mountain biking and in 2020 he signed a two-year contract with the KTM Protek Dama. With three tricolours on the shoulders and silver in 2021 at both the European Championships in Novi Sad and the World Championships in Val di Sole, the idea of trying it on the road must have come to him while watching the exchange of disciplines among even more famous colleagues.
«We have seen how cycling has changed in recent years – he says - Multi-discipline is increasingly practiced and consequently I wanted to test my skills in professionalismIt was a source of pride for me and my family, but above all, I understood my level in this type of competition."
What level do you feel you're at?
The races were very competitive and the riders competing were among the top in the world.I did the Giro dell'Emilia, Milan-Turin and Coppa AgostoniI noticed that two-thirds of the way through the race I was running out of energy while they were opening up the throttle.Obviously I didn't expect to be competitive but it was a good test.
Which of these competitions was most useful to you?
I'd say Milan-Turin and the Agostoni CupThe first because I managed to get into the escape and the moment of the fans, with 50 minutes to go I understood how the professionals “play”. At Agostoni, however, I tested myself more on the climbs, on the circuit in Brianza the meters to climb followed one another without a break, I managed to complete two of the four planned laps well and I am satisfied.
Did you then take stock of the situation with Reverberi?
Yes, him too he was very curious about my feedback also because it was the first time he had a rider like me in his teamI was aware from a preparation point of view that I wasn't at the top, the last commitments of the cross country season were close to the first ones on the roadSince mountain biking was my main activity, I had been training a lot for strength and intensity in the short term. As he also said, what's missing is the cross-country skiing, which is mainly done in the winter. At the Milan-Turin, everyone was preparing for the Lombardy race. and the level was really high.
Speaking with Reverberi, we understood that your goal is Paris 2024 and to do well in your discipline: cross country.
True, Until Paris 2024, my main activity will remain on dirt roads. I won't abandon the road completely, but I'm not sure what to do yet.Let's say that the Olympics of Paris will be a bit of a turning point.
But aren't you at risk of missing the boat? In 2024, getting on the road at 25 won't be so easy.
For current cycling turning professional at 25 is late, it's also true that I come from a different world but still one of high-level races and competitions. From this point of view, the experience at Bardiani was very useful to me and I thank them for this.. Let's say that I felt like not completely abandoning road activity.
