Manuele Tarozzi's post-Giro d'Italia continues with a few rides with his friend Filippo Baroncini and short escapes to the seaside. The Romagna Riviera is only about fifty kilometers from Faenza. Manuele Tarozzi emerged from his second Giro d'Italia with the Premio Fuga and also won the first edition of the Red Bull KM. The pink race has put an end to the first part of the season for the rider of the Vf Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
"It was a challenging Giro d'Italia," he says. "I don't think I could have done more. I arrived at the Rome stage quite tired, I really gave it my all. Together with the team we had launched an attacking race to try to anticipate the best players and bring home some results. We also had Fiorelli e Marcellusi for the sprints but to seek victory the only way was to attack.
A ride on the hook
The topic, at the start in Albania, was open on the competitiveness of this Tour of Italy. There were those who thought, convinced by the absence of phenomena, that they had a lower levelThe road took care of removing any doubt. The recently concluded Giro d'Italia was challenging and spectacular, raced at full speed and sparing no energy.
"We tried to run our own race," Tarozzi continues, "but the truth is, there wasn't a single quiet day. We always went flat out, much more than last year. In the previous edition there were days when we were able to talk as a group, this year no. In each stage, it took many kilometers and very high averages to push the breakaway away. Furthermore, there was never much space left, so reaching the finish line was difficult. Although he had improved significantly since last season, I am convinced that to win in certain races you need to take a further step in growth».
It was a solid first part of the season, in which you also won the GPM classification at Tirreno…
The improvement compared to last year is evident and I can feel it in my legs. I think something is missing to win, but I would say that a really positive day is needed in this cycling.Compared to 2024, I'm recording better values, but winning is difficult. Then it's nice when these results arrive, but we always start with victory in mind.
Which is what you try to find by always running away.
I think it's the only possible way and also the one that I like it more. I'm not one who insists on staying in a group in search of a place., especially since we already have some riders like that on the team. We need someone who can try to scout ahead.
What aspect do you like the most?
Unpredictability. Then I think being in front puts you in an advantageous position. Ultimately, it's the group that has to close the gap, and anything can happen in a race. Last year after the Giro I managed to find two victories running in this wayI think it's all part of a growth process. This year at Tirreno I came close, Coming within a few meters of a WorldTour victory gave me confidence. Furthermore, after my first Giro d'Italia, in 2024, I feel like I'm in a different state.
In what area do you feel you have improved?
In resistance, I noticed it right away at the beginning of this season. Last year after three or four days of competition, especially if I ran on the attack as I like, I felt tired. This year, however, my leg feels different.
What can a race like the Giro give you?
Lots of pace. I was in the breakaway on the day in Sestriere, and I think it was one of the toughest. On the Colle delle Finestre I was tired but I had to push anyway because the race had exploded both in front and behindYou can only make this kind of effort in a race; in training it's difficult to go beyond your limits.
You're starting to gain experience. What can a rider like you bring to a team like VF Group-Bardiani?
It's hard to say. I think the experience a rider my age gained in his first years as a professional is now gained in juniors and under-23s. I see more and more ready youngsters arriving. When the team took Pellizzari and Pinarello in 2022 I was surprised, I wasn't like them at eighteenAt that age, I raced for fun. Now, if you want to be a cyclist at sixteen, you have to know how to manage certain dynamics.
Maybe experience counts in the details, young people know a lot of things but then in a group life is different?
Some things, yes. But even then, many times you talk to them, and some don't listen and do what they want. It's also true that in modern cycling we see each other less and less, at most I can exchange a few words with them during the winter retreats to curb their enthusiasm which sometimes leads them to do too much.
Once the break is over, what's the plan?
We'll change a few things from last year, we'll look for some races to rack up points. This is what cycling wants now. For the rest, we'll see what this second Giro d'Italia will have left in my legs., but we will only see this in July. Last year the two wins They arrived in the second part of the season, so we'll see.
