CITTADELLA – And if it were necessary to risk everything to break the bank, would you do it? Tiberi stares. He searches for words that make the right sense.If Italian cycling in the Giro rests on his shoulders, the answers must also be sensible. Antonio doesn't have the nature of a kamikaze, he prefers to calculate and then go if necessaryIt's 10:30 in the morning on the day of rest. The Asiago stage he toasted the danger escaped, but tomorrow (today for those reading) there will be no possibility of appeal. In 203 kilometers from Piazzola sul Brenta to San Valentino (Brentonico), with 4.737 metres of altitude difference, Any misstep risks closing the door on an already complicated situation.
«Perhaps my nature – he says – is a little different from that of Nibali, for example. In the sense that I am more of a regularist compared to Vincenzo's way of racing.But this too is something that needs to be interpreted. I always try to study based on the situations that occur during the race phases.. And if an occasion should arise in which I feel particularly good, perhaps in a critical phase of the race where I see some opponents in crisis, I certainly wouldn't rule out attacking."
Can we say that you took her hair back yesterday?
Yes, we can definitely put it that way. In fact, after the stage I was very happy with how I had managed to spend the dayI thought I'd overcome one of the toughest stages of the Giro. It may not have been one of the most challenging stages we've faced, but I was coming from the fall the day before and I had pain and discomfort when pedalingI knew it was definitely going to be a tough day, and I'm happy with how I managed to survive.
But now the really hard stages are coming, what do we do?
There are some really complicated steps missing. In my opinion, the hardest will be the one with arrival in Champoluc (19th stage, ed.), which will make the already big differences in the standingsI know I'll have to get busy, I also talked about it with Damiano (Caruso, ed.). He told me that the most important thing will be to arrive in Rome without having regrets and be able to say that we have done everything possible.
Is his going so fast an advantage for you?
I notice every day how much his performance is improving, he's really fit (the Sicilian has just announced a one-year extension with the Bahrain Victorious, ed.), Yesterday I was next to him on the last climb when There have been several attacks and I noticed how quickly he responded. He's doing really well.So for now we're both racing as team leaders and then obviously in the crucial phases he'll be the one to sacrifice himself for me.
Let's get back to the original discussion: do you see yourself attacking headlong one day or will you wait for the group selection?
There are some stages where in my opinion you will have a selection, in quotation marks, quite naturalI'm not saying that we'll go at a pace and the riders will break away. But still, running like yesterday, with Ineos pushing hard and making some other attacks for example in the Champoluc stage, there will be a more important selectionBut I don't rule out the possibility that if I recover from the blows and see that I'm doing well, if there is an opportunity in the last important stages, I certainly won't hold back and I'll try something too.
You understand how the UAE Emirates?
It's difficult to interpret. We thought about it and It's clear that they have two really strong front men. They too, almost like us, they are running with two strikersAyuso, who from what I understand, is the captain. Yesterday they showed that when Del Toro He followed Bernal's attack, behind him the whole team worked for the SpaniardAnd I also saw him first on the descent take the lead to close. From what you can tell from the outside, the pink jersey is from Del Toro, but the leader remains Ayuso and the team works for him, just in case Del Toro had some weaknesses.
First stage after the rest (today) with four tough climbs: what can we expect from Bernal and Carapaz?
From what I could see on Sunday, at some points It seemed like they had reached an agreement, in the sense of wanting to test the opponents' conditions. I saw them both very very bright on the climb, they have a great leg because to make those changes of pace repeatedly, you have to be really wellIn the next tough stages they'll come up with something else to try and reopen the race.
You came to the Giro with high expectations from the Italian fans, and with Ciccone's withdrawal, you were left alone. Is that a burden? Do you read the reviews or continue on your own?
Honestly, I don't read judgments or criticisms. On the contrary, what I perceive is that when I'm racing along the road there are many people who cheer me on and encourage meAnd this is the most important thing for me, because it gives me the strength, the morale and the determination to give my all and try to do the best I can.
