Yesterday at Tour of Italy The first sprint took place. And among the protagonists of this close sprint there was not Elijah Viviani. In fact, the champion from Verona was not fielded in the Giro d'Italia by his team.
A topic that is often discussed in this first glimpse of the Giro. The return to the Ineos-Grenadiers was supposed to seal Viviani's great revival after two less than superb seasons at the Cofidis. Not superb on the road, given that on the track it had won the world championship in the elimination.
In any case, we tried to clarify things once and for all with Matteo Tosatto, sports director of “His Majesty’s” battleship.
Matteo, let's take the speech given to the Tour of the AlpsYou told us: "We'll bring a team that supports Carapaz." You kept your word, and Viviani isn't there...
A team entirely devoted to Richard, to try to win this Giro. Sorry for Viviani. Elia was on the Giro's list until the last minute. He was included as the first reserve and in the end we decided that way. Maximum support for Richard Carapaz. Elia will certainly have the chance to make up for it, but now we're focused on the Giro.
But was Viviani okay? Had he prepared for the Giro?
He prepared himself, as always. Elia is a great professional. He had trained and would have been ready if called upon. He is training for the Tour of Hungary (May 11-15, ed.). As I said, it's a shame for him and it's a shame for us that he's not here. It's a shame as a man, because he's a special person, a leader, but we thought of a team more for the mountains.
So Viviani was prepared for this scenario, wasn't it a bolt from the blue?
He knew he wasn't sure of a place. He knew he could come in, of course. And this news didn't rain down on him five days before the Giro, for example... We talked together and we decided together.
And did he understand for you?
Of course. He's a great professional. And he's already thinking about other goals.
Who was the man who took his place?
There's no specific man who took his place. A certain type of team was created. We also left out other guys who were going strong. And moreover, who were going strong uphill, like Dunbar for example. Our choices were made primarily based on these parameters. It's not that "one" has taken the place of "another". Also Tao Geoghegan Hart He was supposed to be there, for example, but he wasn't feeling very well and so he's not here at the Giro. And he was in contention until the end, too.
In short, it was a technical-tactical choice: the best formation you could field to run in a certain way?
The best lineup we could have. We picked a great group. A united group, with riders strong on the flat, on mixed terrain and on climbs, integrated with those currently in the best shape. We hope we've made the right choice! We're ready.
Tosatto adds that Carapaz is fine. That in the days leading up to the start, unlike others who had trained for the final part of the first stage and the time trial, they had been calm. Only he had made a reconnaissance in his car. He had preferred to leave his boys away from the chaos, Having them train near the hotel. "Toso" knows well that this is a long challenge. That patience is needed.
Elijah in Hungary
Finally, grant us two considerations.
The first: not having seen the Veronese nor the Tour of the Alps, nor at Romandie was it a sign that Viviani might not be in the running. It's true that he was busy on the track in Glasgow (where he also won the elimination), but racing on the road at certain times is a completely different matter.
The second consideration: Dario Cioni, sport director and trainer for Ineos-Grenadiers, had already told us in January that it wasn't a given that Elia would be able to start the Giro. This would have meant having to choose the riders he would bring. And even if he were to be included, he wouldn't have a team at his disposal for the sprints, but would have had to manage them on his own, so much so that he referred to them as "recovery sprints."
Meanwhile Viviani, on the day the Giro d'Italia began, posted a photo of himself training at altitude in Livigno. "I'm where I want to be to get stronger," he wrote. His class, even outside of racing, and his professionalism are worthy of the Olympic gold medalist he is.
