We left off with Valerio Conti on crutches al Giro d'Italia. The rider of Corratec-Selle Italia He had preferred to stay with his teammates rather than return home. In some ways, it was right to help them, even if in a peculiar way, and above all, it was right to continue breathing in the air of the Giro, of the races... also to keep certain emotions and concentration alive (top photo @liisasphotoss).
Conti fractured his pelvis during the third stage. He completed the next one, but the pain was too much. From there, the tests, the fracture, and his withdrawal. It looked like Conti would return to racing as early as the Tour of Slovenia, but things didn't pan out. This Sunday, however, we will see him again with the number on his back at the Italian championship in Trentino.
Valerio, let's start with the health situation, let's put it this way: what happened and how things went.
I suffered a fracture of the pelvis, specifically of the iliopubic branch. I had to stop for a month in the end. And in fact, you saw me on crutches at the Giro. I realized almost immediately that I wouldn't be able to start again at the Tour of Slovenia (June 14-18, ed.), because I'd lost a lot and then some complications arose. Not to mention that they would have stretched my neck too much and I most likely wouldn't have even finished.
What kind of problems?
In the end, from the moment I fell to the moment I started again, I was out of action for a month. I started again the first week of June. One leg was significantly stronger than the other, so on the bike… The pain started right away. The most significant was the sciatic nerve, which became inflamed. I'd never broken anything in my career, and now I understand those who have major fractures. It's not like breaking a collarbone. The problem is ultimately... it's not so much the training, but what comes after it: muscles, tendons, posture… you no longer have pedaling efficiency.
Pedaling efficiency: what sensations did you feel?
In these cases a difference is created between the right and left leg, For me, even more so because I had been walking with crutches for a long time, so I wasn't balanced. This deficit was significant. I felt like I wasn't pushing and that I wasn't balanced.
And how did you move?
The first week of June, when I started playing again, the pain immediately emerged. So the team recommended me first to an osteopath, Pagni, in Tuscany. Then to a physiotherapist, Palmisano, in Rome. I had up to three sessions a week.What was the biggest problem? With the fracture just healed you couldn't manipulate your pelvis, but you had to do other types of treatment, more muscular or tendon manipulations... At the same time I did postural exercises, always under the supervision of the physiotherapist.
How did things go?
I did everything gradually, and things improved immediately. Ultimately, I think two and a half months passed between the time of the fall and regaining acceptable condition, maybe even three. I did things at the right time. I didn't push things too hard. Frassi, my sports director, he told me about what he went through Pinot after the same fracture. To hurry he lost a year, with continuous problems to follow.
You were clear. Valerio, let's move on. You told us you were doing well at the Giro...
Yup, I was really fine. I got there the way I wanted to: with my legs, with my weight, with my head. I hadn't been this good since 2019. Maybe it wouldn't have been enough because I'm going faster, but in my heart I believe I could have won a stage.
Why do you say that?
I don't know, but it's just the way you feel. I often know how to read the race and how to catch breakaways. I caught them when I was half-fit; with good condition, I could have done well.
Looking back at the Giro, is there one stage that you would have liked more than others?
The one where my partner Vacek he did second, that of Campo Imperatore.
And how are you now?
Hey, how am I? I'm feeling so bad... Now that I've started again and I think about how I was doing and how I was, I see I have a lot of work to do. Months of sacrifices thrown away in an instant. I know what lies ahead to get back up there. But I'm not giving up. My mind, my desire, and my focus are still there. I've learned that you have to suffer when the time comes and live in the present.
What's the plan? Will you go up high ground?
No, no altitude. In my condition, it's better to just run and find my race pace. Also because I don't have to prepare for a major Giro. I have to aim for one-day or stage races, so in my case it's better to compete. At least that's what I think. If it had been spring before the Giro, I would have answered differently, but now I think it's fine this way.
There's no shortage of racing between now and the end of the season...
There's still room for improvement. Plus, considering the altitude, the conditions aren't going to improve endlessly; at a certain point in the season, they level out a bit, and maybe it's even easier to win a race.
Condition, training… what exactly did you do?
During the first week, I had to pedal slowly until the pain set in. If it came after two hours, I stopped. Then I started with strength on the bike: the SFR. And these had a double meaning for me. In addition to strength, in fact, pedaling at a low cadence with long contractions helps the muscles work more in balance. The pushing and pulling phases are more distinct. And in fact, I'm still doing them a lot. Then, little by little, I've extended my sessions and added a bit of intensity. These days, for example, I've been going out with Formolo... and he's pulling my neck!
