MISANO ADRIATICO – We had it unveiled during the Vuelta, even before it was official. Andrea Vendrame arrives at the Jayco-AlUla after spending the last six years on the team that is now Decathlon-AG2R. He had arrived there from Androni, where he had given us a glimpse of a lot, including the fact that he was now ready to make his mark.Five victories followed, including two stages at the Giro: Bagno di Romagna in 2021 and then Sappada in 2024. However, in a team that had significantly raised the bar and its demands, the Treviso native was starting to feel limited. Victory at the Tirreno-Adriatico it wasn't enough to renew the contract And so in May Vendrame felt free to consider other proposals. Only after his stage victory at the Tour du Limousin did the offer arrive. Decathlon, but by then it was too late.
«From the first video conferences – he says – we received a positive response from Jayco-AlUla, which immediately inspired confidence in us. The next two years will be really important for my life, I start this adventure with new motivationsI'm thrilled. I'd like to start some sort of winning streak with this new jersey."
What are you looking for at this point in your career?
I would definitely like to keep winning and bring home as many results as possibleIt's the cherished goal of any rider. As long as I achieve significant results, I can still consider myself a winning athlete who can carry the colors of the new jersey to the fore.
You were first with Androni, then you became… French for a long time. Now you're ending up in Australia. Is the world a little different, or is everything the same on the World Tour?
I think every team in the WorldTour is different, has different characteristics and probably every country has its own philosophy. I'm about to go to Jayco, which has an Australian mentalityBut the staff is quite Italian, so we'll see what differences there will be. At Decathlon there are many engineers who tell us the tire pressure and which gears to use, I believe this kind of innovation will soon arrive in all teams.
Among the new features of the new team is that you'll be coached by Fabio Baronti, whom you already knew: why?
We have already done some tests for the material I will be using. Fabio Baronti I know him because I have collaborated with him in the past CTF Lab for the preparationI'm really excited to… be back with a trainer who lives near my house. We've known each other since the youth categories, when we ran togetherI'm convinced that this is the premise for working really well.
Aside from the offer, what convinced you about Jayco-AlUla's proposal?
The first meeting with Brent Copeland, Steve Cummings and Marco PinottiThey immediately showed that they had a positive attitude towards me. They asked me why I didn't do some races and whyI gave my reasons, they responded with what they thought. And so in the end... we decided to try and have ambitions in other races than the usual ones.
What races are we talking about?
For example Sanremo, Amstel and LiègeI've never done them and I've never had an explanation as to why.
What goals do you plan to end this season with?
I should finish at Lombardia and then I'll pull in my oars to go on holiday and recover. I expect to continue on the positive wave that I have maintained up to now and perhaps win another race.Then we'll start thinking about the new adventure.
