Restart, get your legs moving again, and set your next goal in your head. Antonio Tiberi, at the top of Pordoi, together with the companions of the Team Bahrain Victorious has started to set his sights on the Vuelta EspanaThe Spanish stage race, starting in Turin on August 23, will be the Lazio rider's second Grand Tour of the season.
"We'll be on Pordoi," says Tiberi while resting before his training session in the gym, "until July 24th. We'll have a good training period ahead of the Vuelta. We went up on July 5th and have already put in a good amount of cycling and gym sessions.».
Recharge the batteries
Tiberi left again after a a period of rest that served to metabolise the Giro's defeat, in which he was cut off from the overall standings on the day in Gorizia. A crash that ruined the Ciociaro's initial plans.
«At the end of the Giro – Tiberi continues – I completely stopped. I treated myself to a few days at home and a short five-day holiday on the Island of ElbaI needed a period of resetting before getting back on track for the second half of the season. I even went to visit my parents in Rome for my birthday (June 24th, ed.). At the end of the first part of the season without ever stopping I needed a moment like this».
Was it difficult to digest the moral blow of the Giro?
These things happen; crashes are a daily occurrence in cycling. It happens, and it's no one's fault. The days spent with friends, my girlfriend and family helped me relax and recalibrate my mental strength.. Now that I have rested I am ready for the altitude and to work towards the Return.
How do you react to a bad moment like that?
It always bothers and hurts morale because we have worked for many months And in the end, an unexpected event takes everything away. I repeat, these things happen. Clearly in the following days the disappointment prevails, then you metabolise what happened and move on.Things are also taken for what they are.
Before the Giro, everyone said they saw you with great awareness of your abilities. Is even a negative episode part of the growth process?
Resetting your mind after months of focusing on a goal that you were unable to achieve due to a fall is not easy. But yes, I feel like I've learned something. on management even in bad times.
How important was it to get to Rome?
Much. It was a matter of holding on and finish a Tour which required a lot of mental and physical effort from me, especially after the fall. There were very busy days where I struggled just to get to the finish lineFinishing those twenty-one days of racing means having put them into your legs and stored them away.
Are you coming to the Vuelta with the same ambitions you had at the Giro?
Last year I had already gone with the aim of making a good ranking. Up until the day I retired due to heat stroke I had been doing well.I had the white jersey and I was fourth overall. So yes, This year too I will go with the top of the rankings and I will try to take care of it as best as possibleI can't deny that I'm aiming for the podium. Now I'm focused on this new goal, and we'll see how my body and mind react.
In what sense?
However, preparing for two Grand Tours in one season, with the aim of finishing in the general classification, is not easy. The work to be done is a lot and intense both physically and mentally..It's one thing to tackle certain loads when you're coming back from the winter break and you're fresh. Another is to do it after a demanding first part of the season.. True I already did it last year But I still don't know myself 100 percent. I have an idea of what I can do, but I always leave myself a little leeway.
Will anything change in the preparation?
No, I would say no. It's true that the Giro and the Vuelta are two very different races due to the types of climbs we'll encounter, but here on Pordoi we have many different and perfect scenarios to prepare ourselves in the best wayAt the moment we still have double training sessions with cycling in the morning and gym in the afternoon, but without excessive loads.
Will you do any races before the Vuelta?
The Tour of Poland. The team and I decided to do just one race. I feel comfortable both doing a lot of altitude and doing a few extra runs before the main objective.The team has chosen this way and we are fully focused on being ready.
