Giacomo Villa answers the phone on Wednesday morning, we intercept him as he is leaving for training. Almost three days after his first Liège-Bastogne-Liège, finished after 70 kilometers, the emotion of having been at Doyenne has not faded (in the opening photo PRM x Bingoal). Surely he wouldn't have imagined it like this, but being present in certain races always has a positive value.
«I'm starting again today – says Villa – after a two-day break. In Liège I ran with a fever, I tried to hold on, but it was impossible.The idea was to make myself available to the team anyway, but I lasted 70 kilometers. Practically up to the first massage machineThe cold and rainy weather we encountered in Liège didn't help me, given the week we spent as a group."
The cold has hit
Villa he was also at the start of the Flèche Wallonne, a race that they only finished 44 of the more than 170 riders who started. A week of cold and rain which culminated in a fever which negatively affected the young man's first Classic Monument Bingoal-WB.
«The fever – he continues – came on Saturday evening, a few hours before Liège. I tried to lower it with a paracetamol, which worked in part.On Sunday morning, the day of the race, I was feeling pretty good. The feeling lasted a few hours, because as soon as we left it got back up againI paid for the week of cold and rain we suffered in Belgium.
«At the Flèche, raced on Wednesday, I only gave up on the last pass on the Huy wall. I was in a “no man's land” because I was together with Ulissi and two Quick-Step riders, halfway between the top 30 and the bottom 10. The flagship of Lefevere's team arrived and told his guys to stop after the finish, I was undecided on what to do and I followed them."
How were you after the Arrow?
Well, so much so that I stopped in Belgium to prepare the Liège. On Thursday we did a couple of hours of training, still in the cold, while on Friday we were supposed to see the Doyenne route, but it was impossible.
Always too much water?
It didn't stop raining for a second. We had to do the first 30-40 kilometers to find the right point to then go on the breakaway on SundayIt rained so much on Friday that we only managed to complete the first 10 kilometers. In my opinion that was the final blow., so much so that on Saturday I woke up feeling unsteady and in fact that evening I developed a fever.
Even if you just missed your first Monument…
I was fascinated, I must admit. The truth is that at the beginning of the year I knew that in this team there would have been the possibility of running the Liège and it was my goal right from the start. Reaching it in my first year gave me immense pleasure, even if I didn't experience it as I would have liked.
And how should you have experienced it?
The team and I agreed that I should break away. So much so that on Sunday morning, despite the precarious conditions, at the start I placed myself in the second rowLet's say I didn't last long. At the first climb, 30 people passed me by. And I ended up in the middle of the pack. With every passing kilometer, in the wind, rain, and cold, I lost ground. So as soon as I saw the team car, I stopped.
What was it like living in Liège?
On these occasions you understand how much big events are loved. Compared to other races, which are still very popular with fans, there is no comparison.You feel like everyone knows who you are, they ask for autographs, photos…
Was there a big crowd despite the rain?
In those first 70 kilometers, every time we entered a small village we found two walls of people. I think they're used to this climate in Belgium. (laughs, ed.) The fans took to the streets armed with capes and umbrellas.
So the goal is to come back?
Sure. Maybe even do some other semi-classics in those areas. The team takes part in many races like that, especially the ones with the pavé and I must admit that they intrigued me a lotLet's hope the sun welcomes us in 2025.
