When talking about promising young Italian riders, it is difficult to name Alessandro Fancellu. Not because it isn't, on the contrary, but his name has been circulating in the professional world for so many years that it's hard to believe he's still 22 years oldThe Como-born rider is about to begin his third season among the top riders, but the path hasn't always been easy.
Stephen Zanatta, his sports director at Eolo-Kometa, he had told us about it in the most difficult moment. In 2021 Fancellu suddenly stopped running and doubts about what had happened gradually accumulatedThe skill of Eolo-Kometa and the entire staff was to erase and start from scratch.
The pleasure of effort
The reconstruction work done with Fancellu was mental, not athletic. He has always had the talent, it was a matter of triggering the right spring (Zanatta used this word often during our interview).
«Fancellu's was a great end to the season – explains Zanatta – he showed what his qualities can be. The team's challenge was to take a rider from their own youth system and make him great. The rebuilding process began at the beginning of 2022 with a softer calendar with Gran Camino and then Tour of Turkey. He had to slowly rediscover the pleasure of being competitive, of riding a bike and working hard.From June onwards he found a great pedal stroke, at the Adriatica Ionica he stood out by completing five good stages».
Amadori's hand
Fancellu has a race among the under 23s in its 2022 calendar: the Future TowerA beautiful piece of a puzzle waiting to be assembled. Alessandro is indeed a professional, but given his age, Amadori thought it would be a good idea to take him to the most important race among the under 23s..
«We spoke with Amadori – continues the sports director – about having him join Avenir. He agreed with us, so he went to the retreat in Sestriere and earned the chance to be called upThe French race was a nice slice of cake in the mental condition of Fancellu, he found consistency and was always at the forefront. You learn to be a winner when you have the opportunity to do certain races and experience certain things. Going to do the Milan-Sanremo is a great experience, but if you don't finish it, it remains a nice memory and that's it. Taking intermediate steps by participating in competitions where you are there to play for your life at the end has another value."
A question of mentality
Zanatta's words reconstruct a bigger picture whose key word is: trust. After 2021, few teams would have bet on Fancellu and this has often been a topic of discussion. discussions and articlesLack of patience, or the rush to find a phenomenon, have led to many young players being sacrificed on the altar of professionalism.
«It's a question of mentality – replies Zanatta – our goal was to find a riderOur rider. He still needs time, but we have faith in him, also because otherwise we wouldn't have extended his contract for another year at the end of last season. There is time for bigger goals, meanwhile Fancellu has rediscovered the awareness of what he can be, the desire to get back into the game and it wasn't a given.
«He found himself faced with great responsibilities without being mature enough to face them, now he has grown up and we are happy. He also experienced the team's choices, such as not including him in the roster for certain races, as a challenge and not a punishment.He found a calendar more suited to him and had the opportunity to show off: it happened at the Adriatica Ionica, the Tour of Slovenia and the Tour de l'Ain. These results earned him a call-up to the Giro di Lombardia where, at the first pass on the Civiglio, he was still with the best».
Stability and work
Fancellu has managed to find his feet again thanks to the faith Eolo-Kometa has placed in him, that's for sure. But Basso's team has now found a modus operandi. which allows almost all of its riders to feel validated and appreciated.
«There are many in our team giovani ragazzi – continues to explain the sports director – We have before us clear examples of how we should be patient.. Look Albanian and I would also like to say Route, he doesn't run with us but the speech is the same. If no one had had faith in him, would not have become what it isIn 2022 he was the best Italian in the UCI ranking, yet a few years ago he was at risk of quitting. Iván Basso and Fran (Francisco Javier Contador, ed.) have faith in the boys, in human capital. It's good for riders, especially the young ones, to have stability around them, to work with the same staff and teammates.».
Comparison
Stability is important, of course, but discussion is also crucial. Understanding where and when to push, deciding together on certain steps to take...
"I like working with young people," Zanatta says. "I've had direct contact with Fancellu over the years. We spoke weekly and I also spoke with the staff to understand how and where to act.Alessandro raced a lot with me and that helped, we basically decided the program for the second part of 2022 together. We talked and decided what was best to do and what the objective was to be achieved.Years of experience help, and having someone by your side who knows how to guide you is important to keep you on track. Runners shouldn't be punished. but we need to make him want to work, by touching the right buttonsNow Fancellu is older, more mature, and 2023 will be a year where he can take another step forward."
