OME – Somewhere around here there is the clinic where we accompanied Pantani to remove the irons from his leg and begin the most glorious and dramatic part of her career. The hotel that EF Education-Easy Post shares with the Eolo-Kometa and is bathed in beautiful warm sunshine. It's the second rest day of the Giro (yesterday for those reading this), the riders are coming down one by one. Bettiol passed by for a few moments, approached the mechanics and then returned to the room. Then Cepeda arrives and we laugh loudly with him, reminding him of Pinot's stern looks on the climb of Crans-MontanaWhile waiting for the others, we stand with the mechanics in front of the Ben Healy's Cannondale, who in Bergamo came within a hair's breadth of a double.
Moser's gaze
Irish is the only one on the team to use a classic FSA handlebar, with the Vision Metron Aero 4D stem and handlebarThe brake levers are so closed inward that they almost face each other. The wheels on the bike are the training ones, while yesterday he used the Vision SL45 with Vittoria 28 tubeless. The group is the Shimano Dura Ace, but completed by the FSA crankset with power meter power boxThe saddle is the Prologo Dimension 143 Nack.
Ben arrives dragging his slippers, his hair loose, his beard bristly and the half-sleepy look that is so reminiscent of the Moreno Moser of the early days. A few words with Giorgio Marra FSA-Vision who came with a cameraman to film him with the new time trial appendages and then approaches. The pace is slow and also training today will be more of a walk than a serious thingThe first sunshine in a long time, the temperature of almost 26 degrees and the fatigue to be worked off require a day at a gentle pace.
What do you expect from the third week? Is it a question mark for you, being so young?
I think we're going to have some tough days, maybe some breakaways. And if I have the chance, I will try to score some points for the mountain grand prix.. As for the question mark, my friend… I think every new experience brings some question marks.. I usually tend to do well and not have any ups and downs, I'm looking forward to finding out, but I think it will be a positive week for me.
What do you take from Bergamo's second place?
It was definitely a beautiful day and I hope also an exciting race for the public who followed her. I've certainly made some mistakes, I've wasted too much energy, but These are all aspects that I can learn from and that I will take with me into the future.At least I know the legs are there.
Looking at your bike, it's noticeable that you're the only one using traditional handlebars. Why is that?
Why I like to sit pretty low in the front and the new Cannondales have a rather high head tube. So we need to use a negative attack.
Instead the brakes turned like this?
I've always had them like this, since before it became fashionable. When I started looking for the most comfortable position, I started turning them and I find them comfortable. And now it's turning out that this may be the wrong position for aerodynamics purposes.
Today I used 55-inch wheels for training, yesterday lower ones. Will you go back to lower ones tomorrow (today, ed.) on Bondone?
Exact, In the mountains you go with the Vision 45.
What should your bike be like?
The most important aspect before even thinking about rigidity and lightness, is that it is comfortable and aerodynamic, since I have to stay on it for a long time.
When you attack uphill, push some good gears…
When I attack yes, otherwise I also like having gears that allow for a good pedaling frequencyNot because I'm a climber, but because when I get on my bike, it comes naturally to me to maintain a high cadence. I don't think there is an optimal pedaling frequency, it's very subjective.You see some riders grinding out high speeds and others going slower, but it's a fact linked to each individual's physiology.
How much has running in the rain and cold weighed on you so far?
For me it's not an insurmountable problem, let's see how it goes day by day. Sure it would be nice to have some sun, but I'm not too afraid of the cold.
We go day by day, but is there another stage you've chosen to focus on?
There's no telling when I'll be able to do it. So far I think I've seized the right opportunities, when I realize I'm out of my league I try to spend as little as possible.
