CESENA – Rollers here and there. In front of the bus, in the hotels, at the finish line and before the start of a time trial. In the end, the tool that is supposed to make the bike immobile is the most unstable one! Jokes aside, during a Tour of Italy or in any case in the most important races, the rollers are used a lot and in more situations.
And given what he told us Ronny Baron (in the opening photo), we will probably also see them behind the stage in Crans Montana this afternoon.
And it is precisely the mechanic of the Bahrain-Victorious which tells us about this coming and going of the rollers. We discovered that there is an often subjective approach on the part of athletes regarding this tool. There are those who love to do them and those who try to limit their use to what is strictly necessary. On the day of rest, for example, Intermarche-Wanty Gobert e Soudal-Quick Step They were in the same hotel. In the square, when all the riders of the two teams were leaving, Niccolo Bonifazio he was kicking around on the rollers. And David Ballerini he said to him: «But how come it's the only sunny day and you're up there?!».
Time trial protagonists
Rollers take center stage on time trial day. They're essential for warming up.
«Certainly in that case – explains Baron – they play an important role. Based on the rankings, and therefore the starting times of our athletes, I try to understand how many I need to prepare. I don't take out eight, like the team members, but only those needed to ensure the riders don't overlap. For the Cesena time trial, for example, I only prepared three. It all depends on the timing."
When you have to prepare a roller, at least for the time trial, you don't just put the instrument on the ground. It's about preparing a mat, a fan, a place for a towel and water bottle, supplements... In some cases, like in Bahrain, a lectern is used on which the warm-up schedule is placed.
"If the guys start too close together," Baron adds, "you have to get more out of them. The warm-up takes them at least 30-40 minutes, so you have to do some calculations."
For heating
While once upon a time before the start of a particularly difficult stage we would warm up on the road, today we tend to do rollers more and more often: a practice put into practice especially by those who have to go in the breakaway (like Covili yesterday in Bra) or if there is a complicated start, perhaps with some steep sections or a climbIt is necessary to be warm, at least that much, to avoid accumulating a large amount of lactic acid which would then be difficult to eliminateThe acid “hits” at the start and “cold” are those that come with the highest price.
"In this case," Baron continues, "the procedure is a little more streamlined than the time trial. Just put the roller on the ground and the rider starts warming up."
But who decides whether to roller skate or not? Is it entirely up to the athlete? Baron replies: "It's a choice between the sports director and the rider. They usually ask us for them in case of an uphill start or in difficult conditions or simply if it's cold. In this case the warm-up is shorter than the time trialIt lasts 15-20 minutes and the kids pedal quite calmly."
«But it's not always the captain who makes them. In fact... Usually it's up to some rider who has to do a job for the leader, such as keeping the race closed or, on the contrary, who has to take the breakawayHowever, I don't prepare them all regardless, but based on what the sports directors tell me."
And for the recovery
If the team mates use rollers often at the start, the captain instead enters the scene after the matchEspecially today, they're almost always done. The stages end late in the afternoon, then there are the transfers, and you arrive at the hotel quite late. It takes quite a while before the massage. It has been seen that a gentle unloading activity, the cool-down, in a short time facilitates recovery.
«In this case – continues Baron – we have to bring the rollers to the awards area if the captain is called, for example, to put on a shirt or in any case to go on stage, or we prepare them for him on the bus.
«Usually, for both the warm-up and the cool-down after the road stages, I'm told an hour before how many I have to prepare. They do it especially if they have finished the stage making a great effort. This cool down consists of pedaling almost "emptily" for create muscle relaxation in the legs, remove some tension without having to immediately turn off the engine after maximum effort."
And maximum effort in the final stages is a significant factor. After the San Salvo stage, for example, which ended in a sprint and followed so much flat terrain, no one, not even the men competing in the classics, got on the rollers.
"Sometimes, especially at the finish line," Baron concludes, "it's really complicated to arrange them. Maybe I have to carry the rollers to a summit finish line and arrange them on a slope.
«But even at the start of a time trial it's not always easy. In Fossacesia, for example, there were a couple of kilometers between the buses and the departure point. In that case, a double roller and a double bike were needed. One at the bus and one right before the start. The kids were pedaling until just moments before going up the ramp. In short, great logistics."
