Sprinters and climbers, a very short blanket. With quest parole days ago Marco Benfatto had guided us into the world of fast men: those… condemned by their physique to a certain type of performance and to obsessive attention to keeping their weight under control. Among the cases cited as examples, the Paduan technician had cited Matteo Malucelli (photonews image at the beginning).
«Matteo is very good – he said – because having studied Engineering, he is very mathematical in his reasoning. It calculates calories and feeds itself based on what it consumes. By now everything is calculated and everything is studied, nothing escapes."
New team, new bike
The reference seemed interesting to us and with one of those games that technology makes possible, we called the sprinter from Romagna. He's leaving Spain for home, before flying to the Saudi Tour. Writing from the hotel in San Juan, waiting for the start of the Argentine race.
“I’m ready to start,” Malucelli said from the airport. “It’s about time. After what we've been through with Gazprom, a period of normality and work done well was neededThe legs are there. The bike is fine too. Of course, in training with the team you don't see any differences, because we're all on the same level, so we'll have to wait until we're in the middle of the group. However the De Rosa bike I like it and the new Ursus wheels look really fast».
Shall we talk about nutrition and sprinters?
Over the years there have been more attention and awareness of what you eat. When I first started as a pro, it was a real war with weight and it still is a bit. But it's not true, as they say, that for a sprinter having an extra kilo doesn't change anythingWe struggle even when climbing uphill, and if we're also heavy, goodbye...
Benfatto speaks of great attention on your part.
I used to be more obsessive, I had periods where I weighed everything. Instead now I have learned to regulate myself and I eat based on what I have done and what I have to do.You have to know what you're putting on your plate. For example, that potatoes aren't vegetables, but carbohydrates. That some meats are fattier than others. That legumes are proteins. And then the quantities. If you have to train hard, maybe eat a more robust breakfastIf you have a craving, you can afford to make one with little sugar. Let's say that over the years I have gained a fair amount of knowledge about food.
What does your attentiveness consist of?
I try to watch everything, especially in training. If I have to do intense work, I calculate the carbohydrates in the bars and in what I carry, knowing how many I will have to consume. But off the bike I'm not one who doesn't eat and that, if it happens, goes crazy.
Same thing when you're not at home?
If I go to the hotel, I don't have scales and I never know how the food is cooked that come to my plate or I take from the buffet. So I compose the dishes taking into account the main macronutrients.
That means?
If I do a lot, half of the plate will be filled with pasta, therefore carbohydrates, while the other half will be divided between proteins and vegetablesIf I don't have to do as much, the ratio is reversed. In my head I go in compartments and above all I avoid the second round at the buffetI eat, get up and leave.
Why did you say that the extra kilo is really noticeable?
We sprinters are lucky to be very muscular, so we have a higher basal metabolism and consequently we burn moreBut compared to a climber, we have fewer watts. So when calculating the power-to-weight ratio, ours comes out lower. If you add a kilo, it goes down badly. It's different if you add a kilo to someone with many more watts. In proportion, that kilo has a different impactYou have to be lean, otherwise you're carrying a burden, but you also have to be strong.
Do they understand it as a group?
Sometimes I try to make it clear to my fellow climbers who weigh 10 kilos less and have the same wattsAnd I tell him: weighing more than you and having fewer watts, means Doing the same climb with a crate of water on my back. If I add a kilo, therefore a bottle, does it make any difference? For me, that extra kilo is equivalent to about one percent more, these are important figures. It means it can make a differenceThis is where I see my approach as an engineer: I know how to give value to numbers that are often overlooked.
How has your relationship with weight changed?
When I was at Caja Rural, I had lost a lot of it and I didn't go. My goal is to win, not to be skinny. So it's better to arrive one sprint less, if there's a lot of climbing in between, but being able to win when I get there well.
Have you eliminated any foods?
I eat everything, except when I want to lose weight, and then I eliminate the highest-calorie foods. I don't eat salami or porkI prefer a chicken breast, but if there's a barbecue I sometimes eat a sausage. I avoid fatty meats and cheeses, even though I like them a lot.I have trouble digesting red meat, so I eat it once or twice a week.
How do you handle alcohol?
Luckily I'm not a lover. Between a beer and an ice cream, I choose the ice creamI limit myself because I know that alcohol does not help the athlete, but A glass of wine is often a good thing at the table.
And the ice cream?
I wouldn't stop eating it. Again, it depends on your taste. Apparently, the creamy ones are the most caloric, but if you eat one on your way back from your bike ride, it doesn't make much of a difference. And then habits do a lot, It's the same with alcohol. If you drink a beer every now and then, it doesn't change anything. If you drink it every day, then it's different. The blanket is really short, Benfatto said it right. Finding the right compromise is not easy, but not impossible either.
