During the days in Calpe we saw a lot of comings and goings at home Jayco-AlUla. Marco Pinotti, one of the most experienced coaches in the team, talks to us about the reorganization his team is undergoing. Two coaches, Alex Camier and Daniel Healy, have left, and two more have arrived: Fabio Baronti e Christian Schrot (top photo @GreenEDGECycling).
But the changes weren't limited to names. Some roles were also changed, some logistics were revised, and a new development team has arrived, Hagens Berman of Axel MerckxThere is no longer a vertical hierarchy, but as Pinotti said: "A horizontal structure."
Marco, let's start with you. You're taking on an increasingly important role in the coaching and performance department, isn't that right?
Indeed I try to reduce the training and preparation parts because I'm increasingly involved in the materials. But I'm continuing to work with the athletes I've started with. I'm having a hard time recruiting new ones. The load for men and women is more or less the same as in previous years.
And how many do you have in total?
Six. Four men and two women.
We've seen some nice movement on the performance staff front: how many of you coaches are there now?
You are in everything. Actually, six and a half! Since one of them, Andrew Smith, is also a sports director and coaches a couple of athletes. So there's me, Fabio Baronti, Christian Schrot, who are the two newcomers, Peter Leo, Joshua James Hunt, and Briant Stephens.
Two new profiles that had to do with young people. Why?
It wasn't a search for young coaches or those who had anything to do with young people in the strict sense. Christian Schrot was in charge of the Red Bull-Bora junior team, theEder Car, while Fabio Baronti came from a development team, the CTF. We were looking for coaches with skills that would be suitable for working with both young people and professionals. Baronti, for example, was recommended to me. We met at the Giro d'Italia, I had a good impression, and I proposed him to the team. From there, it took a while to join the team. Both were chosen for their skills, qualities, and expertise.
Is there a hierarchy among you coaches?
Not anymore. We have a horizontal structure. Each coach is responsible for a specific project. However, for many things they rely on me, because I've been here longer. There's no real head coach. We changed over the course of last season. We saw that it was working well, and for now we're keeping this structure. Then maybe, if things don't go well, we'll reassess everything.
And how are responsibilities divided?
Everyone has an area of responsibility. For example, I deal with the materials and projects related to the time trial. Another coach focuses more on the classics. Another coach handles training camp logistics, another youth development. Each coach is also responsible for one or more camps.
A nice change, in short…
Yup, We've assigned more defined responsibilities. Before, the coach simply trained. Now there's more structured planning: The camps are decided a year in advance and the dates are clear to everyone. When I arrived, the riders had a lot of freedom. For example, Simon yates He didn't participate in the January camps and went on his own in others. Ditto GroenewegenAt one point, we had three groups in three camps for a Tour. Now we try to have everyone together, with a few exceptions, like the Australians who compete in December-January. But that wasn't the only change.
That?
We have standardized the tests. We now have the same testing protocol for the WorldTour team and for the devo, both male and female. We don't administer the same test to a climber and a sprinter, but the protocol is identical between riders of the same type. This allows for comparisons between athletes and between teams.
Are the tests on the road or in the laboratory?
They're road tests and include both incremental tests and power profiles. We have sprint tests and tests specific to rider characteristics. The closer we get to the season, the more specialized the tests become. For example: Now everyone has done the classic incremental, useful for establishing the training zones, but in January and as the races get closer everyone will do the test for their characteristics.
Regarding the devo team, how do you manage the preparation front: do you supervise or intervene personally?
We have a scheduled report between the two teams, but they have their own coach, Jen Van Beylen, who was with Hagens Berman for damages. However, in our race calendar there are places assigned for the riders of the development also in some WorldTour races. Based on our needs, they will tell us who they can send us.
