The inaugural time trial of the Tour of Italy, criticized by many, it was not at all trivial: 15,1 kilometers from Monreale to Palermo. A kilometer uphill and then almost all downhill. This made technical and tactical choices very uncertain. In the end, the specialists made the difference. Not only that, but those who weren't fighting for the overall were able to take a little more risk, as he also explains. Marco Pinotti, former time trialist and now at the service of the CCC Sprandi.
Marco, a test that is anything but trivial…
Banal? Very complicated I'd say so. A descent on a time trial bike isn't easy, plus there was the unknown factor of the wind. And the leaders took a lot of it, even in their favor. It had to be divided into sections: the first uphill, the final one on the flat, and the central (and longest) downhill. The final one in particular was 6:30 to do without breathing, and you already had 10 minutes of effort. It wasn't easy to manage.
Then there was the central section of Corso Calatafimi, which sloped down and had many dips. Just look at Miguel Angel Lopez's tumble...
Exactly, that was the trickiest part. Maybe you wouldn't win there, but it was very risky. Taking a dip at 75 km/h is like flying. It means skidding, especially with the crosswinds we were experiencing. It's a bit like downhill skiing. If you don't cushion them, they'll shoot you off.
So you needed to be incredibly brave to get your hands on the prosthetics in those conditions?
Sure, but that's how you won, and that's how the specialists managed to become. Many took their hands off their prosthetics in that wind. Ganna and others didn't. The first braking point was extremely difficult. It went from 100 to 30 km/h. Those familiar with the medium can do it quickly. And gain ground.
Did you study the route before leaving?
Yes. I did it alone in the days leading up to the race and then the morning before the start with the boys in a traffic-free environment. On a reconnaissance trip alone, it took me two hours to cover 15 kilometers. I stopped often to examine the terrain to identify the lines with the fewest dips, the cleanest ones. There was a major traction problem. Even at the start, there were cobblestones and slabs (it's no coincidence that in Monreale they even had a sort of gripping material coming out of the corners, ed.).
The wind was decisive. Had you studied it?
It's been a week since I was monitoring the evolution of the wind, But on the day of the time trial, it was significantly higher than the average of the previous seven days. Furthermore, before going to Sicily, my father had told me about the wind in Monreale. Many years ago, he had done his military service at the Scianna barracks, which is located at the fourth kilometer of the route.
Those who started at the end were penalized. Let's look at Nibali, Majka... while the strongest Ineos riders started an hour earlier. What's the starting order like?
The teams are drawn and then the teams themselves decide when to send their athletes. Dennis, Thomas e Ganna they left one after the other just to get some feedback.
What ratios were used?
I say that the 58×11 was ideal. Many have used the 60, but these are parts that you have to have made because they're not easy to find. If Ganna had chosen the 62, as rumored, it would have been only to turn the 12 and not the 11, at least I think. It's the sensitivity of the specialist.
And what about the tires? Many people inflated them to 6,5 bar…
“My” boys ranged between 7 and 8,5 bar
