If the hunt for talent starts at the grassroots, Ivan Toselli's CV will not have gone unnoticedWe ourselves, even though we are talking about a student, we have already written about itThe first Italian title in Chianciano Terme (with a bow to the bike) and the Gold Cup won alone in second place say that there's a climber coming. The 54,5 kilos are just a number, but certainly if this is the starting point, it is clear that the sprints of the Tour will not be in his future.
The eye is cunning, the laugh, that ironic one of 16 years old, feet on the ground. So much so that when you remind him the tricolor arrival at Van der PoelHis companions tease him: the pursuers were so close that he almost risked losing the race by pulling this prank.
Next year Toselli will be junior with the Vangi-Sama Spare Parts-The Pirate, so he has already started training with free reports (debated topic and still to be explored further). Even though the team, composed only of first year players, has opted to limit them to 52×11His days are marked by school and cycling.
How have you been training so far?
I was going out tutti i giorniSometimes I'd rest on Mondays, while Saturdays depended on Sundays. If I had to go to the races, we rarely did anything special the day before. Almost never.
The rest of the week?
Monday, a short walk or just rest. Tuesday, strength training, then SFR and specific work. Wednesday, the long run: three hours, three and a half hours.Thursday, two hours to unwind, with some work. Friday behind the carAnd on Saturday, back to stretching our legs.
What was inside the distance?
Sometimes we did the climbs were steep, or we would prepare a race and then do trains, sprints and things like thatI've always done 80, maximum 85 kilometers, while now it changes a lotThere are free relationships, so you have to apply much more force. The work in the gym has increased and the training hours are a little longerWe'll move to four and a half hours.
You won't have 53 but 52, right?
Exactly. I mounted the 52 last month, I had never trained with free gear before.I've noticed that it's much harder. Sometimes when I go out on my bike I do sprints and maintaining the relationship is very difficult.
Did you mention increasing your gym work?
We went there last year too, but much less than this year. We go twice a week. We work on the press, do leg curls, squats and a whole range of leg work.
Still at my ideal weight of 54 kilos?
I normally weigh 54, last week I went to the nutritionist and now I'm 54,5. In the first year I was 49, then I grew upThe nutritionist told me I have to maintain my weight, so I have to eat. Now there's no need to lose weight. But in the end, it's not like you'll gain weight.I can gain that extra kilo, two at most, but I'll lose it right away. Even though I might gain a little weight as I grow up, my coach says I shouldn't change my nature.I must cultivate the gift I have.
How did work resume?
I had stopped for four days, then I started cycling again because they called me to do some tests with the national team on October 25th and then I had to find my leg again. Then I stopped for a week and I started again slowly with a bit of running, a bit of exercises and now I've started with the preparationWe'll soon get back on the road bike and combine road rides with gym work. And then in January we'll see the new program, because we change it every month.
How do you organize yourself with school?
I have an agreement, so I have all my absences excused. So I always go out at 12, eat and at 14pm I'm on my bike, or at the gym. Distances are made while there is light, since by 4:30-5 pm it is already dark, so you have to be careful. I always have lights with me.
You talked about specific jobs.
Until last season, We did the 20-40 with 40 seconds of recovery for six times, with a free gear, as you wanted. Instead, the SFRs were done with the hardest gear.We usually used the climb that you take to go back home, because to go to Sezze, right up in the village, there is always a climb. Instead when we did long runs, we went looking for climbs like Sermoneta and Roccasecca, always with the flagship behind and the sporting director.
How do you eat when you go to school and work out in the afternoon?
In the morning I do a normal breakfast and then I have a snack at schoolToday the plan was to have a sandwich with raw ham and cherry tomatoes. For lunch I had ricotta with vegetables, while I have to eat pasta in the evening. But it changes, it's not always the same. Instead when I come back from training I have a snack, which is usually a fruit.
Let's go back to gears for a moment. How do you feel on the bike?
I'm not a sprinter, though I like time trials, so I'll have to train hard to push the ratioI can work on the time trial, because I'd like to try and get some results. On the flat sections, however, I struggle a bit because they require explosive strength, which I don't have much of. But if you give me a nice long climb, I can make the difference.
Did you meet coach Salvoldi during the tests with the national team?
I met him that day in Rome, I didn't know him. I saw that he is a good person, he also gave us some advice on what to do at home, which exercises…
How does it feel to be promoted to the juniors, the top international category?
Things are starting to get serious, because as a student you can still adapt, but as a junior it can also happen that a pro team or a continental team calls you. I'm of the opinion that we need to take the right steps. So two years in the juniors and then the under-23s.However, if you find a pro team that wants to support you during your journey to the under-23s, all the better.
You won the Gold Cup, you won the Italian championship, is it easy to keep your feet on the ground?
Keeping your feet on the ground is advice that many people have given me. I don't get carried away, I'm very humble.I won an Italian and the Gold Cup, but I'm nobody, I'm still the same Ivan.
You're a climber. On Facebook, you're friends with Tonina Pantani; the team is called Il Pirata Official Team. Who is Pantani for you?
A great climber, who when he was going up you couldn't stop himIt's wonderful to see the images again, truly a great rider. I'm a climber, more into stage races. I like to sprint uphill.But I still have to begin. In fact, perhaps we've even gone too far.
