The training ended in conjunction with the arrival of the 19th stage of the Giro d’Italia, won by an extraordinary Vendrame. A six-hour outing for Guarnieri as he prepares for his next commitments among which the Tour of Switzerland stands out.
«At the moment there isn’t a very set program – says Guarnieri – I’ll race in Belgium in a few days and then I’ll be at the Tour of Switzerland. The hope is that it can be useful in finding the right feeling with De Lie, although I don’t think there will be great opportunities for the sprinters. However, Switzerland is a race that I always like, very tight and is the best approach to the Tour de Franceassuming I’ll be there.”
The first measurements
De Lie is expected to be Lotto Dstny’s point man at the Grande Boucle. The “Lecheret Bull” will be called upon to continue the great moment of formsince he started racing again at the end of April he has achieved 3 victories and 2 podiums.
«At the Ronde Van Limburg – says Guarnieri – we achieved a good third place. The train worked well despite it being the third or fourth race done together since the beginning of the year. There certainly isn’t that feeling that you see in the strongest trains, but Limburg’s performance gives us confidence. I am happy with the work done, both physically and as a team. Personally I’m fine, after many years in a group I know how to recognize sensations and arrive in shape at key moments. It’s true that my call-up for the Tour doesn’t depend so much on me but on the team’s intentions.”
A look at the Giro
Among the best trains seen in circulation lately is that of Jonathan Milan’s Lidl-Trek. The sprinter from Buja achieved three stage successes and as many second places in the Giro. Guarnieri, who saw Lidl-Trek’s work from home, however, was not so surprised.
«From how it went in the Northern Classics – he explains – we all expected Milan to be so strong. In his first victory, that of Andora, he showed what he is capable of. He took a lot of wind, but he was so superior to the others that he didn’t get upset and still put everyone behind. Then if you have a team as strong as Lidl-Trek, with great men working for you, everything is easier. They have Stuyven, someone who won the Sanremo, as the third to last man, after him Theuns goes into action and finally Consonni. Simone is someone who has done a lot in his career, he is proving to be a great last man.”
Everything simple
For Milan and Lidl-Trek everything seems simple. Then there are stages in which something went wronglike in Fossano or Padua, but mistakes are part of the game.
«I would also like to underline – continues Guarnieri – that there were strong opponents in this Giro. Merlier, Kooij, Gaviria. Then at Lidl-Trek they are very good, they have the right timing and even when they don’t have it they manage to get by. It reminds me a bit of the train we had with Demare, we were always the ones taking matters into our own hands. When you have the strongest sprinter even if you are long it doesn’t change, you always come out well. Better to take time out but be the first to leave than to come back and risk getting stuck.”
Affinity
However, everything was built day after day, starting from the winter and continuing through the different races. Before the Giro d’Italia, Consonni and Milan had 12 days of racing together behind them.
«These dominated sprints – he further analyzes – come from a long period of testing. They do sprint after sprint from Valenciana, they passed through Tirreno and arrived at the Giro. The strength of a train is also the affinity created between the various “cars”. Lidl-Trek has invested a lot of time in this aspect, unlike us. They know perfectly well what to do and where to go. In the Cento stage they were perfect, their opponents can do little except exploit some mistakes, as happened in Padua. In my opinion, everyone is defeated against this Lidl-Trekalso Philipsen’s Alpecin”.
