We have already talked about the teams for the Giro Next Gen. And as always happens when there are no black and white criteria, the satisfaction of the guests corresponds – equally and oppositely – to the frustration of the excluded. Among those staying at home the names of Q36.5, Beltrami, Work Service and Hopplà stand out, while abroad the absence of Groupama stands out. Among those who were invited were the Arvedi Team and also Campana Imballaggi Geo&Tex Trentino. Two teams with a specific company name, close to the track, but which have not given particular signals in terms of ranking.
Arvedi and the track
Team Arvedi is an elite/U23 team that has been working since 2019 in close contact with the Federation’s track sector. Thanks to this they have Pinarello bikes and Castelli clothing available. The team features familiar faces such as the Olympic champion Francesco Lamon (member of the Fiamme Azzurre), but also Michele Scartezzini, plus Stefano Moro and Matteo Tugnolo from the speed sector. since they are all elite, their presence at the Giro Next Gen is not to be considered. Then there are some young athletes who do well on the road. Nicolò Galli, also a pistard, boasts a second place in the time trial in Porto Sant’Elpidio and fifth two days ago in Romanengo. Michael Cattani achieved a good second place in Curtatone, while Lino Colosio is a team man with fifth place in the Ciclismoweb Criterium.
«We are not a team that can have its say in the standings – explains team manager Massimo Rabbaglio – we have a young boy who can gain good experience and goes uphill quite well. He will be able to help them get to know each other better. Our Giro will be played by trying to take advantage of the fast stages, such as those in Borgomanero and Cremona. Due to our characteristics, we will try to do well in those two days and then we will consider having our say in some partial rankings.
«When we saw the stage arriving in Cremona, the headquarters of our sponsor, it is obvious that the possibility of being invited grew in our heads. So I made my request like everyone else did, I didn’t call anyone, I just made the request. Knowing that there was a stage that arrived in Cremona we could be invited, as happened last year for others.”
Does your philosophy foresee that you will remain tied to the track in the future too?
Yes, next year there should be some juniors who won’t have the track as a priority, but will frequent it. We will aim to rejuvenate the staff a little, also because it is foreseeable that after the Olympics there will be a turnover. In Paris we will have Lamon and we are happy about it, even if in a double role: as Fiamme Azzurre and as Arvedi. We also made a contribution to making Lamon Olympic gold, enabling him to train and run on the road too. The idea is to bring in someone who could be a probable Olympian for Los Angeles. It’s not easy, the road is long, but we can try.
Will Lamon remain with you even after Paris?
I think so, we’ve already talked about it. After the Olympics she will continue to run and in my opinion it can also teach a lot to the young people who might arrive. I don’t know if he will be a probable Olympian for Los Angeles, it seems a bit far away, also because he is thirty years old. But I believe that he will remain in the national team for the World Cups, rather than European and World Cups. I imagine that Milan, Consonni and Ganna will be recalled by their teams after Paris, so the commitment they will be able to dedicate to the track will be less. And Lamon can become a nice point of reference.
Does the lineup for the Giro Next Gen already exist?
Yes, certainly. There is Galli, who could aim for the first time trial. In Romanengo he finished fifth, where he had won last year, also achieving better values. So the idea is that he does a good Giro, to aim for the tricolor in the time trial. Then there are Galante and Colosio, who are two workers and therefore can try to escape. So Dante and Colombo who are two first year kids who have done well so far and will gain experience. The last one is Varroni, a long distance runner who will try to keep the Galli ahead of the situation.
People are whispering: someone says that you were invited to the Giro Next Gen because Arvedi may have made a contribution for the Cremona stage…
No, we as a society don’t. I don’t know whether the stage is sponsored by Arvedi as a company. In the sense that I haven’t seen any contracts. We as a society have done none of this. I didn’t talk to anyone, I just sent a request.
