Marco Villa he returned from Milton, the Canadian venue of the last Nations Cup track event with a notebook full of notes, but above all with a very satisfied soul, aware that we have a group in our hands that will be able to give us great satisfaction in Paris. The UCI circuit was not easy to manage, with men and women present in fits and starts, but when the big names were there, the results always arrived.
In Canada, experiments have been carried out in the men’s field, also having to present a Viviani still bruised and shaken from the fall suffered in the Belgian classics. The girls were instead present in a typical formation and the results were so exciting that they made us dream of an Olympic perspective.
«We played well – admits the city (opening with the Paternoster) thinking about the second place of the girls in the quartet – the best teams were there, only New Zealand was missing which I think is the only one with us and Great Britain that can do 4’09”. I have never lined up the starting quartet by choice: the Pater Noster he had already played in the World Cup and European Championships, but I wanted to see him in action Consonni And Alzini to give everyone the chance to compete, also because the Olympic tournament will be long.”
What did the final with the English team presenting the type of team tell you?
That we can challenge them with courage, without being defeated. Even without Letizia, after 3 kilometers we were ahead and they had lost an element. Unfortunately we also lost him, Consonni didn’t hold up in her third match in a single day and the girls fell apart a bit. The tournament was contained in a single session, it could also be because we had a difference compared to the other teams.
Which?
I had the clear feeling that teams like Great Britain and France arrived in Milton well-tested, after targeted training sessions. Not us, the girls found themselves there after some time, given their commitments on the road. There Engagement she came to Montichiari on Friday before leaving for Canada Guazzini he had packed his loads but Alzini wasn’t there, when she arrived I didn’t have anyone to show her around with. Many synchronisms were missing, but this doesn’t worry me, in fact in this period and considering the contingent difficulties it is a good sign.
The situation seems identical to that of the men three years ago, when the boys were close but still inferior to Denmark. Then we know in Tokyo how it ended…
I am confident, if we have the opportunity to make them all work together we can do great things. At 4’09” we are already there with this situation, it means that we can do better. I was very impressed by Consonni e’s performance Balm without any specific training, as also from what Paternoster did…
Which seems to have really returned to its best levels…
I preferred that Milton focus on the omnium to get and give me answers. She had really good performances, she is closer to the strongest like Archibald And Valens. Certainly the activity on the road and above all the results obtained there have given her a lot in terms of confidence, I see her as more confident, she has finally put all the tribulations behind her. Even in her case there is ample room for improvement.
Paradoxically, Madison also gave positive responses, with Balsamo and Guazzini fourth after many technical errors, especially in the substitutions.
I want to see that race as a glass half full precisely because there are many technical details to fix. The sprint must be set at least 4 laps before, not in the last two and this concept has not yet entered the torque synchronisms. The last sprint saw Guazzini start from far behind and make a great comeback, but expending a lot of energy that would have been useful. We will review the films, we will work on what didn’t work, also looking at how proven teams like Great Britain and France move. I am an optimist.
Let’s get to the men. Did 5th place satisfy you?
That was our level, in the presence of teams with the typical formation and who had a sort of dress rehearsal for the Games. I would like to underline the performance of Japan, who still reached 3’48”, you can see how Gisiger is working well there too after what was done with Switzerland. To tell the truth, I expected a little more from Manlio Morobut it arrived with the Roubaix toxins still inside. For a young man like him it had been a great opportunity, I certainly couldn’t ask him to give it up.
In this regard, in Belgium we experienced the great fear of the falls of Milan and Viviani. How are you experiencing these weeks of Olympic approach, are you also afraid of injuries?
If I was afraid I wouldn’t go forward. Don’t forget that in general opinion it is the most dangerous track, where you fall and get hurt. It can happen anywhere, but I can’t wrap my head around it regardless. The runners must honor the commitments of their teams, I can only hope that nothing happens either when I am with them, or even when they train with us. Don’t forget what happened before Tokyo, when Milan he fell in training in Montichiari, not in a road race… It’s a normal approach, let’s move on with the day.
How will we work now?
Some will be busy with the teams, there are also those who will go to the Giro, with others we will spend a period at altitude. The same goes for the girls where I have actually planned an internship at altitude for all of them except Guazzini who will be doing the Vuelta. We’ll try to juggle as always, looking for all the right moments to work together until the final rush to Paris where we’ll take stock.
A final mention deserves Miriam Vece, who brought home two historic qualifications…
When I took over the women’s sector I immediately told her that she had to and could try, especially in the keirin who lived with great fears due to past falls. He worked on it, in Milton I saw his passes without fear among the opponents, something he would never have done before. She is improving, she always shows up in good position at the bell, I say she doesn’t go to Paris just to participate.
Tags: Villa Milton hopes fears
