SALORNO – The last doubts have been resolved and perhaps for Bora-Hansgrohe the choice of the formation that will be at the start of the Giro d’Italia was further forced. The idea of who to bring to the Corsa Rosa had already been clear enough for some time, but the collision of Lennard Kamna by a motorist at the beginning of April while he was in Tenerife to climb Mount Teide – curiously the same day in which Roglic fell violently in the Tour of the Basque Country – has shuffled the cards for the general.
The 27-year-old German, winner of the Etna stage in 2022, should have shared the captaincy with Colombian Dani Martinez, who could now have Schachmann as his deputy, while for the sprints you should focus on Welsford. At the Tour of the Alps, Bora-Hansgrohe brought more sacrifice riders than frontrunners, managing to show off with Gamper’s second place in the second stage won by De Marchi. On the sidelines of all this we had a chat with Francisco Javier (known to all as “Patxi”) Vila, returned to the German team after four seasons at Movistar. We made a little excusus on his idea of being a sports director.
In the flagship
For many technicians there are different ways of leading a training. The most direct is the one by car, from inside the race. Patxi Vila has returned to Bora and it seems that time has not passed.
«This year – says the 49-year-old Diesse, a native of Hondarribia – I got the call from Ralph (Denk the general manager, ed.) because Rolf (Aldag the boss of the directors, ed.) needed a sporting director more. I missed being in the flagship again. I am also part of the time trial development. The team is very good, I’m feeling very good and I’m happy. On the other hand, it was an environment I was already familiar with.”
New directions
At the Tour of the Alps the men in the standings were Higuita and Palzer, but the trip between Austria and Trentino-Alto Adige did not produce great final results. And at the same time, Roglic’s fall in the Basque Country did not create any domino effect in view of the Giro. The early year programs for the major stage races remain unchanged, as Gasparotto had anticipated.
“We’ve been very unlucky lately,” continues Vila. «At TotA we should have come with Kamna in preparation for the Giro, but considering what happened to him, we had to review our goals and make other decisions. In fact there weren’t many people who will do the Giro (to date only Koch, ed.). Furthermore, already in the first stage we lost Herzog, because he paid for a declining condition and an excess number of races. Of course the accident in Lennard wasn’t necessary, especially for him. He is recovering well and this is the most important thing.”
However, a race like the TotA or the Romandia close to the Giro can give different indications. «It depends a lot – he continues – on what is meant by preparation in the various teams. There are those who prefer not to run too much to arrive fresher, those who instead want to do a good block of races, perhaps with long climbs to better understand your form. It’s as if he used those races as training.”
The modern diesse
Each designer has their own style and Patxi Vila doesn’t know how to define himself, but the ideas are clear. «Perhaps I am the least suitable person to do this – he continues – I can say that our figure is changing, like all of cycling, and must adapt. Now I think we need sports directors with aptitudes that they didn’t have before: we need to be more refined and technical. In truth it must be said that now everything in cycling has been planned, with well-defined roles. Once upon a time there was only the masseur, now there is also the physiotherapist. Once upon a time, recovery methods took as long as they could. Now there is the mental coach.
«The modern director – explains Vila – must know how to make a presentation of the stage on the bus or interpret the athletes’ data. He must have skills in all these subjects to meet all the needs of the runner. Personally I feel comfortable, but I have been lucky enough to sit on all the chairs, from runner to preparation manager like at Movistar. It was all useful for my training and I’m putting it into practice».
All in a few seconds
The one who has to finalize all the team’s work is the sporting director, competing to do it almost instantaneously despite the pressure. There may be a mistake and it is not a crime to admit it.
«Now – concludes Patxi Vila – I am lucky enough to work with all these figures, hear everyone’s opinion and then make the final decision. We have obligations and responsibilities. Races have many evolutions and don’t always go as you expected. Just have the humility to raise your hand and say you were wrong. We teamed up through thick and thin.
«Confidence in your own means is fundamental, but also in the means of your runners and the staff of people around you. In hindsight it becomes easy for everyone to rethink what decisions to make, but in those moments we really have only a few seconds. We always take it thinking it’s the best, then things go as they go.”
