«Viviani in the road test is a hypothesis on the table. There is maximum collaboration between the technicians, we continue to have meetings all together regarding road, track and time trial not only for the Olympics. Let’s see how everyone’s preparation continues, how the races continue, including the Giro d’Italia…”.
Roberto Amadio, with whom we had already spoken about Olympic call-ups, responds after stating that the deadline for athletes to register for the Olympics is July 7th. The technicians therefore have until the end of June to make their assessments, but at this point we need to take a step back.
In the last interview with Elia Viviani, the Veronese made it clear to us that he would not do the Giro and that consequently his preparation for the Paris omnium would have been that of a pure pistard. Everything from his words suggested that he could be the reserve for the four starters of the quartet.
The Danish turning point
A few days later, Denmark announced that To allow Morkov to defend his Madison Olympic title, they would also call him on the road, given that the limited quotas of athletes require participation in more than one specialty. The Danes, like us, are aiming for quartet gold and Morkov evidently doesn’t offer the necessary guarantees.
At that point, in the April 15 editorial we asked ourselves if by moving one of the pistards to the road, Villa would not have had the chance to call up an extra man for the quartet. It wasn’t a question by chance: we know that the times recorded by Manlio Moro in the team pursuit are very respectable, so by moving Viviani also in the road test, an opening would be opened for him. Even the Gazzetta dello Sport joined the dots and started talking about it a couple of days ago.
The theme is important. At the Olympics you look at the medals and not where they come from. It is clear, however, that by running the road test with only three men, what guarantees will Bennati have if Elia is unable to do the Giro d’Italia? The 2019 Viviani would have been the first choice for the Paris route, but those years are long gone. This is why we called Amadio, the national team manager.
We remain in the field of hypotheses, sticking to the few objective data. You talked about the Giro d’Italia and Viviani won’t do it. Would he travel just to sign the departure sheet or with legitimate aspirations?
It is logical that in the event that he races on the road, he will be ready. Unlike what happens with the quartets who start two days after the road race, with the omnium we have almost a week to get back to the pedal stroke of the track. The tight times are the reason why it would be problematic to field Milan and Ganna in the road race. Pippo, on the other hand, does the time trial and has almost nine days to recover. It is clear that as a Federation we make concrete assessments on the best prospects for achieving results. Also because we also have the qualification in Madison and we cannot present ourselves with those who have never done so. Anyway these are evaluations that I am doing together with the technicians. And then, as I said, after the Giro, between the end of June and the beginning of July, we will draw the line.
So if you were to decide for Viviani on the road, would it be possible to intervene on his preparation? Is Villa in contact with Cioni for this aspect?
The fact that Elia has to run a stage race before Paris, which however will not be the Giro, will be useful regardless of the possibility of racing the road. The omnium consists of four tests, one every two hours, and the American one also lasts 50 kilometres, so you need to have a good background. In the vast UCI calendar, I believe that Ineos will certainly find the most suitable race, comparing himself with Elia and Villa, to understand what the best solution is. Regardless of what the program will be.
Still remaining in the field of hypotheses, you Elia raised him at Liquigas, do you think he would go for the road race just for the honor of signing or as always would he strive to bring out the best?
He would be 100 percent committed, I don’t even question it. And Bennati also knows very well that in this eventuality he can rely on us. We all know Elijah. It is clear that here we return to a discussion of planning the Olympic calendar, which presents problems, not only for men, but also for girls. We have a Balsamo who could be a protagonist on that path, as well as in the quartet. Here too we will certainly have to make targeted choices, trying to understand whether to do both tests or choose one. In the end she is always the professional athlete, like Viviani but also like Elisa, who understands how far she can go and what she can do. I also have a lot of trust in them and we talk about it calmly at every opportunity.
Just Wednesday at the Liberation Grand Prix, the city of women Sangalli told us that in ten days she will go to Paris with a group of athletes so that they can evaluate the route. Shouldn’t Bennati and Viviani do it too, in your opinion?
This is a program made by Paolo (Sangalli, ed.). I believe that Daniele knows which names to choose from, so going with the athletes is a decision that he has to make. However, I believe he wants to wait a moment, understand the Giro and above all who will do the Tour. Why In my opinion, the Tour is an almost obligatory step for anyone who wants to win the Olympics. It’s done perfectly, it ends a week early. And then there is also a difference in the way they run between men and women.
Meaning what?
I saw in Liège last Sunday, which up to 20 kilometers from the finish line there were still 40 girls playing it and Liège is a tough race. So I find it correct to evaluate the route with the athletes, precisely because it is another type of interpretation and development of the race. The possibility of a small group of about fifteen elements arriving in the sprint is very real, unlike men among whom in my opinion there will be a much more defined selection. Certainly the usual phenomena will be there to fight, but in my opinion we are not talking about 20-30-40 runners arriving in the sprint.
In fact, it is not easy to put yourself in Bennati’s shoes, who can only choose three men and perhaps will wonder at what level Viviani can compete.
But here we return to the discussion the Olympics is an event that goes beyond the technical discussion, unlike a European and a World Cup, where the choices are aimed at obtaining the best in the individual tests. Here is a cauldron in which we have to manage a limited number of athletes to do a certain number of specialties. Let’s not forget that France went to Tokyo with Cavagna, who did two kilometers in the road test and then stopped, as he was only aiming for the time trial. What we need to make people understand is that the Olympics go beyond the common discourse we are used to. But we are thinking about it, we are working on it, we have already held several meetings and we are moving forward on all fronts.
