The first major stage race that Tudor Pro Cycling participated in was the Giro d’Italia. Among the ranks of the gods who led the Swiss professional on the roads of the pink race was Matteo Tosatto. He is at home at the Giro d’Italia, he has won three: with Froome, Geoghegan Hart and Bernal, while he stood on the podium twice with Carapaz in 2022 and with Thomas last year.
«I returned home on Monday – says Tosatto – and these days I’m a bit calm. The next commitments are not yet defined, but the team will be divided into many races, we will see which ones I will go to. I will certainly show up at the Italian championships following Dainese and Trentin, I believe it is essential to honor the race that awards the tricolor jersey.”
A new debut
As mentioned, the Giro d’Italia is nothing new for Matteo Tosatto, the difference compared to last year is the team with which he followed it. No longer Ineos, previously Team Sky, with which he had worked since 2017. But Tudor Pro Cycling.
«It was a nice journey – he tells us – after so many years with Ineos it was different, but always exciting. The Giro is the Giro, you always face it with the same mentality. The big difference is that with Ineos we set out to win, while with the Tudor the objective was to do well and perhaps take home a stage. We didn’t succeed, by a long shot. When asked for a balance sheet many say they see the glass as half full, I see it as full. We didn’t win, true, but we were protagonists considering that with Storer we managed to achieve a top 10 in the general ranking».
What was it like going from a team fighting to win the final classification to one that wants to stand out?
The mentality is always the same, I always approach races the same wayIt’s clear that without the worry of the ranking you tackle the stages differently.
How did you prepare for this Giro?
With the train to Dainese which was well equipped. In the mixed stages or with the possibility of a sprint we went flat out, in the others we tried to save our leg a little. Then Storer was good at always staying there and we tried to give him the right support too.
However, concentration is always at 100, even if you don’t aim for the rankings…
Clear. The fact of wanting to concentrate on the stages makes you calmer even if you then discover that every day is important.
What differences have you noticed in the management?
The big difference is that in an already established organization like Ineos many riders are already established champions. It’s different here, many guys were having their first experience in a grand tour. There is psychological work to be done, of support in times of difficulty.
What was your most difficult moment?
The beginning of the second week. In the Naples stage, which was extremely demanding for the sprinters, we managed to work for Dainese. Alberto took home an excellent fourth place and we were happy. Except that during the stage Krieger and Mayrhofer fell and had to withdraw. I remember that in the meeting before the stage from Pompeii to Cusano Mutri I worked a lot on the psychological aspect. I told the boys that even if there were six of us left, we could still have our say.
The best moment?
I would say the whole Giro, without presumption but relating everything to our possibilities. We were protagonists in the breakaways and achieved excellent placings. Storer went on the run in the stage arriving in Prati di Tivo and even once they were caught he remained with the leaders, finishing the stage ninth.
What have you brought to this team?
The mentality. We didn’t go to the Giro just to appear or to do breakaways for sponsors. We decided to attack when we knew we could take our chances. In Livigno, we went on the attack again with Storer, then he lost his legs in the last eight kilometres. We also entered the breakaway in Fano with Trentin who then finished sixth.
Then came Padua…
This is the example of what I was saying before. With the abandonment of Mayrhofer and Krieger we lost two important carriages of the Trentin train. Yet, even without them, three kilometers from the finish line we were ahead of the group pulling. Not a WorldTour team, but Tudor. Then Dainese took fourth in the sprint.
Positive balance sheet?
Positive, absolutely. Now we focus on the next objectives. We have the Tour of Switzerland which is the home race on which we are aiming a lot.
