Switzerland is a postcard, beauty comes to your face when you least expect it in the same way as, as soon as the gradient of the climbs becomes bad, the runners find themselves without legs. Carì is located in the Ticino mountains at 1,655 meters above sea level, an enchanting place for excursions and winter sports. And that’s right in a greener spot than others that Adam Yates, after yesterday’s tasting, decides to attack. It is the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse and once again the UAE Team Emirates has taken control of the race, sucking in the escapees.
«Today upon arrival the very first words that Adam Yates said to me – says Gianetti in seventh heaven – were: “My goodness, what a team effort”. She said it a meter after arriving and not even thanking them, but saying it to me. The team did the work and he just finalized it. This is a beautiful spirit, which I like. Adam and Joao Almeida are amazing guys. They are not only truly phenomenal runners, but very intelligent people who are really nice to work with».
Yates and behind Almeida
Yates attacks like climbers of the past: he doesn’t know what high pedaling frequency is. When he gives the first shot, the first to hold it is Bernal. Then the Colombian gives in and gets under Mas, until both are caught by Almeida. They proceed like this, separated by a handful of seconds until the finish line. Yates first, Almeida second at 5″, Bernal third at 16″, Riccitello fourth at 18″, Mas fifth at 22″. The scenario of the two almost paired teammates is reminiscent of the identical scenario at last year’s Vuelta.
«We knew we wanted to do a fast pace – says the leader – the whole team worked really hard all day. At the beginning Ineos tried to push us a bit on the first two climbs, so we had to regroup. But then the boys were super strong. They controlled the breakaway and then we made a great pace towards the end. Especially with Joao (Almeida, ed.) we climbed really fast. And when they told me from the car that he was going back up, I turned and almost thought I’d see him go by. I know he’s in great shape too, we came here as equal leaders. So it was a fantastic day for the team.”
A mosaic called UAE Emirates
Meanwhile, tomorrow we will experience a scenario reminiscent of that of the Giro on the day in Livigno, but with due advance. The queen stage cannot be done due to snow and as an alternative a… 42.5 kilometer stage will be proposed. Despite the efforts, it was decided that the alternative route planned for the queen stage via the Gotthard and Furka passes is also not feasible. We will start from Ulrichen with the final climb of Blatten-Belalp which could still reserve attacks. Gianetti plays at home in these parts and once again, after the wonders of the Giro, he finds himself embracing the riders after a gigantic team effort.
«It’s a satisfaction – he says – after years of meticulous construction. Piece by piece, like a mosaic, each small stone is part of the overall design. The staff, the sports directors, the masseurs, the mechanics, the managers, the nutritionist, the chefs, the physiotherapists, the engineers, our partners… everyone! Everyone really puts something into making this mosaic a beautiful design. It’s beautiful because it’s the result of so much passion.”
The secret of friendship
Yates willing to make himself available to Almeida, then everyone available to Pogacar at the Tour. How is such an agreement built? Are high salaries enough to extinguish the ambitions of runners born to be champions? Gianetti listens. He was a runner. He knows what it’s like when you have the fire of victory inside you.
«This is the thing I am most proud of – says the Team Principal and CEO of UAE Team Emirates – because we created the team starting from young people. Perhaps one of the few additions we went on the market for is Adam Yates himself. But Almeida, Ayuso, Hirschi, McNulty, Bjerg, Del Toro and Pogacar himself are riders that we have shaped, also in the sense of friendship. We immediately want every rider to have the space to win, all our young people have already succeeded this year. You are young, but you don’t just have to work and this gives them an incredible boost. Have you seen the personalities Christen, Del Toro and Mark Hirschi himself worked with today? We insist on this aspect every day, to ensure that the children have respect for each other. So that everyone on this team has respect for others. We have to be together every day from morning to night, even in double rooms: we have to get along.
«We want them to have a very open, proactive mentality. Not critical, but proactive because we want to improve. I want everyone to be able to bring something of their own. We are the best team in the world because there are 140 people, including riders and staff, who do their best to make the team grow: themselves and the group. Runners feel this, perceive it. It is a club that we have built in a truly refined and detailed way and I’m really very proud of it.”
At the Tour for Pogacar
For this same reason they will go to the Tour to work for Pogacar: seven captains serving the most captain of all. How can you be sure that someone doesn’t leave with a dagger hidden under their shirt? Mauro smiles, the situation is under control.
«We have been clear since the beginning of the season – he smiles – indeed from before the rider signs the contract. “Do you want to come to us? Well, why do you want to come to us? What do you want from us as a team? We want this from you, but why do you want to come to us? We want to understand if we are the right team for what you want”. So it is important to clarify this aspect first of all. Then the season begins and in November Matxin does an amazing job, runner by runnerwhat their ambitions are and what they want to do.
«Okay, it’s clear, Tadej is at the Tour and we work for him: this is a given, so everyone knows it. And they know that if they want to find an opportunity to win, they will have to concentrate and identify the moment when they themselves will have the team available. It is the result of very careful and exhaustively discussed planning. From tomorrow Yates and Almeida will run parallel because obviously we don’t run alone. There are many opponents who will try to attack, who will try to make the race hard, difficult, complicated. So obviously we will have to race well, take advantage of this situation which sees us at the top of the standings. And if in the end one of the two is better off than the other, the situation will be accepted in a very serene way.”
