Alex Carera and his A&J All Sports, founded together with his brother Johnny, continue to grind out victories and triumphs. The crown jewel is obviously Tadej Pogacarbut there are several stars present in the agency of the Italian prosecutor interviewed by Francesca Cazzaniga for Sport2day.
On the Giro d’Italia: “It’s been a wonderful few weeks, not only for Tadej, but for our riders in general. Nine stages won, two trebles, sixty days in the jersey between Pink, Blue and White. Antonio Tiberi made himself known to the Italian fans and then there was the surprise Giulio Pellizzari. The Giro consolidated the goodness of our athletes at an international level. With Steinhauser who achieved a great success and with Andrea Vendrame who won a stage for the second time, then Pelayo Sanchez”.
On Antonio Tiberi: “Bad luck is part of sport, for Tiberi there was perhaps too much of it in the second stage arriving in Oropa. At that moment it was too early to give any significance to what happened. Without those two minutes lost he could very well have fought for the podium with Geraint Thomas. He is young, I am more than convinced that we will see him as a protagonist in the future.”
Then obviously the discussion shifts to Pogacar: “In addition to being respectful of his opponents, he is also respectful of the staff. He is a very smart person, he understands the people he is dealing with. With him you have to be transparent and professional. He is an example for the younger ones. He is to cycling what Michael Jordan was to basketball, what Roger Federer was to tennis and what Tiger Woods was to golf. He drags the fans, he drags the little ones. The great rider brings enthusiasts together, Tadej has brought together people who don’t traditionally follow cycling.”
On an economic level: “His value has doubled in the last two years, he has a number one value. I don’t want to do numbers because they circumscribe an absolute value. But he continues to grow.”
A future in the Corsa Rosa? “The Giro d’Italia left him with a lot of warmth from the people. From start to finish there were thousands of people along the route who mentioned his name. I’m sure we’ll see him again at the crime scene.”
And now the goal Tour de France for the double: “From the beginning of June he went to Isola 2000 together with the team. He will not compete in the national championships, he will remain in retreat as much as possible, to rest and to maintain his best condition. He leaves Florence on a ride that will hopefully take him victorious to Nice. We know how difficult it is and the proof is that the last person who succeeded was Marco Pantani.”
