He’s at least as good with the microphone as he was on a bicycle first and then in a flagship. Mark Saligariamong many others, has a special gift: he puts infinite passion into everything he does. A former Milanese professional, then a commentator for Rai Sport, we reached him by phone to talk about these first days of Tour de Francea unique edition for us given the departure from Italy – from Florence – for the first time in history: “It was a beautiful operation by the cities and regions involved, it is not easy to have the Tour and it certainly costs a lot of money, but in this case I think it is an extraordinary marketing operation – related to the territory.“.
What impression did Vingegaard make on you about San Luca?
“I didn’t expect Vingegaard to be in this condition, even though his team has repeatedly stated that they would only line him up at the start of the Tour de France if he was 100% fit. Yesterday he responded very well to Pogacar’s first acceleration, we’re only at the beginning and so we’ll have to evaluate as the days go by, but at the moment I see him in great condition”.
Could Vingegaard pay for the long layoff? Do you see a UAE better equipped than Visma?
“On paper, Vingegaard has a weaker team than UAE, but in reality I wouldn’t be so sure. When Pogacar accelerated on the San Luca, Vingegaard managed to keep his wheel well, thus putting the team in difficulty and becoming a duel between the two, a head-to-head. The formations are used to put the direct opponent in difficulty, but if they remain alone in the lead, the teams are no longer fundamental in that moment. Regarding the long stop, it is still too early to talk about it, we need to be calm and we will understand it along the way, but it is clear that in the event that the Dane were to have some shortcomings, it is right that he takes advantage of them now. At the moment it apparently does not seem to have affected the performance”.
Pogacar more wait-and-see: by choice or because the competition is not comparable to that of the Giro?
“Vingegaard gave him a couple of serious changes on the descent and then he wasn’t so convincing on the flat. Evenepoel instead came back alone with reasonable ease and is a decent opponent. The opponents at the Tour are not comparable to those seen at the Giro and therefore Pogacar will also find himself having to manage the race differently and the stress will also be greater. Yesterday I think Tadej slowed down so as not to let Vingegaard gain seconds on the work done by him and then not to waste too much energy, a slowdown that therefore allowed Evenepoel to come back on his opponents”.
Can Evenepoel fight for victory or is he not ready yet?
“No, absolutely no. He can fight for some stage victories, but not for a victory in a Grand Tour, or at least not when these opponents are there. She won the Vuelta, it was deserved, but the parterre was certainly not that of the Tour de France.”
Can Carapaz become the loose cannon?
“No, Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel are on another planet.”
Galibier will give us the first answers: what do you expect?
“I expect gaps of minutes, it will be a good challenge between Pogacar and Vingegaard and above all we will also have to see how long this heat will continue which we have seen does not cause problems for Vingegaard, unlike Pogacar”.
Did you expect something more from Ciccone yesterday? And do you think it’s right to aim for the polka dot jersey?
“I think Ciccone has realized what his limits are, he can race well and manage to win a stage and it would already be a great result for him.”
What could be a good opportunity for Bettiol?
“Bettiol is the loose cannon, any occasion can be a good one for him. Alberto’s only problem is continuity: he won the Italian Championship, but after the success five years ago in Flanders he has not been able to obtain other significant results. Flanders says that Bettiol has a great engine, but I believe that this engine must also be used and mine is not meant to be a criticism, but an observation”.
At the departure from Florence, on the Bahrain-Victorious bus, there was also Antonio Tiberi who we will see involved in the Vuelta: what do you expect from him?
“I hope he can have a good Vuelta. I didn’t understand why after the Giro d’Italia he raced the Tour of Switzerland, perhaps to try to take advantage of the conditions of the Corsa Rosa, his advantage for the Vuelta is the fact of not racing the Tour and therefore having the time necessary to prepare it as best as possible, then a lot will depend on the opponents it will find at the start. I think that Tiberi is a very interesting guy and that the Vuelta for him can be another test for himself and therefore have another confirmation. Unfortunately, however, our kids all have the same problem…”
Which?
“We have had, we have and will have interesting guys, but then along the way they get lost.”
What explanation do you give yourself?
“I honestly don’t know, you’d have to ask them directly.”
