Fondriest and the Marmolada. “Very hard climb I came to hate it”

The former world champion comments on the stage on the Fedaia on Saturday. “Now technology helps runners, before it wasn’t possible to climb so much”

BELLUNO

A battered leg and that uphill straight that never ended: an afternoon of fatigue that Maurizio Fondriest has not forgotten, 35 years later, so much so that he exclaims: «The Marmolada? I hated it. “

The return of the Giro d’Italia on the Marmolada is a blow to the heart of the former Trentino cyclist. Indelible memories, linked to his first year as a professional.

It was 1987 and that stage arrived in Canazei, after a passage on the Marmolada full of fans: 35 years later what stage do you expect?

«The ascent of the Marmolada in the first part is spectacular. The passage to Sottoguda is very beautiful, then from Malga Ciapela the road changes. It becomes difficult to deal with. The long straights with steep slopes are tough to deal with, more psychologically than legally. The hairpin bends help, you look for the next one, transforming it into a small goal to reach. The straight causes you to lose reference points. The last part of the ascent is like this ».

How has the pink race changed in recent years?

«Today it is more difficult, the stages are very hard. Unthinkable in my time to do all these mountain stages. Bicycles have changed, modern ratios allow you to tackle any climb. In my day we used to climb the Marmolada with the 42/25, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, which I remember as another steep and very hard climb; there was Battaglin who went up with the “triple”. Today, in the last week of the Giro, only mountain stages are concentrated, one after the other and one harder than the other. In my day there were also one hundred kilometers of time trials in a stage race, today there are two time trials if all goes well, three at the most ».

Choice dictated by the spectacular nature of the mountain?

«Of course, a mountain stage allows the fans present on the side of the road to enjoy the spectacle of the Giro in a lapse of time, between the first and the last, which reaches up to half an hour. The rest is done by the landscape. A mix that tempts people to crowd the climbs two days before. The spectacle of today’s cycling lies in the mountain stages, but all of this is made possible by the technology that helps the riders a lot. Today the climbers are favored for the final victory. People like Moser or Saronni, champions of my time to name a couple, would never have won a Giro like this ».

Staying in the Belluno area, is there a climb that Fondriest remembers with pleasure?

«The Giau. I did it for the first time in 1989 with the world champion jersey on. We reached the top and we found a heavy snowfall to welcome us ».

Speaking of the present, that Giro is the one who is about to experience the final rush?

«Having said that Carapaz is the big favorite, it will be necessary to see what gaps there will be before the departure from Belluno. The stage of the Marmolada could say a lot and nothing. In the event of a gap of more than two and a half minutes there will be no space for attacks from a distance, the music could change with more contained gaps. We must not forget that in the final stage of Verona there is a time trial that could upset the cards on the table. I really liked the stage in Turin, the only big city in Italy that allows you to combine the city walkway characterized by incredible crowd wings with the mountain ».

And what moment does Italian cycling live in?

«The generational change is missing. With Nibali on the road to sunset, there is no Italian cyclist on the horizon capable of establishing himself in a great stage race. There are several good athletes, I mention Ciccone as an example that I like, but he is not yet ready to win a Giro, a Tour or a Vuelta ».

And what does Fondriest do today?

«I started to follow some young cyclists for some time. Buitrago is doing very well, I see myself in him. Nicola Conci is also a promise. We need young people to continue to excite the cycling people ».