Andrea Pietrobon
The Cadorino ended the season in sharp decline, but could sign for the team of Basso and Contador
A 2021 started very well and finished prematurely. But a 2022 that could be in the Aeolus-Kometa jersey.
It is 2021, it could be the 2022 of Andrea Pietrobon, the long-distance climber (more climber than long-distance rider) from Tai di Cadore who in recent seasons has been one of the most interesting Under 23s in Italy, the first two years with the Zalf shirt , in the latter two with that of the Friuli Cycling team.
2021 should have been the year of the consecration but things did not go as they should. Better, they went as they should until May, then the light went out and the highlight of the season, the Giro d’Italia, turned out to be a failure. The pink race, which among other things had an important stage right on the home roads (the Cavalese – Nevegal), was in fact the last race for Pietrobon, who then competed again until July, but without finding the right pedal stroke.
There were then a few weeks without competitions, spent trying to understand the reason for the drop in form and trying to recover the condition. Without success. Hence the decision to put an end to 2021 and focus on 2022.
“I close this season with the awareness of having given 110 percent”, begins Andrea, who in the spring had taken eighth place in two very classics on the international calendar, the Piva Trophy and the Giro del Belvedere, and the second at Vicenza – Bionde, at the end of a very long two-way escape with the Russian Gleb Syritsa.
And he had also worn the blue jersey on two occasions: the Grand Prix Industria & Artigianato in Larciano and the Giro dell’Appennino.
«Everything was fine up to a certain point in the season, then very difficult months began: the bicycle, for which the sacrifices did not weigh on me, became an ordeal from love. I’ve come to the point where I can’t take it anymore. We have not yet found the causes of the decline in performance. The only certain thing is that continuing made no sense. So, we decided to stop for a month, to disconnect ».
“This period of great difficulty, I am sure, will still be very useful to me. From this darkness I will draw important lessons “, continues Pietrobon who adds:” Thanks to my team that has been close to me: everyone has been fantastic, like a family. And thanks also to my family and to all those who, even with a message or a word, made me feel their affection ».
There are still no certainties, but 2022 could be the season of Pietrobon’s debut among professionals. The jersey could be the blue one of the Eolo-Kometa, the professional team founded and led by Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador which last June made its debut at the Giro d’Italia by winning, with the Bolognese Lorenzo Fortunato, one of the most suggestive stages, the Citadel-Monte Zoncolan.
“Yes, I had contacts with Eolo-Kometa, a team based on young people and whose project is interesting,” says Andrea.
The future should lie in the formation of the two-time winner of the Giro from Varese and the Spanish champion capable of winning two Giri d’Italia, two Tour de France and a Vuelta a España. The conditional is a must, pending official status.
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