Published September 20, 2005 01:00AM
A conversation with Giovanni Lombardi: Not quite ready to hang it up
If anyone knows the Madrid world’s road race course, it’s Giovanni Lombardi.
The 36-year-old veteran Italian lives in Madrid’s trendy Cheuca neighborhood, just around the corner from the finish line in front of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu soccer stadium.
The Team CSC rider was waiting for the Madrid’s world’s for what was expected to be his final race as a professional. He was intending to race in support of the Italian national team, ride straight through the finish line to his apartment, hang up his bike and officially call it quits.
Those best-laid plans were dashed after he recently signed
By Andrew Hood
Riding for Italy, Lombardi will nonetheless be on home turf in Madrid
Photo: John Pierce-PhotoSport International
If anyone knows the Madrid world’s road race course, it’s Giovanni Lombardi.
The 36-year-old veteran Italian lives in Madrid’s trendy Cheuca neighborhood, just around the corner from the finish line in front of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu soccer stadium.
The Team CSC rider was waiting for the Madrid’s world’s for what was expected to be his final race as a professional. He was intending to race in support of the Italian national team, ride straight through the finish line to his apartment, hang up his bike and officially call it quits.
Those best-laid plans were dashed after he recently signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Team CSC through the 2007 season in part to try to help Ivan Basso win the Tour de France.
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Lombardi was the set-up man who sprung Mario Cipollini to the world title in Zolder, and he’s expected to line up for the Italian team, riding in support of Alessandro Petacchi.
VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood sat down one evening with Lombardi during the Vuelta a España to talk world’s, Cipollini and life with Basso. Here are excerpts from the interview:
VeloNews.com: Everyone says the route will come down to a sprint, what do you think after examining it?Giovanni Lombardi: I did an interesting test before the Vuelta. I rode 240km on a long training ride, then I rode back into Madrid and rode two laps on the course. Though it is harder than Zolder, I am convinced it will conclude in a mass sprint.
VN.com: After seeing the course, who are the favorites for victory?GL: It’s a world’s for a sprinter who knows how to win a classic. Riders like Zabel, Petacchi, Boonen, riders who have proven they can win a sprint after a long-distance race.
VN.com: What are the unique characteristics of the course?GL: Well, first it’s in the heart of a large, urban city, that’s certainly unique. The course is pretty easy from a technical sense. The roads are wide, there are few corners. The second climb on the course is pretty hard and will be a factor after 250km. It’s kind of a false flat.
VN.com: But you don’t think the course is hilly enough to spring a breakaway?GL: It’s still a small climb. You can gain maybe 5-6-8 seconds, but no one will be able to hold that to the finish line against the collective interests of several teams working for a sprint finish. The final climb is still like 8km from the finish.
VN.com: Italy will ride with only nine riders rather than the accustomed 12 or 13 the team has enjoyed recently, how will that change the race?GL: It’s new, but you can’t say if it’s good or bad. It’s the same for every team, so no one will be at an advantage or disadvantage. Perhaps it’s more of an advantage for the smaller nations, because it will change the tactic and jobs for the riders on the larger teams.
VN.com: You sprung Cipollini to victory, will you have the same role in Madrid?GL: I won’t be the set-up man. Petacchi should be able to count on a man who has his confidence. That could be Marco Velo, a rider from his own professional team. He’s been on Velo’s wheel for three years and that counts for a lot. Being confident in your set-up man is the most important thing for a sprint. Cipollini had his confidence in me in 2002, but we were teammates as well.
VN.com: Italian national team coach Franco Ballerini seemed unsure about Petacchi until he won some stages in the Vuelta, he will be team leader, correct?GL: What’s sure is that Petacchi and Bettini will be the leaders, the other seven are still to be selected. It was important for Ballerini to see Petacchi was up to the job. He hadn’t raced since the Giro and then he crashed in the HEW Cyclassics, so Ballerini needed to be sure before he went to build a team around Petacchi. And Petacchi needed to prove to himself he was back in top shape. Petacchi has demonstrated he’s strong and deserves to be the captain. Cipollini did the same thing in 2002. He won three stages in the Vuelta and now Petacchi is doing the same thing.
VN.com: Are you under any pressure to demonstrate something at this Vuelta to earn a spot?GL: Ballerini and I are very close. He asks my opinion on things, but I never forget my role as a rider. If I go well, I think I will have a spot, but I cannot demonstrate too much by going away in some foolish breakaway because I have a team that pays me and we’re here to support Carlos Sastre. Ballerini and I are so close that he trusts my opinion. He knows that if I say that I am strong, he’ll trust my word.
VN.com: Are the other riders confident in Petacchi?GL: To tell the truth, we didn’t trust him in Zolder. He was just coming up and getting some success, but there were some serious doubts about his ability to do his job. He was the man before me, so his work was very important. In the end, he did a great job in Zolder. You have to remember, it was Bettini who hit the wheel of Freire on the last corner, so Bettini was out of position. So Petacchi did the work of two men, of Bettini’s and his own. He was super strong that day. He deserves the support of the national team in Madrid.
VN.com: So your retirement plans have been put on hold, huh?GL: Yes, it seems that way! Ivan wanted me there with him as he goes for the Tour. He has a lot of confidence in me. I have a lot of race experience and he likes to have me around. Basso and I are good friends, so that’s important to him.
VN.com: So you must be still excited to be a professional if you’ve signed for two more seasons?GL: I wanted to finish my career with a big team and race in the world’s in my home town, Madrid. Then things changed over the season. The illusion the team has given me; it’s changed my idea about retirement. I feel like I am wanted and needed by the team, and this motivates me greatly. When they offered me two more years, I couldn’t say no.
VN.com: What will your objectives be in the next two seasons?GL: I’m here to help Ivan Basso win the Tour de France. He has clearly demonstrated he has the abilities and sacrifice to win the Tour and I believe he can do it in the next two years. This has given me even more motivation to work hard.
VN.com: You’ve worn a lot of hats in your career, from a track racer, to a sprinter, to a top set-up man and now a veteran road captain for Basso, an interesting transition?GL: Well, I never planned this career. The things have changed over time and I’ve been able to adapt. Some riders cannot adapt and they lose their place. I started racing on the track (he won a gold medal in the points race in the 1992 Barcelona Games), then I was working for Maurizio Fondriest in the 1990s and went after some of my own wins. Then Erik Zabel picked me to be his set-up man for the sprints. Remember, I was on the teams when Jan Ullrich won the 1997 Tour and the 1999 Vuelta. Then I rode in support of Mario Cipollini for three years. 2002 was my best year of my career. Now I am changing again to help Ivan.
VN.com: How are you changing to help Ivan?GL: I’ve had to transform myself physically. Working with Zabel and Cipollini, I had the body of a sprinter. My job was to set them up for the sprints, to ride in a full sprint until 150-200 meters to go. Now I am changing myself from a set-up man to someone who can help protect Ivan against the wind, to help on the small climbs, to be a confidante. Since December I’ve worked hard, from being more explosive to becoming a better climber.
VN.com: That’s something similar to what George Hincapie has done in support of Lance Armstrong; maybe you will win a mountain stage at the Tour?GL: Hah! I don’t know about that. George is a great rider and he didn’t have to change as much as I would have to!