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Lead 'Em Out: The Guido Trenti Journal
Likeable 30 year old Guido Trenti was born in Italy to an Italian father and an American mother, so the Fassa Bortolo rider holds dual citizenship and a USA Cycling racing license. Trenti was proud to represent the United States last year in the world road championships in Zolder, Belgium. Trenti is known as a consummate team rider and his role on his new Fassa Bortolo squad in 2003 will be to act as key lead-out man for sprinter Alessandro Petacchi.
All's Well That Ends Well
February 24, 2003
Finally after a lot of winter training since November, we started the first race of the season; the Tour of the Med. The first stage started in Italy and it was not familiar to the riders at all... it was a nervous stage with two tough climbs and in fact, seven riders eventually got away on the stage. I finished up a bit behind; five seconds from the front group but it's normal at this stage of the game when I just don't feel that great on the climbs as I am still behind a bit from my ear infection. Bu this first race of the season will certainly help me find my condition. Then started the usual stage race program; after the stage, back to the hotel, shower and massage, dinner at 8pm and afterwards, a bull session with team-mates and other riders in the same hotel. Like good boys, we went to bed before 11pm. I was sharing a room with Pippo Pozzatto, a talented young rider who is good at listening and learning from the older, more experienced riders.
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We started the 2nd stage of the Tour of the Med and it was harder than the first. Since it was only a stage of 120km, we started very fast, like an amateur race. OK I realize we are only in February, but this was just too short for a professional race. Like Stage 1, I ended up in the "grupetto" with the sprinters and I guess we came in at least ten seconds behind the winner, but it was really cold (6-7°c.) so we all wore our winter clothes.
Stage 3 had two half-stages and I warmed up a lot for the first one, only 60 nervous km. We parted full bore and there were constant attacks but finally there was a big group of 70 to contest the sprint. Somehow, our sprinter Zanotti got dropped, so I went for it in the sprint and ended up fifth. It was a kind of crazy for me, since it was the first time since the Worlds last October I did a sprint finish. There were lots of tricky curves in the last few kilometers and the last kilometre was downhill. With some of the switching along the barriers at the end, I felt the adrenalin flowing but it worked out tutto OK!
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Stage 4 was the queen stage of the Tour of the Med; a tough stage for the climbers but not for me so I finished "tranquillo" on Mt. Faron. Saturday was the last chance for sprinters, so before the stage, we had a team meeting to discuss the stage. The diesse gave me the job of running the team train in the final and to be last lead-out man for our sprinter Zanotti. It was an important responsibility for my first race with Fassa Bortolo and I was pretty motivated. Everything went along normally until the last 20km, when all hell broke loose. In the last 3km, I went to the front with Zanotti on my wheel. We had a crosswind so I went really hard and we managed to make a good selection. It's not easy to communicate at 60km/hr but everything went great with Zanotti glued to my wheel.
At the last turn with 300 meters to go, we had a great shot to win the stage but maybe because he was nervous, Zanotti went too soon. I yelled at him to wait but it was too late and he was passed and got fourth. He admitted his mistake but thanked me for the work I did for him which was appreciated. Sunday was the final stage! It was a tough TTT stage; and with two tough climbs, not my kind of stage. We checked out the course in the morning then warmed up for 40 minutes on the home trainer to make sure we were well warmed up. I went as hard as I could and it all ended well since we won the stage with a great team effort.
Now I am off to Spain for Trofeo Puig & Vuelta Valenciana
Thanks for reading
Guido Trenti