His Classics campaign looked to be on course for some big results when he won the early season Laiguegila Trophy in February and then snagged second in Roma Maxima in early March, but Filippo Pozzato’s form deserted him for the most important races of his spring.
Now, the Lampre-Merida rider is trying to get things back to where he feels they should be in the Presidential Tour of Turkey, which begins tomorrow.
Pozzato has been confirmed as part of the Italian team’s lineup for the race, and is eager to both chase results there and also to use it as a platform to push for success in the first Grand Tour of the season.
“I hope the Tour of Turkey will help me make it back on the right track after a Classics campaign in which I didn’t do well,” Pozzato said. “I still don’t know why.
“For me, it’s not a change of schedule. I had planned a long time ago to be in Turkey in order to prepare for the Giro.”
While the Italian will be the biggest name on the team, he is not the only one who can have aspirations of success. The squad will also include the fast Argentinean sprinter Max Richeze plus the Venezuelan climber Miguel Ubeto, who will both grab any opportunities they can. The lineup is completed by other solid names such as Davide Vigano, Elia Favilli, Luca Wackermann, Massimo Graziato and Andrea Palini.
Pozzato crashed out of last year’s Giro due to a hand injury, and wants to have a much better race this time round. Before then, he’s pinpointing good performances in Turkey and is also looking forward to competing outside Europe.
“I’m both a traditional cyclist, who loves the Classics more than anything else, and a modern man who loves to discover new horizons, especially in the East,” he said. “I’m fascinated by Asia.”