A year after netting third in the Plan de Corones time trial and finishing 13th overall in the Giro d’Italia, John Gadret is upping his goals for the days ahead.
The French Ag2r La Mondiale rider took his biggest career victory with a perfectly-timed attack at the end of yesterday’s stage, overhauling breakaway riders Ignatas Konovalovas (Movistar) and Daniel Moreno (Katusha) and hitting the line alone. Now he’s looking ahead, seeing what else he can achieve in the Italian event.
“The Giro hasn’t finished for me at all. In fact, the Giro is starting properly in two days,” he said yesterday evening. “Tonight I will celebrate with my team and by drinking champagne, but then we will all get back to work to try to be well positioned in the general classification.
“I have achieved my goal of taking a stage in the Giro. Now I'm thinking that perhaps a place in the top ten is within my reach.”
Gadret first came to prominence as a cyclo-cross rider, netting third in the French junior championships back in 1997, placing second in the Under 23 version two years later and then winning the Elite title in 2004. He also showed road racing talent when he placed second in the Manx International in 2003.
A stagiaire placing with Cofidis that season led on to a pro contract with Chocolade Jacques in 2004; he rode the Giro for the first time that year, but was over half an hour back in the general classification after stage three and did not finish stage four.
Things were much improved by the 2006 edition, where he took three top ten stage places. These included fifth on the Monte Bondone stage and sixth on the Plan de Corones, highlighting a strong climbing talent. He then showed consistency over three weeks when he placed eighteenth in the 2008 Vuelta a España; last year, his progression continued with five top ten placings in the Giro plus thirteenth overall.
Still, few expected him to triumph yesterday. In beating uphill finish specialists such as second-placed Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and Italian champion Giovanni Visconti (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli), he moved to a new level.
“At the end of this stage I had good legs and the team at my service and they did everything to put me in a good position to win,” he explained. “The two breakaway riders were just 12 seconds ahead of the peloton. At 300 metres it slowed down, and that point I decided I would attack and turn to look back only after I cross the finish line. I managed to take the advantage that allowed me to win. It was a beautiful victory for me.”
He crossed the line making a gesture which he later explained was a dedication to Wouter Weyland. The Belgian rider crashed on stage three of the Giro, suffering fatal injuries, and was buried yesterday. Gadret was never on the same team as him, but felt a common bond as part of the peloton.
“I am still in shock,” he said, echoing the sentiments of the bunch. “We riders are all thinking that this could happen at any time to any of us. I would not wish that on anyone, even my worst enemy. Cycling is a great family and that is why I dedicated the victory to Weylandt.”
Hoping for tough conditions ahead:
As a cross rider, Gadret is well used to racing in difficult conditions, both in terms of climate and also terrain. The Giro is heading back into the mountains on Friday and has an extraordinarily difficult final week. If he’s to push for a top ten finish overall, he’s got to ride well during those stages; he’s hoping that things are as tough as possible, as he thinks that would suit him.
“I may sound a little bit masochistic, but I hope that in the next stages there is a little rain,” he said. “Then, the race would become more technical and I would probably benefit from this.”
The technical demands would be particularly high if it was wet for the Monte Crostis/Zoncolan stage. It features unpaved roads in parts, as well as tricky descents, and his background could well help there.
Even though his road career is gaining pace, he said that he hasn’t any plans to abandon his winter sport. “Cyclo-cross is part of my life,” he explained. “It allowed me to move to the pro ranks. I did try to stop it at some point but it didn’t work at all for me. I need to train during the winter as a cyclo cross rider and then I get my results during the rest of the year in road races. So I’m not going to stop.”
Role model and Giro prediction:
With his shaved head, his ear-ring and his tattoos, Gadret is one of the most recognisable riders in the peloton. His style is also something that is a little similar to that of a more famous climber, and he confirmed that he was a big influence on him.
“Marco Pantani will always be a model for me. It was about his style and way of climbing…he was always out of the ordinary and that is why I look at him as a role model,” he said.
Because of that, emulating the Italian in winning a stage of the Giro will have made the moment more rewarding for him. Gadret would of course love to win the race, as Pantani did 13 years ago, but knows that he doesn’t have the ability to fight for the final Maglia Rosa. His goal will be to place as high in the top ten as possible.
For the final victory, he’s clear on who he thinks will wear the final pink jersey.
“I think Contador will win the Giro,” he said. “He showed how strong he was on Etna, and he is going to show everybody how strong he is in the days ahead.
“I saw how he attacked on Etna…he even made Scarponi’s wheel explode. He is quite impressive, he is the best climber in the world.”