Italian rider looking forward to returning to racing in Canadian WorldTour events
Although he admits that it will be emotional to finish up on his time with HTC Highroad and that he will miss the squad, Italian rider Marco Pinotti has also said that he is looking forward to racing with the BMC Racing Team next season.
The American ProTeam announced yesterday that the five-time Italian time trial champion and US talent Tejay Van Garderen would both come on board, racing alongside Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, current world champion Thor Hushovd and top Classics rider Philippe Gilbert.
Pinotti explained what made him opt for the BMC Racing Team, saying that London 2012 was a big factor. “I had a few choices but I saw the team was growing fast in the last few years,” he told VeloNation yesterday evening. “The most important thing was to be in a team with a good technology, good equipment for the time trial, and I knew they had just released a new bike for the Tour. Next year there is the Olympic Games and I want to have the best tools at my disposal.
“There is also the environment – the team is growing fast and I know a few riders there. I think I will fit well in the team.”
Before then, the Italian’s big priority is to get back into good racing form. He hasn’t competed since crashing on stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia, breaking the acetabulum in his pelvis. He told VeloNation several weeks ago that he was hoping to be selected for the UCI WorldTour races in Canada, and tweeted this week that he had indeed been given the green light. The first of those races, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, will take place in one week’s time.
“Being there means that everything went according to plan, maybe a bit better than I expected,” he said. “I started training around the beginning of August…obviously the first three weeks was quite hard, to put in some decent riding. But in the last two weeks I have been working harder, doing less volume [but more intensity], to be at a decent level where I can help the team in the races. I am not saying I am ready to go for a win, but I feel ready to start the races.
“I think I am in a similar position to January when you have to go to the Tour Down Under. There are stronger riders than you, but you use it as a preparation race. You have enough form to start and to do something in the race, but not to be in the front in the end.”
After that, Pinotti will return to Europe and continue building his condition. One possible race programme is to go to the Tour of Beijing; another is to ride the end of seasons Italian Classics such as the Giro di Lombardia. His form in Canada will be a determining factor as to what route he takes, but he said that he’s simply happy to be competing again with the team.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to come back was to do as many races as possible, as I know I will miss the team tremendously,” he said, referring to the fact that it will stop at the end of the season. “I would like to enjoy the moments there are left with my team-mates. I didn’t want to leave the team with the crash and never wear the HTC jersey in a race again.”
A full interview with Marco Pinotti will appear soon on VeloNation