HTC Highroad team motivated to chase Giro TTT win
Two years ago, his team-mate Mark Cavendish got the nod from team-management and was the first rider from his squad to cross the line in the Giro d’Italia’s opening team time trial in Lido. That earned the Briton the leader’s pink jersey in the race. This time round, the HTC Highroad team is aiming to once again be quickest, but is likely to favour his team-mate Marco Pinotti for the honour.
Pinotti, the Italian time trial champion, is a rider respected for his ethos and character, and his wearing of the Maglia Rosa would be a big moment. Italy is celebrating 150 years of unity and with this celebration being underlined by banners and posters everywhere, having him in the pink jersey would be huge publicity for the team. It would also be a just reward for a rider who often works quietly for others rather than commanding leadership status.
“If that happens, it will be a big gift for me,” said Pinotti to VeloNation, sitting outside on a sunny Friday evening after the team press conference. “We will talk and and decide without stressing each other. For sure it would be cool for me, but it is not a guarantee…the most important thing is that we have the best time.”
The 35 year old finished ninth overall last year and is satisfied with his form heading into the race. He’s followed the pattern set before, and hopes it will end up with a similar or better result. “I have done exactly the same programme as last season, although I skipped Critierium International as the team wasn’t doing the race,” he explained. “I had different results from last year – I was better in Tirreno and Romandie, but a bit worse in the Basque country. I think overall I am in the same position as last year, entering the race in good form and feeling confident.
“I don’t have the specific training for long mountains, but I didn’t last year either. My goal is to be in good form and once you have good form, you can handle all the climbs you race.”
Pinotti won the final time trial in 2008 and said that today’s TTT from Venaria Reale to Torino plus the concluding test in Milan will be two of his big targets. He’s won the national title five times in all, and will derive additional motivation from the public’s reaction to his maglia tricolore.
“I will wear the national team jersey in all the time trials,” he smiled, clearly proud at that. “I feel like one of the ambassadors of this sport in Italy, and I hope I can perform well in the Giro as it is the race I like the most.”
Amid talk that some riders are worried about the amount of climbing and how difficult this year’s Giro could be, Pinotti said that there is no need to panic. “I know it is hard, but if it is too hard, we just go slower. You don’t have to be scared, you just have to be confident and take it day by day,” he said.
“I did the Giro since 2005 and I can guarantee you that some editions were harder in the end. When the expectation of it being hard is too high, the riders enter the race a little bit more conservatively. In the end it is always a bike race, and I think everything will be fine.”