Italian sprinter performing well on the boards
On the back of an excellent pro road debut with Liquigas which saw him victorious in the Memorials Pantani and Vandenbroucke, Elia Viviani has returned to his first love: track racing.
Velo Nation caught up with the rapid 21 year-old Italian during his impressive performance at the recent 40th edition of the Six Days of Grenoble.
Viviani lead partner Angelo Ciccone and French sprint specialist and world 200 metres record holder Kevin Sireau to an all-comers flying start record for three laps of the 210 metre Grenoble track with 34.958.
This prompted six day top dog, the Swiss rider Franco Marvulli, to suggest that Viviani would be well in the running for a top spot in the following weekend’s European omnium championship. He indeed rode strongly there, netting fourth in the kilo and sixth overall.
However he’s also making a mark on the road, using his fast-twitch fibres and track speed to pick up a number of wins in what was his debut season with Liquigas.
Prior to starting with the team, he nabbed a stage of the Vuelta a Cuba. After switching to the acid-green jersey, he took stage 7 of the Presidential Tour of Turkey, fourth on a stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux, victory in the Memorial Marco Pantani and second on stage two of the Circuit Franco Belge.
He then clocked up one more win before the end of the road season, winning the Binche – Tournai – Binche / Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke event. Those performances bode well for 2011, when he wants to ride his first Grand Tour and, of course, add to his growing tally of victories on road and track.
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VeloNation: Elia, first off – how did you get the contract with Liquigas?
Elia Viviani: I was already in their Under 23 team and moved up to the Pro Tour squad.
VN: You won a stage of the Tour of Cuba way back in February and were still winning at the Memorial Vandenbroucke race in October – that’s a long season!
EV: The Tour of Cuba was with the Italian national squad as part of my build up for the world track championships. I didn’t start to ride for the Liquigas team until after the Worlds. I’m currently doing a month on the track – this race and the European Championships. After that I’ll have a rest, then build up for the2011 track worlds.
VN: You rode four events at the 2010 worlds – that’s a lot.
EV: Too much! But that was the national team who organised that.
VN: So what’s the plan for the the 2011 track Worlds?
EV: Well, with the disappearance of the distance events at the Olympics, I’ll be concentrating on the omnium; that’s my focus.
VN: Why go to the road?
EV: I always saw my future on the road but I like the track – it’s good preparation for the road. I enjoy the sixes but wouldn’t ride a complete winter six day programme, it would be too much.
VN: Liquigas must be an inspiring team to be part of?
EV: Of course! It’s been a great season for the team with Ivan Basso winning the Giro and Vincenzo Nibali winning the Vuelta.
I’ve learned a lot from both of them and Liquigas are good with me. There’s no pressure and they let me pursue my track career.
The sprinters, Daniele Bennati and Francesco Chicchi are leaving the team for 2011 and this will give me more opportunities to win.
VN: Have any of the older riders taken you under their wing?
EV: Liquigas help all the young riders and Basso and Nibali are good mentors. But the rider who has helped me most is Chicchi…we share the same characteristics and he has helped me a lot.
VN: Who were your inspirations as a young cyclist?
EV: When Marco Pantani won the Giro and Tour in 1998, I remember that very well – and of course, as a sprinter, Mario Cipollini was a favourite of mine.
VN: Which type of sprinter are you – do you favour a ‘train’ or find your own way, like McEwen?
EV: I’m not the kind of sprinter who wins out of 200 guys. But I can climb, so I’m best when it’s down to maybe 40 guys.
EV: Which race would you most like to win?
EV: Every Italian rider dreams of winning Milan – San Remo but I like the Northern Classics, also. I like to race in Belgium and Holland, although I think that I am too light to be suited to Paris-Roubaix.
VN: Which victory gave you most satisfaction this year?
EV: The Memorial Vandenbroucke because it wasn’t just down to a sprint – I was in very good shape and proved that I was the strongest.
VN: Will we see you in a Grand Tour in 2011?
VN: It depends on the big riders’ programmes – Ivan Basso will require the whole team behind him for the Tour.
For me it’s between the Giro and Vuelta – I think probably Spain.
VN: Finally, what do you do in your free time?
EV: At the moment, I spend most of that on the track!