The tour of neo-pros at Santos Tour Down Under continues with the discovery of the Italian Andrea Raccagni Novierowhich is perhaps the first cyclist hired from the outset in order to launch the sprints while this role held more from the retraining during the career of runners first predestined to win themselves (Mark Renshaw , Jacopo Guarnieri, Michael Morkov …). 12e From the second stage to Tanunda, in a massive sprint, the champion of Italy U23 against the clock, past of the development team of Soudal-Quick Step At the WorldTour group, will celebrate its 21 years this Sunday, January 26, Australia Day day, the national holiday (its birth day gives it a common point with Peter Sagan). We are likely to see him again, in the years to come, in the costume of the last man who will win Paul Magnierwhich is a priori the great French champion of tomorrow.
VIDEO – The summary of the 5th stage of the TDU in Willunga Hill
“I like to launch the sprints for others”
“I feel that it is a different Cycling from the one I knew in the U23 categoryhe said to Cyclism’Actu. We came to Australia with three runners about the same level in the sprint, Pascal (Eenkhorn), Casper (Pedersen) and I are also launchers. In the end, it was decided to make the sprints for me but it is not easy because we had never worked together before. We are in the experimental phase.
I hope that it will be for me the opposite of this transition from sprinter to launcher: for the moment, I like to launch the sprints for others and when I have the opportunity to work with Tim (Merlier) or again With Paul (Magnier) as in U23, but in the future it could be otherwise. Time will teach me if I can specialize myself as sprinter if I have to focus on the preparation of sprints. During the first part of this season, I will not run much with Paul because he will be on the Tirreno-Adriatico and Giro of Italia program while I will be rather on the classics of the.”
“The first Giro 2025 pink jersey is for Paul Magnier”
“I would really like to lead my career with Paul. He is a guy with whom I get very well well, also outside the races because he is very friendly, I always spend pleasant moments in his company. We talk to each other in English because I don't know French or him Italian. I think he really has the opportunity to achieve great things. He is already intrinsically one of the fastest runners of the Paloton Pro, he like me still lack experience at our age, which is normal. Once it is up to the point, it will be really very hard for others to win races.
From the point of view of character, he is already the successor of Julian Alaphilippe who is also very expressive and jovial, I was able to realize it by running the Tour de Slovakia with him before helas he changes his team . Physically, they are two different runners. Paul is really very very powerful. We will quickly see it at work at the highest level in massive sprints and certain classics. I wish him to take the first Giro pink jersey this year. I have not studied the profile of the first step but a hard journey and a potential arrival at the sprint, it promises for him“, He concludes.
Santos Tour Down Under – ranking of the 5th stage
Santos Tour Down Under – Provisional general classification after the 5th stage
Related News :