Marta Cavalli again on the Tour de France Femmes with nothing to lose
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Marta Cavalli (FDJ-SUEZ) began the 2022 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as one of many favourites after a stellar season however her ambitions have been brutally lower brief when she crashed out of the race on stage and it critically disrupted her season.Now, Cavalli returns to the Tour de France Femmes as considered one of seven riders in a robust FDJ-SUEZ line-up.
In an unique interview with Cyclingnews, she opened up concerning the crash that took her out of final yr’s Tour and troubled her for months afterwards, stopping her from getting the identical outcomes as in her break-out 2022 season when she gained the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Problem and completed runner-up within the Giro d’Italia Donne.
“It was a tough crash. I used to be fortunate as a result of the damage wasn’t so unhealthy in the long run, nevertheless it took a few weeks to know and see how I really feel. The restoration was actually sluggish after the concussion, and I needed to construct lots of confidence once more,” Cavalli defined.
“From that second we have been working actually exhausting to return again to the best degree. Now I can say that I’m actually shut, and I’m actually pleased to be again, however on the identical time, there are numerous small issues that we should enhance as a result of the extent is absolutely excessive now.”
Within the crash, the now-25-year-old Italian sustained head and decrease physique trauma together with a concussion. She returned to racing in October 2022, simply earlier than the top of the season, and Cavalli’s early 2023 season have been stop-and-go, taking a break after the UAE Tour and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earlier than racing the Trofeo Binda, then returning for the hilly classics in mid-April the place she had been so profitable the yr earlier than.
“Now we’re ready for the outcomes to have the ability to say, right here I’m, again at my greatest degree, on the highest degree of ladies’s biking,” she stated.
“At first it was up and down, throughout the winter we labored actually exhausting and thought all the pieces seemed okay. My form was rising step-by-step in two coaching camps with the staff, and all the pieces seemed good. However then after I went again to racing I form of hit a wall. All these months with out massive races or massive efforts, I feel I paid for that somewhat bit. My degree was very low.”
Within the UAE Tour, Cavalli misplaced 31 seconds within the echelons on stage 2, and it started even worse on stage 3 the place she began the Jebel Hafeet ending climb greater than two minutes down.
The staff confirmed on the time that Cavalli was nonetheless affected by the aftereffects of the crash, mentally greater than bodily.
“I used to be actually good on the climb, however I used to be struggling within the bunch and likewise mentally. I needed to construct confidence once more, and with excessive speeds and echelons, it wasn’t simple for me. However after that, we actually noticed that all the pieces got here again race by race, step-by-step. I simply wanted time to really feel the excessive degree once more, the joy within the bunch.
“I had preparation for the summer time, within the Tour Féminin Pyrénées I used to be capable of do climb and win on Hautacam, that was enhance of confidence for the Giro.”
Within the Italian Grand Tour, Cavalli was constant, however not fairly on the identical degree as the highest GC contenders and completed 14th general, supporting her teammate Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig who positioned sixth within the basic classification.
“After the Giro final yr the place I completed second, there have been lots of expectations, not solely from followers, not solely from the staff, but additionally from myself. Typically over the last months, it was exhausting to simply accept as a result of I can really feel that my degree was decrease throughout the spring this yr.”
Much less strain than in 2023
There may be an upside to not having as phenomenal outcomes as in 2022, although: This yr, there’s much less strain on Cavalli, and he or she feels that this freedom shall be a bonus for her.
“I’ve nothing to lose within the Tour this yr. I can solely win as a result of, except for the Tour Féminin Pyrénées, the great days on the bike within the races have been fewer than final yr,” she stated.
“I’m actually motivated to do one thing fascinating to repay the work we did. I felt over the last days of coaching after the Giro that all the pieces goes up, and my thoughts is free as a result of I can journey with out strain. I already gained a race this yr.
“The method to get again to the place I used to be in 2022 might take one yr, two years, we don’t know, however we maintain working, we maintain pushing, and particularly we attempt to maintain the motivation actually excessive. I shall be actually pleased if my Tour could be a success, not just for me, but additionally for the staff, if I will be useful for my teammates. I can set lots of objectives that can make me happy in the long run.”
FDJ-SUEZ are bringing a robust squad for the Tour de France Femmes as Cavalli is joined by Uttrup Ludwig, Évita Muzic, Grace Brown, Vittoria Guazzini, Loes Adegeest, and Jade Wiel.
“The principle thought is to play for the GC. Now we have three potential leaders, Cecilie, our first precedence, Évita, and me,” Cavalli defined.
“We’ll see the way it goes throughout the first three to 4 phases. We’ll attempt to take alternatives as a result of we don’t need to restrict ourselves. If the legs are good, we are going to attempt to go for the stage, and if we shall be in place within the GC, we are going to attempt to combat for that.
“For the second, the technique isn’t clear-cut, and in my view, it’s not good to choose only one purpose and go for that as a result of we noticed final yr that we had the one plan, and in two days all of it fell aside,” she expressed her desire for a extra open-ended technique.”
In contrast to the 2022 version, the 2023 Tour de France contains a person time trial in and round Pau to complete the race. In Cavalli’s opinion, this can be a good addition to the race.
“It makes all the pieces extra unpredictable after seven days of racing. And it is going to be our first expertise as a result of normally we have now a TT throughout the first two or three days, it occurs typically within the Giro, however now it’s actually far right into a Grand Tour.
“It comes after the Tourmalet which can already be a troublesome day for everyone. However we have now two good TT riders, Vittoria and Grace. For Vittoria, it’s her first race after the damage in April. However I feel she’s in a good condition and he or she shall be actually helpful for the staff. It’s at all times card to have a rider like her as a result of she will actually make the distinction within the staff. She’s actually sturdy, and he or she can be Italian, so I’m actually pleased that the staff chosen Vittoria.”
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