The battle for leadership roles in the Italian national team has intensified with Elia Viviani (Team Sky) and Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Segafredo) both staking their claims to lead a squad that has not won a men’s road title since Alessandro Ballan and Damiano Cunego took gold and silver in Varese in 2008.
Viviani and Nizzolo have had very different campaigns in 2016 but their paths have converged in the second half of the season with both riding this week’s Tour of Britain and the subsequent Eneco Tour as part of their preparation for the world road race championships in Qatar on October 16. The course in Doha suits the sprinters and Italy have a deep squad without holding a standout favourite.
Along with Viviani and Nizzolo the Squadra Azzurra have Matteo Trentin (Etixx-QuickStep) – who has developed into one of the most accomplished riders in the bunch – and a strong support cast that includes Daniel Oss, and leadout men Jacopo Guarnieri and Fabio Sabatini. Daniel Bennati (Tinkoff) is expected to again be a key road captain.
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After his gold medal in the Olympic Games in Rio, Viviani has stepped forward with a bold but clear assertion that he would only travel to the Middle East if it’s to lead.
“If I go to the World Championships it’s to be the leader. If I’m not the leader then I don’t go,” he told Cyclingnews at the Tour of Britain.
Nizzolo, on the other hand, who is the Italian national road champion, appears willing to be part of a team that will have several options. He and Viviani agreed that clarity from the Italian national coach Davide Cassani was imperative and both riders pressed that whatever decision was made the team should ride accordingly in order to gain the best result possible.
“As far as leadership goes, to be honest we’ve not talked about it yet. I’m just focused on being there with the best form and then we’ll see. It’s crucial that we have a clear situation,” the Trek-Segafredo rider told Cyclingnews.
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