00:00 [Music]
00:03 To your winner, Iliam Gautamay in a blanket sprint finish across the line.
00:09 [Applause]
00:16 You just needed the perfect wheel and you had it in the end so you must be happy with the win.
00:20 Yeah, absolutely. Today I think I felt sicker a bit and also decided to control the race with my team.
00:28 So, luckily there are other teams to control the race.
00:31 And like you said, this is the plan to find the perfect wheel in the last case.
00:38 So, I think we had a perfect wheel to start the sprint and in the end I think I have a place to win.
00:46 So, I'm super happy today.
00:48 There is a lot of things. A lot of things.
00:52 I'm still 23 years old. Just in 2022 was an unbelievable year.
01:01 Even if you are really one of the best riders in the world, you have this kind of result.
01:10 Because I have a world tour classic race, I have a grand tour victory,
01:17 I have different world tour stages, top 3 and some small races.
01:23 It's a really unbelievable race.
01:25 But everything comes really quick.
01:29 But 2023 was a year to learn and to improve a lot of things as a rider and as a team.
01:38 So, I think there is no losing, only learning.
01:42 I really only learned a lot of things, except the luck.
01:47 On cycling you also need a big luck.
01:50 I have a really good feeling on the Flanders classic.
01:55 Only that day I felt really good on all the classics, but that day I had a crash.
02:02 A really bad crash. It's really bad.
02:05 But if you see the other thing, in the grand tour, it's my first grand tour, but I'm still on the result.
02:12 Sometimes you need to improve really small details.
02:18 That's what I learned also from cycling.
02:21 Because if you lose 1%, you are out of the victory.
02:26 That's what I learned. Everything.
02:28 From 1% to 200%. I learned a lot of things.
02:34 Yeah.
02:35 I mean, that's also what we need to improve this year.
02:41 We learned and now we need to show what we learned and what we improved from the past, from now.
02:49 So, I hope we can do better as a rider and as a team.
02:53 I think together with my team we are strong.
02:56 So, we will do better results this year.
03:01 For example, this race, Down Under.
03:04 Because last year we copied almost the same as before.
03:07 Normally, it's a good start in Mallorca, but compared to last year, it was really bad weather.
03:16 Also, we couldn't train before the race because it's a really big storm and we just stayed inside the Rullos.
03:25 After that, on the other side, you go to Valencia, it's really warm.
03:31 It's something different.
03:35 Also, the other thing is that I need to have a balance between racing in Europe and then have time in Eritrea with my family.
03:44 So, that's why we chose Down Under.
03:48 I have a really good block of training and racing in Australia.
03:53 It means there is no way to stop training because it's always good weather.
03:59 I could train what I want.
04:01 Also, the race is really good weather.
04:04 It means I prefer better than cold and warm.
04:09 After that, for the moment, I'm lucky I don't have any jet lag.
04:14 I felt good, so that's also a good sign.
04:17 That's also what I want, what we want with my team.
04:20 After that, I have a balance of three weeks here and then back home around three weeks.
04:31 It means it's really good for me.
04:33 I have a good block of racing and then I go back home.
04:36 It's altitude, good weather, good training, preparation for the classics and for the Treno Adriatico.
04:43 I hope it will work.
04:46 I'm from last year and we don't need to waste any day of training.
04:51 That's why we plan it really well.
04:53 I've never been in December in Europe, never in my life.
04:59 After five years, this is my first time.
05:03 It's really nice, but I didn't expect to be like this weather.
05:06 It's really nice weather.
05:08 Also, a different atmosphere than January training camp.
05:11 Still, I see some riders with their former bikes and former stuff.
05:19 Also, you meet new people there.
05:21 It's really nice.
05:23 It's my first experience as a pro rider to train in December.
05:28 I really enjoy that, to be honest.
05:30 One week I'm there with some teammates of mine and we really enjoyed it.
05:37 This is what I mean.
05:38 I really enjoyed December camp.
05:39 I really don't know exactly how is the feeling on December camp.
05:44 People say, "Sometimes bad weather."
05:47 For me, it was really the best training camp I ever had in my life.
05:53 I really enjoyed it, to be honest, with all my teammates.
05:57 Also, the training, we really have really good training.
06:00 We have in December to do a scooter and the one-minute test, five-minute, ten-minute test.
06:07 It's something new for me because I never did it in December.
06:11 That's really nice.
06:13 Specifically, we have moto-tasting quite several times.
06:18 Also, spring training, like you said, not only for Down Under,
06:21 also with the other guys we race for all year.
06:27 We really have good feeling.
06:28 Also, now here I have Madis.
06:30 In training, almost all December we train in the same group.
06:34 We feel each other now.
06:37 Also, here we really have good communication, good contact.
06:40 That's a good sign.
06:42 We really have a good December camp with our boys.
06:46 You know, there is no secret.
06:50 Like all the big teams in the world, the team they do,
06:54 one group has to do almost all the year without any big change, except the luck.
07:02 That's also what we planned because last year we had a lot of bad luck.
07:06 Some guys sick before the Classic, before the Grand Tour, also the crashes.
07:12 But now we have one group, at least half of them, they have to race together.
07:20 Like as a spring training, if we need to improve, we need to learn on the races.
07:24 That means we need to race as a group, almost at least 80% of our race program.
07:34 This is what we do.
07:36 Mike is my last lead out.
07:40 We know everybody knows he's an experienced guy and a strong guy.
07:44 Also, I have Hugo Page.
07:48 He's the same age as me, so we can improve together as a team.
07:54 We can give each other a lot of ideas.
07:56 We also have Laurence Rex.
07:58 He's also a really strong guy.
08:02 He already showed how strong he is in the Classics.
08:06 For example, in Roubaix and other races.
08:10 Marius is also there. He's also young.
08:14 We have a really good atmosphere because we are on the same age, we have the same feelings.
08:20 We are also here to improve and show our potential.
08:24 These three or four guys are with me almost all the races.
08:30 That means it's really a good one.
08:32 There is not a big change, but still there is some change from last year.
08:36 I hope it will work also as a spring training.
08:40 Most of them can climb, they can give me a lead out on the uphill sprint.
08:44 We can also do not only Grand Tour, we can do the Classics.
08:48 That's a really good sign.
08:50 For the moment, I'm looking forward to starting my season in Down Under.
08:58 With good shape.
09:00 And then afterwards, we have the Classics.
09:03 That is also my main objective.
09:06 And after that, I have a big month ahead.
09:10 That means Tour de France.
09:14 After that, it's the Olympic Games.
09:16 I think that's not bad.
09:20 I think it suits me.
09:22 I have a really big calendar.
09:26 I hope we are planned really well for the training period, race program.
09:34 The first objective is everything.
09:36 (upbeat music)
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