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Pietro Caucchioli, Crédit Agricole

8 July 2005

Giro d'Italia to the Tour de France

 

Pietro Caucchioli is one of the nicest cyclists around. Having spent the last few years with the Italian team Alessio, this year he made the switch to the classic French Crédit Agricole squad. For 2005 he took a leadership role in the Giro d'Italia and will be hunting for stages in the Tour de France. Pietro's past includes Giro successes and his future holds even more. BiciRace.com had the pleasure to speak with this rider from Verona, enjoy.

 

Una Bambina Caucchioli

Pietro Caucchioli:  Ciao BiciRace!
BiciRace.com:  Ciao Pietro. Do you have time now for a quick chat with BiciRace.com?
PC:  Sure!
BR:  Great! So, how are you doing? You've been busy!
PC:  Oh, yes. Yesterday I did the Italian championships. I was in the first group but I couldn't do the sprint, because I'm not a sprinter so... And tomorrow I leave for the Tour de France. Wednesday we will practice as a team for the TTT. Afterwards we are going to the start of the Tour.
BR:  Will you miss your little girl, your new baby?
PC:  Yes, I will. She is doing OK. She sleeps through the night and only asks for milk twice during the night. She's a beautiful baby. I have seen your website, and read about how you mentioned my baby in your news. I was very happy when I saw that. Thank you very much.
BR:  Niente.

The Crédit Agricole Team

BR:  How are you feeling for the upcoming Tour de France?
PC:  I have a lot of motivation because I want to dedicate a victory to my wife, because she is the person who made my daughter and I want to do something nice for her. I am not a GC rider, so I will try to do a stage in the mountains. My motivation is to try to win a stage to dedicate to my wife.
BR:  Very nice.
BR:  What are some differences between a French and an Italian teams? How they operate, etc.
PC:  I love my French team, because they love cycling. The organization and everyone is here to help me and to try to get the maximum from me. They want to speak with me, they want to know if I have a problem, if I have the motivation, or if I need anything from the team. It's a very good team for me.
BR:  How do you get started working with Roger Legeay on Credit Agricole?
PC:  Because my manager spoke with him last year in the Tour de France. They needed an Italian rider for the Giro d'Italia. It was a good opportunity for me because I would like to ride for a team like this because in Italy I don't have the same importance. If I raced for an Italian team, I would be a domestique, but on my French team, I can I be a leader. I want to show people that I can be a leader and finish at the top. In 5 or 6 years I can be a domestique, but for now, I want to be a leader.
BR:  You finished 11th in the 2004 Tour de France. What will your goals be this year at the Tour? Will you try to get a top 10 overall finish? Or will you go for stages?
PC:  Well, this year in the Giro d'Italia, I wanted to try to do the maximum. I wasn't very lucky because I had 2 punctures - one in the TT and one in Pistoia. I was also sick during the last week. So now, I am really trying to get focused for the Tour de France. And also next year I will try to do the maximum Tour de France and not the Giro d'Italia.
BR:  Will you also try to help Christophe Moreau with the GC?
PC:  He's going for GC, but my race is free. I have to stay at the front and try to do the maximum for myself, not for Christophe. If he needs something, I can help him, but I have to do the best for me, to race my own race.
BR:  Are there any specific stages that you will be going for?
PC:  I like the stages on the Alps and Pyrenees and there are also a lot of stages that could turn into a breakaway. Armstrong has a very strong team this year and they can work to keep the breakaways from happening, and this is the problem. We will try to do the maximum to win a stage.
BR:  There is an American on your team, Saul Raisin. He also writes for BiciRace.com. Have you had a chance to meet or race with Saul?
PC:  I have never raced with him, but I met him at training camp. I saw him in the winter, but I have never seen him in a race. I have seen his diary on your website.

Early On, A Young Caucchioli

BR:  How did you get started in cycling? Are there other professionals in your family?
PC:  I am the only one in my family. I started to race when I was 6 years old. My grandfather gave me my first bike and then he died, and I continued to race year after year and then I became a professional. Cycling is a part of my life. It's not my whole life, but it's a big part of my life. I can live and work with my hobby, and this is important for me.
BR:  Yes. And you mentioned that your grandfather gave you your first bike? Was it his bike?
PC:  Yes, he gave it to me. It was a Chesini. It was a very little blue bike.
BR:  What's the riding like around Verona? How are the training roads there?
PC:  We have a lot of options. I live in the flats, but I can start a climb 10K away because the mountains are near my city. I train in the winter at Lake Garda, which is not far. It's a very beautiful place to train.
BR:  Who do you usually train with or do you train alone?
PC:  I usually train with Francesco Bellotti, my teammate on Crédit Agricole and sometimes with Michael Rasmussen from Rabobank.
BR:  Do you ever train with Damiano Cunego?
PC:  No, I never train with him because he's not at home very often and I don't see him on the roads.
BR:  Do you ever ride with Eros Poli?
PC:  I know Eros Poli very well. Before signing with Crédit Agricole, I asked Eros about the team, and after hearing what he had to say, I was very happy to sign with them.
BR:  BiciRace.com has been to his bar in Verona, and he is a very nice guy.
PC:  Yes, very nice.
BR:  Which cyclist did you admire when you were young?
PC:  Gianni Bugno
BR:  Do you follow other sports on television, like calico [football or soccer] or motociclismo?
PC:  No, only cycling. I like to watch the races on TV, but not every race. I like to know the results, but I don't watch every race. I like to watch films and scientific documentaries, Discovery Channel for example. I also like to watch the moto mondiale with Valentino Rossi, but now it's only because Valentino wins everything, and so it's very exciting.

2005 Giro d'Italia

BR:  In this year's Giro d'Italia, you did a great ride on Ortisei (stage 13). Did you feel the best on that stage?
PC:  My best stage was in Ortisei where I was 4th, I had very good legs but Parra, Rujano and Garate were better than me and I couldn't do anything to beat them.
BR:  You also did well on the Stelvio, and finished with leaders' group. What did you think of the Stelvio?
PC:  The Stelvio was very long, but not the most difficult. The Finestre was the hardest and steepest climb.
BR:  Did you ever do the Finestre [Stage 19] in training before the Giro?
PC:  No, my first time on the climb was during the race.
BR:  What was your favorite hang out in the Giro village?
PC:  I never even saw the Village, because I preferred to stay in the team car and to keep concentrated for the race.

Caffè and Pizzocheri

BR:  Do you like caffè? Is there a favorite bar near your home?
PC:  Yes, I like caffè. I prefer making caffè in my house. I make it with the Moka.
BR:  Do you have a favorite dish?
PC:  I like gnocchi, and pizza. My favorite food is pizza.
BR:  Do you have a favorite "junk" food. Or food that is bad for a cyclist?
PC:  I like to eat French fries. I eat a lot of these when I go on holiday.
BR:  Do you like Pizzocheri?
PC:  Yes. I love Pizzocheri. I like to make this at home.
BR:  Oh, wow. BiciRace.com never has tried making it!
PC:  I make it a lot. It's very simple to do. You have to take some whole grain flour and regular flour and a little water and then you make the pasta. Then you roll out the dough and cut it in the form of noodles. It's very simple. Afterwards you add potatoes and butter, the green vegetable and the typical cheese of Valtellina.
BR:  That sounds complicated, and you sound like an accomplished chef! Well, Pietro, we thank you very much for taking the time to do the interview.
PC:  Thank you for the interview. I hope to do well in the Tour de France. Perhaps I will win a stage in the Tour.
BR:  We hope so too. We will be cheering for you. In bocca al lupo!
PC:  Crepi.
BR:  Ciao
PC:  Ciao ciao!

Pietro Caucchioli has a nice website, have a look.