In this week’s coffee chat, Segafredo Zanetti caught up with one of Trek-Segafredo’s super domestique.
What is your morning ritual?
Typically I wake up around 8 am, have a quick breakfast, and feed my cat. I’m not the kind of person who likes to exercise before breakfast; I need to get some fuel to activate my body before I start training. I like to alternate what I eat in the morning, but one thing that is always constant is my coffee!
How do you like your coffee?
I like to have a big cup of strong “Americano” style coffee. I have a coffee grinder and a coffee machine at home, and I really like to take 10 minutes or so just to enjoy drinking my cup of coffee. It’s the perfect way to start the day.
How many coffees do you have before a race?
Never more than two coffees. One at breakfast and then perhaps another just before the race. I don’t like to start racing with too much caffeine in my body because I don’t want my heart rate to be too elevated before the start, and this also ensures the caffeine gels if I take them during the race, will be effective.
What is for you a “coffee ride”?
At home there are not many months of the year when I have the luxury of a typical coffee ride because in the off-season, it’s usually too cold to stop somewhere mid-ride. However, me and my friends have found a way around this: they ride to my home, we have a coffee together, and then we go out for a one-hour ride. It’s a coffee ride, no?
Who is your favorite companion for a coffee ride?
My friends from my region, they are amateur cyclists. I really like to spend time with them whenever I’m at home.
How has your daily life changed in the time of this pandemic?
I was in a country-wide lockdown for eight weeks, and it was definitely hard mentally. The weather was amazing at my home, but I wasn’t allowed to go outside to train on the road, which was a bit frustrating.
Personally, having my daily routine is something that helped me through the lockdown. I tried to wake up every day at the same hour and start my training at 10 am, usually a one hour and 30-minute indoor session before lunch. Then I would have a short nap and would typically do another training session in the afternoon. Two of three times per week, I would also do a 30-minute gym session. I also had some virtual rides with my teammates, which was really good to keep that team spirit alive.
It really helped when the UCI released the dates for when we’ll return to racing. We have to be patient and philosophical about the situation: We’re all in this together, and we have to be strong so we can overcome it as fast as possible
In a regular race season, how do you invest your free time at home?
When I’m home between races, I like to see and spend time with my friends and often go for bike rides with them. In the evening, I usually play some video games or watch Netflix.