After 5 Tours of Italy, Andrea Vendrame is preparing to begin his first Grand Tour that is not the Corsa Rosa, the Tour of Spain 2022. The 28-year-old from Santa Lucia di Piave has never raced that much in Spain in his career, but the courses of the Iberian Peninsula could suit an all-rounder like him very well.
“I did a high altitude retreat and then the Tour of Poland, I put kilometers in my legs and I think I’m ready for my first Vuelta – admitted the driver of theAG2R Citroen -. The various data confirm that I am quite well so now I am curious to see the difference between a Vuelta and a Giro, which they told me to be there above all in the interpretation of the race. It is the first time that I have done two Grand Tours in a year and my friend Franco Pellizotti has always told me that doing them gives your engine and your body something more, so they are welcome ».
The Treviso-born has studied the track well, because the ambition is to run as a protagonist in all three weeks: «It will be a particular race, already the three days in Holland could create some headaches – continues Vendrame -. The team time trial hasn’t been seen for a while, while the other two stages, if they are affected by the wind, will create nervousness and high speeds, which I hope will be avoided. After that at the Vuelta I saw that there are possibilities for escapes already from the first week, so we have to be quick and careful, even if the second and third weeks will be decisive. And then there is the weather factor, I don’t expect great heat in the Basque Country upon returning to Spain, but slowly as we go down I think the temperatures will increase, it being understood that the heat there is different from the annoying one. we have in northeastern Italy. Finally, there is the decisive element, that is, we riders, who will decide whether to run hard or not. The team is structured to rank with Ben O’Connor e Bob Jungles and everyone will be at their disposal, while I will have a little more freedom of movement. As the good Gianni Savio would say, a sort of free hitter».
In this 2022, despite a dozen Top 10 finishes, he has not yet managed to win, which is one more reason to keep an eye on him in this Vuelta. The former Androni has two points to pursue in these three weeks: «There are many beautiful stages that could adapt to my characteristics. I aim to win the stage, I do not hide the idea of fighting for the green jersey of the points classification it teases me, since I can try to collect points both in the sprint and in the slightly more complicated stages. I hope the team can give me the green light to aim for this goal, it would be the first time that I test myself with this in mind ».
Vendrame has shown that he can also place himself in the sprints with compact ranks, even if he is not a pure sprinter, but when he is well he is highly competitive even in racing with important differences in height, as happened at the Giro d’Italia 2021, when he imposed himself in Bagno di Romagna at the end of a fraction of 212 km and almost 4 thousand meters in altitude. «The season has been quite good, even if not exceptional because the victory has not yet arrived – admits Vendramix -. At the Giro I had targeted 3 stages and in all three I hit the breakaway which then went to the finish line. In the stage of the Sanctuary of Castelmonte we all saw how unfortunately it went (skid at the last corner and victory for Bouwman, ed). The thing that gave me morale, however, is the growth in condition in the last two weeks, which confirms my good recovery skills and gives me morale also in view of this Vuelta. At 28, it is also important to have this type of certainty ».
Then a thought does it also to the Wollongong Australian World Cup, which should smile at a runner with his features. In recent seasons he has always been in the running for a place in the starting lineup until the end, only to be excluded for one reason or another: “I spoke to CT Bennati a few days ago, in the extended list of those who can be called there are also me, I applied for an Australian visa and sent my passport data – concludes Vendrame -. Now it’s up to me to earn the call by doing a good Vuelta, let’s see how the legs will respond and how the condition will be. I don’t want to have too many illusions, in recent years I have always hoped for it and in the end I have never been called up, so better think about doing well at the Vuelta and that’s it. I want to win a stage, then the rest, hopefully, will come by itself … ».
