Fausto Masnada, young Italian rider of the Androni Giocattolli Sidermec formation, has revealed himself to the general public this year as one of the Italian hopes, notably winning the Tour du Hainan, after having signed a very good season. I was able to talk to him about his career and his ambitions, here is his interview (translated into french) :
Cycling Times : Can you briefly introduce ?
Fausto Masnada : I have 25 years, I live in Bergamo and I started cycling when I was only 6 years, thanks to my friend Luca, in the team of my region called Pedale Brembillese, and since then I have never stopped.
CT : What type of runner are you, are you more of a climber, roller ... ?
FM : I think I am a climber. In recent years as a cyclist I have tried to improve myself in stage races, because they correspond to me in view of my qualities.
CT : What can you tell me about your very early years of racing, when you were a junior for example ?
FM : When I was among the young, I've always seen cycling as a game, as a way to have fun, I never thought of it as a job.
But since my time in the juniors, thanks to a very good manager who taught me the basics of a well-done training, I started to see this sport in a professional way, attentive, for example, to prepare all races as well as possible. From that moment, I started training to become a professional.
CT : You've been pro since 2017 in the Androni Giocattoli Sidermec team, how would you describe these two years as a professional ?
FM : I can describe these 2 years as a professional in a positive way, with the exception of last year when I quit for 3 months due to injury. I am very happy to be part of this team, we work professionally, even if we don't have the budget for a World Tour team, they try to give us everything to technically be like a big team. So next year I will be with them.
CT : What is the race you dream of winning ? And the runner who inspires you ?
FM : A race that I dream of winning and that, in my opinion, is within my reach is a stage of the Giro d´Italia. Another race, that I dream of winning one day is the Tour of Lombardy that I ran last year and which is a spectacular race, passing through the streets of my city, and that's always a plus. There are a lot of runners who inspire me, when I was young my idols were Ivan Gotti and Savoldelli, both from Bergamo, there was also a period when I was always for Contador because I liked the way he ran, always on the attack. Now, I think my idol in modern cycling is Froome, because in my opinion, it represents the prototype of the cyclist.
CT : You only have 25 years, and as an amateur, you won some great races like Il Lombardia and had a very good season 2016 with 4 victories ... You also recently won the queen stage of the Tour of Hainan, catching the general of the event at the same time. What are your ambitions for the next seasons ?
FM : For the next few seasons I want to continue to improve on stage races, and I especially want to focus on the Giro d´Italia. I will start a little more quietly, not in Argentina like the last two years, but from february, with the Italian calendar trying to achieve a performance that allows me to be part of a great cycling team.
CT : Can you briefly explain to us how you prepare for your big goals ?
FM : Training is almost the same for everyone. In winter, I work in the gym working on the force, then in January and February I am used to doing long stretches and hard work to simulate the race.
Before the Giro d´Italia I will surely go for 15-20 days at altitude.
CT : For you, what is the key to success ? And finally, do you have a motto ?
FM : I think the key to success is having passion in what you do and not thinking about sacrifices but rather focusing on goals and satisfaction. I don't have a specific motto, but what i always say is never give up.
Thank you Fausto for this interview
