Winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège Espoir, Francesco Busatto is one of the most watched prospects this season. A 19 years, he chose to join the Belgians of Circus Reuz Technord who were convinced, in fairness 2 month of young hopeful competition. He indeed obtained a contract of neo-pro with the mother team, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, as for him, he has just arrived at Jumbo-Visma where his role during the classics remains unclear due to the presence of Wout Van Aert in the team. 2024. His incorporation is gradually taking place in the WT team with a hybrid calendar with the professionals. So who really is this precocious runner? ?
Cycling Times: Hello Francesco. Can you introduce yourself to our readers ?
Francesco Busatto : I was born in Bassano del Grappa, The Tour of the Pays de Vaud, November 1st 2002. I started running at the age of 7 years and since, I have always ridden for small local teams, until last year. I have always been a pretty strong and consistent runner, but I was never a winner. In fact, my first victory was on Liège-Bastogne-Liège hope on 15 last April. I think it's also because of my slow growth.
CT : This is your third year in U23, what brought you to this sport ? Is there a particular champion who galvanized you ?
FB : I started cycling thanks to my older brother who was a coach in a team. I don't have a reference champion, but I always loved Peter Sagan.
CT : Which category of runners do you think you belong to? ? Where do you want to improve? ?
FB : I think I'm a puncher. I'm pretty fast, explosive and good on small climbs. Of course, I would like to improve, maybe to get good at short stage races.
CT : Despite your 18 years, you had a good end to the season in E1 (2021). It gave you a lot of confidence, is not it ?
FB : My first year at U23 was all about learning and improving, but at the end of the season, I obtained good results which obviously encouraged me for the following season.
CT : You collected good results in 2022. A frustration of not having won ?
FB : Of course, I was tired of always being on the podium without winning, I was always disappointed with my podiums at the Giro U23, there I was so happy, because it is a very important race for the category.
CT : Finally, you have chosen to join a Belgian development team. You were ready to leave for an experience abroad at such a young age ?
FB : I was very ambitious and eager to learn and improve. I had to learn English because otherwise everything would have been very difficult, but in a few months, I acquired a good command of the language.
CT : How do you analyze your current season? ? Is the Baby Giro the next big goal ?
FB : The start of my current season was a success, both with the pros and with the hopefuls. I can't be more satisfied. This happened thanks to the great work we did with the team, including training camps, thanks to the staff, to my coach Paolo Santello and my teammates who helped me and trusted me every time. The Baby Giro will be one of the main objectives of the season. I will be there as a stage hunter. Later, I hope to be part of the Italian selection for the Tour de l’Avenir and the world championships.
CT : You have just signed a two-year contract with the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty team, from next season, how would you like to evolve ?
FB : I want to develop myself into a stronger runner first, then I would like to test myself in the Belgian classics. Brabantse Pijl gave me self-confidence.
CT : You will find Lorenzo Rota next year. He is a perfect mentor for you ?
FB : Lorenzo is a very good runner, he missed an important victory, But for the rest, he's a great friend, always ready to give me valuable advice.
CT : What race do you dream of winning as a professional? ?
FB : Now, Liège is in my heart, and I will try to win it in the future, but the Tour of Flanders also interests me a lot, and a stage victory in the Tour or Giro would be a big dream.
CT : You study at the same time as cycling ?
FB : I'm not studying at the moment, I finished school two years ago. I studied oenology and viticulture.
We would like to thank Francesco for his contribution to this interview. We wish him a career filled with success and fulfillment..
