Matteo Trentin, you were at the Coppa Bernocchi on Monday, but you were unable to challenge for the win...
"It was a difficult race. I made a lot of effort, particularly in the finale. We thought the breakaway riders would be caught earlier, but that only happened in the finale. We had to do a lot of work. I tried to launch the sprint, but I had already given too much beforehand."
You will race Paris-Tours this Sunday. It is an event you have won three times. Why do you perform so well there?
"It is a classic that suits my build perfectly. I am often comfortable in windy conditions. But I won twice on the old route (the course was changed in 2018, ed.). I was successful, but overall, it is an event I really enjoy as a way to finish the season."
Do you think you have a chance of winning again this year?
"My team and I are motivated to put in another strong performance. But I will not be the only rider on my team capable of winning. It is the end of the season, and everyone wants to finish well. It should be a great race."
You competed in the road race at the World Championships. Was it disappointing for you and Team Italy (Trentin did not finish the race)?
"Disappointing? No. I was there to work for Giulio Ciccone and did not expect to finish the race. I did my job as planned for the Squadra. The team managed the day fairly well and even responded when France significantly increased the pace. But I think we can be happy with our performance. The only disappointment was the result (Ciccone finished ninth, ed.). Giulio did not find the opening in the finale."
Read more: Brandon McNulty crowned world road race champion
Especially since Ciccone had the legs, as we saw at the European Championships (beaten in a photo finish by Remco Evenepoel)...
"I have not spoken to him on the phone since, but I imagine he must be incredibly disappointed. The team rode a superb race; everything was done very well and executed perfectly. Despite that, he lost by the narrowest of margins. But Remco was clearly the strongest rider in that race."
Read more: Evenepoel pips Ciccone to become European champion
Why did you not compete at the European Championships?
"It was too hard for me. I saw the course in August during the criterium organised by Tadej Pogacar, and I quickly understood that I would not be of much use with such a climb."
You are under contract with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team until 2028. What comes next?
"I do not make long-term plans. I signed until 2028 because I believe I will still be at the level I hope to reach by then. What happens after 2028 is still a long way off. I am not the kind of person who looks that far ahead. For now, I think I have at least two more seasons in my legs."
You were Julian Alaphilippe's teammate. When he announced his retirement in August, did it make you think about your own future?
"Yes, of course. Seeing such a great champion leave so suddenly makes you wonder whether retirement is an option. But, you know, it is not the first time. The further I progress in the peloton, the more riders who used to race alongside me retire. Many of them are now in team cars as sporting directors (laughs).
"That is how it goes, and the worst part is the young riders joining the professional peloton. When they tell me I raced with their father, it really makes me feel old (laughs)."
The Tudor Pro Cycling Team project continues to grow with the arrivals of Kaden Groves and Arnaud de Lie. Do signings like these make you want to continue being part of the project?
"This project appealed to me enormously when I signed. I have seen the team grow steadily. We won two stages at the Vuelta and the Tour of Poland, and the results keep coming. The Tudor Pro Cycling Team project is perfect for me."
Primoz Roglic has notably been linked with a move to the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. Would making a signing like that be essential to help the team grow?
"It would probably be necessary. Primoz is still an extraordinary rider, as we saw at the Vuelta. When he is at his best, he is still one of the best in the world."
Would you like to work for him, for example in the Grand Tours?
"Absolutely."
But you still hope to have your own opportunities. You had a strong classics campaign, for example. Do you still hope to win a few races? You have not won since your last Paris-Tours...
"I can work for others, but not exclusively. The classics campaign was a good one, and I think the next one will be too with the new recruits. Personally, I think I still have plenty left in my legs. I still hope to raise my arms in victory!"
You were world runner-up behind Mads Pedersen in 2019. With the benefit of hindsight, has the disappointment faded?
"There is not really any disappointment. At the finish, there were three of us, and each of us was guaranteed a medal. But when you analyse the race, I did not lose because I made a mistake. I lost to the strongest rider.
"Mads Pedersen was the strongest that day. And although nobody thought he would become a great champion, he subsequently proved that he would. He has had an incredible career, but at the time he was not well known, and that influenced how the race was judged.
"But I know I made no mistakes that day. I raced it the way I needed to. I simply came up against someone stronger."