Valerio Piva was entrusted with the role of sports director of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux for its first year as a World Team, alongside Hilaire Van der Schueren, Steven De Neef, Frédéric Amorison, Jean-Marc Rossignon and Bart Wellens. The man from Lombardia displays an impressive CV, with similar experiences working with T-Mobile, HTC-Columbia, Katusha, BMC Racing and recently CCC. He brought his invaluable knowledge of racing to the riders currently in Alicante (Spain) for a pre-season training camp.
Valerio Piva :
“It is a new start for me, indeed, in a new team. What stroke me instantly is the cohesion and team spirit in Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux. It almost feels like a family, something I have never experienced before. The core of the team has done an awful lot to get here, to earn the right to be at the start of the most prestigious races, alongside the strongest teams. They have worked extremely hard, and my main focus will be to benefit from that momentum and pursue the progress made.”
“We have to understand that we work together with athletes, yes, but with human beings first and foremost. The most important thing is that they have to feel good where they are. Then, of course, the need to perform and win ought to give them that extra motivation for sure, but I am convinced that we can go further if the mind is fulfilled.”
“I spoke with Aike Visbeek (Performance Manager) and Frederik Veuchelen (Trainer) who daily analyze the numbers the riders produce during tests and training. They are a testament of an excellent form overall, and the majority of them reached personal bests, which can only be a good sign ahead of the new season.”
