Cannondale Chairside Chats: Ivan Basso (part one)

The Tour de France 2004 was the first time I saw Ivan Basso race and I was immediately struck by how elegant he was on the bike. Now that G4’s had an opportunity to spend time with Ivan, we know that he’s like that off the bike too. We caught up with him prior to the start of this year’s Giro d’Italia, his main goal for the season.

G4: You spend a lot of time in the team’s casual wear. Tell me what you like about G4’s clothing.

IB: I think the best things are that you look really elegant, fashionable and sporty all at the same time. So when you go to the race you can look really elegant even though it’s very comfortable. Also, you don’t feel that it’s too sporty so you can go everywhere in it and, when people look at you, you know you look really, really nice.

G4: As one of the more experienced members of the Cannondale team, do you enjoy mentoring the younger riders? I know when I spoke to Matej Mohoric he was delighted to share a room with you at the last team camp.

IB: I really enjoy being a team leader with Cannondale, leading and mentoring younger riders and sharing my experiences with them. These experiences have been gained year by year and it’s good to speak about them and share them with the rest of the team. That way we all talk to one another, get to know each other better, and also try to improve each other. That’s really what the team is all about. The team is what’s important and instead of just thinking about yourself, you always have to think about everybody on the team and of course, lead by example. I also like to talk to teams of younger riders and, even schoolchildren, to share my experiences with them. Cycling’s such a great sport.

G4: We’ve noticed you have a great ambience on the team, you’re like one big family.

IB: Yes, it’s normal we spend a lot of time together trying to build the team. It’s not only important to have goals on the bike, we must have them off the bike too. So it’s important to spend time together: drinking a coffee together after a ride, eating meals together. Team building is a big part of our job so we can have a great season.

Look out for parts two and three of the G4 interview tomorrow and Saturday, while Sunday will feature G4’s video chat with Ivan.