Cannondale Chairside Chats: Paolo Longo Borghini (part one)

In the hot seat this week is one of Ivan Basso’s most trusted gregarios and top lieutenants, Paolo Longo Borghini. Currently taking part in the Tour of Oman, he’s going to be chatting to us about his two adorable daughters, his sporting heritage and lots more besides.

G4: Cannondale Pro Cycling has a lot of young promising riders. As one of the longer-serving team members, do you mentor any of the younger riders?

PLB: The team director is very smart because he always matches an experienced rider with a younger one so that we can pass on the benefit of our experience and increase their knowledge. Some young riders need more help than others. I’m very happy to help them. Last year and this I roomed with young German Michel Koch, who’s a second year pro. It started last year at the Tour de Suisse where it was my pleasure to help guide him.

I also try to do the same thing for my younger sister Elisa who’s also a young professional rider, just 21, and she looks to me to give her guidance.

G4: You come from a very sporting family?

PLB: Our passion for sport comes from our parents/ My mother was a champion cross-country skier  – three Olympics and five World Championships – while my father, who won a team gold in the same discipline for Italy, has long worked as both a coach and technical director of the Italian national team.

For sure my sister and I have been very lucky because they have passed onto us a passion for sport and the mind-set to be professional athletes. Cycling and cross-country skiing are two different sports but we understand what it means to compete at the highest level.

G4: Different sports maybe, but they’re both endurance sports?

PLB: True, we spend six hours on a bike while they use their entire bodies to travel over 60km plus on the tracks. Cross-country is a very hard sport but very enjoyable because you’re out the whole time in the nature. I skied when I was younger but couldn’t race as there was no one to take me to competitions while my mother was away competing. We lived about an hour from the mountains.

However, now that I’m a professional cyclist and only use my lower body when racing, I take care to exercise my upper body in the off-season by skiing or training in the gym. I think it’s important to be strong all-over, not just in the legs.

G4: Parts two and three of this chat to follow.