Italy’s cycling crisis: Italy sounds the alarm after disastrous World Championships, national coach feels compelled to apologize

It has been a painful few weeks for Italy’s national cycling team. While the time trials at both the European and World Championships went quite well, the blue jerseys couldn't compete for victory at all in either of the road races. As a result, the position of national coach Daniele Bennati is under pressure. In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport, which has been critical of Bennati, he explained the failure at the World Championships and even offered his apologies.

Looking back at the recent European Championships in the Belgian province of Limburg, the Italian team was described as a "mess" by the Italian media. The Italians started the race with top favorite Jonathan Milan, but due to frequent attacks and lack of control from other countries, Italy exhausted almost its entire team while chasing down the breakaway. As a result, Milan had to face the sprint nearly alone, finishing in a disappointing 13th place.

Then came the World Championships in Zurich. The Italians started well in the time trials: Filippo Ganna and Edoardo Affini finished second and third, respectively. In the Mixed Relay, they placed third behind Australia and Germany. However, Bennati is being heavily criticized for the road race.

The highest-placed Italian rider was Giulio Ciccone, finishing in 25th place. Beyond that, the riders of La Squadra had no significant presence in the race. Despite having riders like Antonio Tiberi, Lorenzo Rota, Mattia Cattaneo, and Filippo Zana alongside Ciccone, they couldn’t make an impact. After Ciccone, the next best Italian was Rota in 43rd place. According to the Italian newspaper, this was "the worst result since 1950," when none of the six Italian riders even finished the race.

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Bennati apologizes, on behalf of entire team, after the World Championships in Zurich

"If the legs aren't there, this is the result," Bennati avoided blaming himself after a disappointing World Championship road race. "Of course, I expected more. I expected us to race better. I didn’t advise anyone to chase after Pogacar, who seems to be from another planet. Besides not having the legs, there was certainly a lack of competitive fire on Sunday."

"And for that, I feel compelled to offer my apologies, on behalf of the entire team as well," the national coach said, taking responsibility toward his fellow Italians. "Apologies to the many Italian athletes who supported us in Zurich and to everyone who watched us on TV."

What really frustrated the Italian media, and for which they blame Bennati, as he himself acknowledged, was the lack of passion for wearing the national jersey. "Guys like Viviani, Trentin, and Ganna are essential for Italy—leaders who don’t hold back and bring charisma to the locker room," La Gazzetta pointed out about the riders who weren’t called up. "They’re the ones who show what it means to wear the blue jersey and make the team feel proud. There’s a lot to talk about before the historic World Championship in Rwanda, Africa." These are tense times for Bennati.

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