The Italian coach recounts the Azzurri’s triumph at the World Championships in his farewell race: “We grew up together, and Italy is now a system.”

His wife Elena Cecchini called him “the most incredible man I have ever known.” Matteo Trentin described Elia Viviani’s world gold medal in the elimination race on Sunday at the Santiago velodrome in Chile as “orgasmic.” But how does Marco Villa, the Italian coach, describe him? “An anecdote? It would take a book…” Villa smiles calmly. The many years together, the growth and triumphs that led to the creation of the “Italian system”: Elia and Marco were a unique partnership. The days of the Prophet’s competitive farewell, as he says “goodbye to cycling,” serve to revisit some of what happened, especially on the track, between Villa and the champion who also designed his own golden world finale. Emotions that do not seem to fade three days after the farewell race.
Villa, let’s start right from the end.

“It was really beautiful. Elia’s qualities and value were indisputable. It seemed that he had no more surprises to give us, but instead, what he dreamed of happened. He said, ‘It would be nice to win the World Championship in the farewell race he chose,’ a world race, not just any criterium. He triumphed in an absolute context. After all, a year ago, when he was without a team, he kept saying to me: ‘I don’t want to end like this, I don’t want to announce my retirement like this’. In short, he chose how to end his career, he designed it the way he wanted. When they say ‘a dream come true’…”.

From the last to the first Viviani: what differences do you see?

“He has always been mature. From my first year as a coach, I saw a 19-year-old who knew what to do, who knew where he wanted to go. Sometimes I said to myself, ‘How can Elia be so sure when he hasn’t even raced in an elite World Championship yet?’. But he did well, finishing second in the scratch race.”

A difficult moment you won’t forget?

“He had prepared well for London 2012, and at the start of the last Omnium event he was in first place, then in the kilometer, which was for specialists, he finished sixth. It was his first Olympic competition, he started with a sixth place but didn’t get discouraged. In fact, four intense and profitable years followed, even on the road: Elia won, he didn’t give up anything on the road and prepared for track races. He never missed a training session, nor did he ever underestimate anything.”

Elia won and you built a great national team: was there a Viviani effect and what was it like?

“Yes, between the Omnium, long and short races, and group races, he helped me, allowing me to enhance my wealth of experience. I had been appointed technical commissioner and I hadn’t come out of a school that taught how to win an Olympic gold medal in the quartet. Elia was exceptional because, in addition to his talents, he gave me great feedback. The methodology that is now in place has become the system for the Italian national team. It originated from the training sessions in the dark with Elia at the Montichiari velodrome, when there was no one else on the track on those evenings. Just him. Together, we figured out what was needed to compare road and track. And I found him to be a very receptive person. It’s as if we trained together; we customized the training sessions. It was a shared growth.“

By the way, what role do you see him in after his career?

”I see him doing well anywhere: he already has experience as a coach, he has always had excellent contacts with sponsors, who love him. He’s very good at promoting his image.“

How did you experience Elia’s days as flag bearer for Tokyo 2021 together?

”A lot of traveling, he was on the road a lot, but Elia immediately took responsibility. He would plan his appointments and commitments in the morning. And that experience made him even more brilliant afterwards. During the Tokyo period, he came first with me and then with Ganna, who had the time trial. He trained with us on the road and on the track. He could have been in the quartet, and in the end, he was happier than me to see that gold around the other guys’ necks. Then he won the medal too. I repeat: he never got discouraged, but participated in everything in the life of the team. He has always been a great leader.” 

How did you experience that fall in Rio 2016?

“The Korean made a sudden change of direction. We had agreed that Elia would decide whether to change wheels or bikes, so he already knew what to do, and he told the mechanic, ‘I’ll take the second bike’. He went on to win. That was also the last race.”

A final memory?

“Lamon called him the Prophet, and the quartet improvised a mass, but Elia was still there after dinner, playing PlayStation with the quartet and Scartezzini, who was in Italy. He stayed with them until the end of the game, past midnight. That’s how much he felt the unity of the group. That’s why I say he will remain a point of reference for years to come.”

Without Viviani, will Italy be weaker, as it was when Nibali retired?

“Milan and Ganna also rely on him a lot, they often discuss how to handle certain situations. And it’s the same for me. Before the World Championships in Rwanda or the Vuelta, they would call us. He will always be one of us.”