"You don't set out to beat Pogacar but to bring home the best possible result" - Marco Villa

Marco Villa is part of the organizing crew for the Tour of the Alps and also part of the Italian national team, where he comes into contact with all of the country's best riders. He addresses how they race against Tadej Pogacar, a rival like no other in modern cycling.

"We know Pogacar. You have to plan the race well, but the athletes know that following him too much or following him too far can be damaging," Villa said in words to SpazioCiclismo. "So the strategies are sometimes a bit conservative: many times you don't set out to beat Pogacar but to bring home the best possible result. If you try to follow him, you often get hurt."

This has been the case for most riders recently, although at times, a few figures do try to follow the Slovenian, yet unsuccessfully. Overall, only in the spring classics did Mathieu van der Poel succeed on a few occasions; and only at the Tour de France did succeed a few occasions. Following however, not drop the Slovenian in races where he was aiming towards with top form. Elsewhere no-one had been able to even match him - although Wout van Aert's Montmartre attack can be considered.

However Villa's focus lies on his national team, but also the Tour of the Alps, which has had its route presentation this week. "The Tour of the Alps has been well-positioned on the calendar for years, just before the Giro d'Italia and it offers the perfect combination of mileage and elevation gain," he believes. "This is why so many teams choose it: to prepare well for the Giro, you don't need to exhaust yourself, and here there's the right balance. The mileage isn't excessive, but the climbs are well-concentrated. You can mix and match climbs, flat terrain, and elevation gain."

“As coach, for me, this race is a bit far from the World Championships, but this year I already chose [Giulio] Ciccone and [Marco] Frigo [due to it]. So, to be part of the coach's decisions, you don't have to be strong the week before the World Championships, but you need to shape the team. Here at the Alps, Ciccone has earned the role of leader, and we've started to build a team around him. Marco Frigo, too, with the way he won the stage here and the way he rode throughout the year, has given me confidence.”

Ciccone rode to a sixth place in Rwanda, a strong result for the Lidl-Trek rider who ended his season there, and in 2026 should put more emphasis on the one-day races as he leaves Grand Tour ambitions behind. Villa shares details on other youngsters whom he had thought of taking to Rwanda:

"I spoke with the young players for 2026. Pellizzari was already in the plans for this season, but then he got sick the week before the World Championships, and there was no point in making him take a long trip to Rwanda. Piganzoli had been contacted, but after speaking with the team, he had other needs; he needed to get points. It's not easy to plan sometimes. But I understand. I have my needs too, and the teams understand that. Piganzoli is young, and I'd like to involve him in the coming years."

Then there is Lorenzo Finn, former Junior World Champion and now reigning under-23 World Champion, who dominated the competition in Rwanda despite still being 18 years old. "We have a project with Finn, and we think we made the right choice this year. Next year, he'll still be in the Development team and with amateurs (under-23's, ed.), but I think he has the maturity to be included".

"This year, I took him to the Giro di Calabria, where he rode a leader's race, mature, and surprised me. He set the pace and attacked on the climbs. He's already shown us the athlete he is, and we hope to have him in the future. In general, especially with young riders, I've encountered the problem of call-ups due to the issue of team scores. I'm not criticizing, but the young riders we want to include in the national team have been contacted, and I hope to have them in the future."