If we had an Italian nanny among us she would be quite worried Frank is not eating properly right now. We don’t know how that’s possible. Frank is probably some kind of Russian doll: last year we got the outer part whereas this year it’s much more like an internal layer.
The truth is that we don’t care much how skinny or how fast Frank is. Last year he surprised us over and over and we guess the opposite is true as well. We are almost sure we can’t live without him right now. We don’t know his plans for this year – we patiently wait between a new word in tuscanian dialect and another techno dj-set.
Do you remeber when we asked you to get into Enough last year? What did you think?
I remember Mattia’s message asking me if I wanted in. Coming from road races I didn’t know much but I accepted without thinking too much.
In the coming days I tried to think about it and I was wondering why they asked me. I was out of shape, definitely not fit and I didn’t know a thing about gravel and adventures.
How was 2021? Also compared to the expectations you had
It was full of emotions. Coming from road races I didn’t know exactly how to handle all this and what to do in certain situations. I didn’t have many expectations but with a little help from the Collective I eventually grew up. Each and everyone of them helped me throughout the season and now my tool box is much bigger than last year.
How many times did you ask yourself “why the hell did I accept in the first place”?
Every time I say yes to something they propose! There’s always a certain kind of unexpected involved. In the end I always agree to join and I have fun all the times.
You were the one much outer from the adventure world compared to the other members of the Collective? What kind of people did you meet?
As I said I come from road competitions and I was very far from off-road adventure. I honestly need to thank them because they taught me quite a lot. At the very beginning I was out of my reach and many times Fede and Mattia were there when I didn’t have the right tools to fix a problem on the go. Now I can handle many more situations.
I found many people on my path and at events and everybody gave me something. I understand cycling is not only about numbers and being flat out all the time but it’s also a way to enjoy a night ride or to reach a beautiful place that leaves you breathless.
The most beautiful moment of 2021? And the most difficult?
The most beautiful was for sure the first weekend on Monte Grappa. It was a sort of Enough training camp: I felt very anxious and worried they realized I was not fitting in the Collective. I was scared that seeing me so out of shape they could change their mind. Then it was a matter of a couple of pedal strokes and everything was so natural and everybody was feeling right with each other. I immediately realized I was in the right place with the right people. The most difficult one instead was the break I was forced to have for work reasons. Enough can become quite addictive 😉
How do you feel about this upcoming season?
We bonded a lot and that’s already a big step ahead. The calendar looks quite busy and I can say I’ll pin a number on my back to try and find some good results. Years ago I competed against Mattia in the Youth leagues and we understood each other quite well in that context – let’s see what happens in races this year! I’ll also try to ride some more relaxed events and have a few beers together of course.
