Diego Pablo Seville (26 years old, San Martín de la Vega) aspires to reach the coveted middle class of the Spanish peloton at the hands of AEOLO-KOMETA. Before traveling to the team’s first preseason training camp in the Valencian town of Oliva, the man from Madrid attended AS.
-What assessment do you make of the last season?
-It has been a season where I have felt better than other years. I have taken one more step, being more stable. After two years in which the pandemic left its mark, this year normality returned and I was able to run 60 days of competition, which I think will give me a point for 2023. I have given my best version, but I hope that next year will still be better.
-Was continuing in this project important to you?
-I have been here for many years and that is the difficult thing in this world, renewing year after year and having some uncertainty about the future. Here I feel at home, I am calm and I know that doing things well I am not afraid of not continuing. I am very happy to continue more time in the Eolo.
-Now comes the pre-season period, which is not always the most fun phase of cycling. How do you prepare it to combat the cold in Madrid?
-It has its point, I like it because you take the opportunity to do other less common things throughout the year. I take the mountain bike more and I enjoy it because it clears me up a lot. He also has to combine the first road trips with work in the gym. It is a time that passes very quickly because when you want to realize it, you are in the first concentration.
-What work plan do you have planned in the coming weeks?
-I will be in Oliva with the team, but no concentration at altitude. After the December long weekend we will try to look for the good weather that usually exists on the coast to accumulate kilometers.
-Winter is hard to train in San Martín de la Vega.
-Yes, it is a cold area and it does not have very mountainous terrain, so it is not idyllic for training. But hey, take advantage and enjoy the time at home. Here I take advantage of when I go MTB to investigate new trails.
-The team put itself in the showcase with Fortunato’s stage victory in the Giro. How do you assess the growth that the training has had?
-The first year was super good with that victory of Fortu. It was a result that practically solved the season for us. This season we were under pressure to match or beat him and we couldn’t, but I think the team has taken a step forward as a whole. I felt we were better when we went to the races. Fortu and Albanese have continued to support the team, but now we are stronger and more ambitious overall. I hope that in 2023 we will take another small step and that second-line runners will be closer to them to help them.
-How do you see the development of young promises like Fancellu or Piganzoli?
-I have known Fancellu for three years and he is a talent who has had bad luck with illnesses, but this year he showed in the Tour of the Future that he has a very high level. He is a runner who can make people talk if he is lucky and perseverance. The way cycling is today, with young people standing out as they reach the elite, I have no doubt that they will already be far ahead this year.
-What objectives are set for 2023?
-We all want to win, but it is very complicated. I hope he catches a leak in any race, arrives and can have a chance to compete. I have that speed tip that if I reach the final part, I can have a chance of victory and you never know when that moment may come. The main thing is to keep growing. If I improve my level, I’ll be happy, the most important thing is not to stagnate and be valuable to the team. What I like is being a cyclist and making a living from it is a source of pride for me.
-Do you dream of making your debut in a Grand Tour?
-The team has been in the Giro for the last two years and I am excited to win a place. I would be excited to ride La Vuelta as it is my home race, but where we have the opportunity to be as a team is in the Giro.
-What do you wish for next year?
-Try to win, wherever. I still have a lot to win in important races, but there is a wide and more alternative calendar. Last year at the Adriatica Ionica I took the break on the last day and finished sixth in the sprint in a large group. I had a bad taste in my mouth because I was able to manage that ending better. A rider like me has to take advantage of opportunities in races at this level. Hopefully I have more opportunities like that and can finish them off.