Having retired this autumn and then switched over to a new role as part of the BMC Racing Team’s coaching staff, Marco Pinotti has said that he is setting in well and relishing his new position.
The Italian TT champion has an engineering background and is known for having a strong interest in training, power analysis and data measurement. He is currently working with one of the team’s new signings for 2014 and sounds upbeat about how the experience has been.
“Things are going really well,” he told VeloNation. “I'm currently in Columbia visiting Darwin Atapuma and looking after his training in his unique environment, in a region where the altitude is between 2600 and 3400 metres.
“I will stay there four to five days to get to know him and his family better, and to better understand how I can help him with training.”
Atapuma is a 25 year old climber who has previously been part of Team Colombia. He won stage six of this year’s Tour de Pologne and also took top eight overall finishes in the Tour of Slovenia and the Presidential Tour of Turkey.
Pinotti’s work will extend behind Atapuma, of course. He’ll be an important part of the squad’s coaching in the buildup towards next season and also once the racing season begins.
“I'll be training other riders within the team,” he confirmed. “I really like what I do and feel I fit well into this position because I'm surrounded by a very well organized and performance-oriented setup.”
Pinotti took six national time trial titles during what was a fifteen year pro career. He won individual stages in the 2008 and 2012 editions of the Giro d’Italia and also led the race. In addition to that, he won the 2008 Tour of Ireland and took stages in races such as the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Tour of Austria and Tour de Romandie.
In addition to that, much of his career has been spent in the services of others, helping team-mates clock up their own successes.
In addition to his coaching role, Pinotti has also taken up a position on the UCI’s Professional Cycling Council. He is one of five new members appointed by the UCI management committee, and will head to Aigle in December to meet the others and work on plans.
“The president of Italian federation Renato Di Rocco called me about a month ago and said my name came up within the discussion into the management committee,” he explained. “He then asked me if I was available. Once I asked him information about how much involvement my presence required I agreed to go forward. I was then contacted later with the information that I was selected.”
Pinotti has built up a reputation as a rider with strong ethics. His new position on the UCI is part of a push for change within the governing body, which has seen several long-standing faces replaced by others. Brian Cookson has taken over as the new president and has said that he is aiming to do things in a different way.
Pinotti’s inclusion appears to be a wise move, and his intelligence and experience mean that he will be an important voice.
“I guess the discussions will be around possible pro cycling reforms, calendars and evaluating proposal but it's not completely clear yet,” he explained, when asked what he expected the Pro Cycling Council to be focussed on.
“Personally, my goal is to contribute to getting pro cycling into a business model that is sustainable in the long term.”