Catching up with Alex Cataford on the first rest day at the Giro
The Israel-Premier Tech rider is the lone Canadian in Italy
Photo by:
@acataford/Instagram
Canadian Alex Cataford (Israel-Premier Tech) is at his third Grand Tour of his career, having started the Giro in 2020 and Vuelta in 2021. On Monday, he was in Sicily for the first rest day.
The first three stages of this year’s Giro d’Italia were in Hungary, which meant part of his rest day included travel. “Usually it’s a rule with the UCI that you aren’t supposed to travel on a rest day,” he explained. “But I guess since we got an extra rest day, we have three this year, they made an exception.”
Thankfully the trip from Hungary to Italy was not at all stressful. Cataford said the organizers were good with logistics. All the bags and bikes went overnight so they were in Sicily when the riders arrived. And the stage ended close to an airport, so it was a quick charter flight to southern Italy. “It was impressive,” he said.
What does a pro cyclist do on a rest day? As you’d imagine, every rider is different. The Israel-Premier Tech rider headed out for a ride as he can’t just shut it down for fear of his legs getting blocked. “Some guys do two hours, some ride tempo, some don’t ride at all. I usually do an hour or an hour and a half,” Cataford said. “I’ll put in some efforts for five minutes, but I don’t go too crazy.”
Although the team doesn’t have ambitions for the overall classification, they do have two other goals. The first is their sprinter Giacomo Nizzolo. The team has brought six riders to support him in the lead-out train. For Cataford and Alessandro De Marchi, the goal is breakaways and opportunities in some of the “lumpier” stages.
“There are definitely some stages that suit me,” he said. “The last 10 days have several days that I’ve earmarked. But like my coach always says, you have to choose the right break, not the right stage.”
As much as you can plan for stages that suit your style, you still have to pick the right moment, he added.
With files from Matthew Pioro
