“All the races you didn’t win could be replayed” – the Strade Bianche comes with the Valter-Fetter duo

For the fourth time, Erik Fetter and for the third time Valter Attila tackle one of the most beautiful and difficult one-day races of the season, the Strade Bianché.

In addition, Ati will be Visma-Lease a Bike’s featured person, which, needless to say, is a huge thing. Two years ago – still in the jersey of FDJ – he finished in fourth place, and last year as a competitor of Jumbo-Visma he finished fifth when Rui Costa caught him shortly before the finish line.

“I did well at the UAE Tour, I surprised myself a bit with the result, but I’m ready and I’m really in good shape,” Valter Attila said on his team’s website.

“It’s a huge honor to be considered number one, it would be wonderful to get a podium result. But Pidcock and Pogacar will be in the field, so we are not the most likely. I can hardly believe that such excellent riders as Laporte and Kuss will work for me, it will be a strange feeling, but of course it also gives me a lot of strength. I hope that I can repay the trust of the team with a good result.”

Unlike last year, Erik is not planning to escape, he is trying to stay in the main field as long as possible, not a bad tactic if he moves together with Valter Attila.

1. If you could replay a race from the past, you would…

Erik Fetter: It would be the two U23 European Championships, where I made the winning run, but I always messed up the end and didn’t even win a medal. However, in those two races, there could even have been victory.

Valter Attila: All the tournaments you didn’t win could be played again, that’s why I don’t think about it anymore. It’s a fresh experience, but I would say the first mountain finish day of the UAE Tour, Jebel Jais, because I would go with O’Connor’s attack, but last year’s Strade Bianche would also be a “replay”.

2. If you could take a training partner with you to an altitude training camp, then…

Erik Fetter: Well, I would choose Mr. Valter without thinking.

Valter Attila: Erik, but really. It is important that we feel good together, that we can speak Hungarian and that we are good training partners for each other. And he has it all. I could say others, Filut for example or several of the teammates, but if I can only say one, then Erik.

3. If you could wish a competitor a big win…

Fetter Erik: I think I’d like it for myself, Ati is pretty close to him now anyway.

Valter Attila: Do you ask the question directly by saying to each other? 🙂 Obviously it’s Erik here too, but among my teammates I would choose someone who helps a lot and hardly goes out of his way, Affini would be just like that. But I could also be very happy for Marci, for example.

4. If there is something you cannot tolerate in training…

Erik Fetter: I read the Van Aert article, I think my answer here will be the same as Ati’s. I really can’t stand it when we go slowly during training. If I get on the bike and we don’t make progress, I see it as wasted time.

Valter Attila: There is not much I can’t tolerate anymore, if I feel good and the training goes well, then the pace doesn’t really matter, I don’t stress about it. Maybe I would say the many stops when several of us go together, but for me it also depends on the day.

5. If you could be the best in the world at something that has nothing to do with cycling, you would…

Erik Fetter: I would be a basketball player, and obviously in the NBA.

Attila Valter: I am a competitive type, so I would say something sporty that can be measured. I would say basketball, I follow the NBA more and more these days, I was in Andorra for a few games, I think it’s a great sport, so the level reached by Jordan or LeBron James can be very serious. Although, when you’re such a big star, your life will be so different compared to an average person that it might not even be normal anymore.

6. If you win the SB on Saturday, then…

Fetter Erik: Good question, I would definitely cry. The problem is that I know my schedule for the next day, and now I feel like I could just celebrate with a nice big trip. But then we would definitely come up with something with the family.

Valter Attila: I tend to think about this lately, to see if I can win. On the one hand, I would be relieved of stress for a long time and I would have a result that would make me happy even if I didn’t achieve anything else in the future. Strade is just such a competition. But in the next moment, I’m already thinking of going after Tirreno as well. I think this is exactly why someone can be successful if they constantly have new goals.

You can watch the Strade Bianche women’s race on Saturday from 12:00 on Eurosport 2, and the boys will come immediately after the finish (from about 2:00 p.m.). If anyone missed the live broadcast, you can watch everything conveniently – with Hungarian commentary – on eurosport.hu and the Eurosport App, and the first TV replay starts at 10 p.m. on Eurosport.