For Marco Marcato, 2015 was a year of consistency. During his first season in the Wanty-Groupe Gobert jersey, the 31-year-old showed his value and achieved several good results throughout the entire year. He missed a victory but after a difficult season, the Venetian was back at a high level. In 2016, he will again be with the Belgian team where he will share his experience and try to get selected for the World Championships in Doha.

“Overall I'm happy with my season,” he told Cyclingpro.net. “Logically I missed the victory but I come from two years with physical problems that did not allow me to express myself 100% and this season I was back at my level. I am quite satisfied and definitely look forward to 2016 with an eye on that victory that escaped me in 2015.

”My consistency is my characteristic. When I participate in a race, I'm going to give my best. I never start just to train, to test the condition or without a purpose. Usually when I go to a race, I always give the maximum and I try to commit 100%. I put myself at the disposal of the team. This is apparently both and advantage and a disadvantage. I cannot find those 2-3 weeks when I’m at 110%. I’ve also tried to focus on the peaks but physically I cannot be 110% for three weeks. It is my characteristic and I try to exploit it to the fullest.”

2015 was his first year at Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

“I already knew part of the team,” he said. “Some staff members and team managers were from Vacansoleil and I knew some riders as well. It was not something completely new. Logically it is a foreign environment where you have to adapt, but in the end the team is fine. They have a race program where I can have my say and be protagonist. We were competitive in the Northern classics. I found myself well and the team wants to grow. We missed a Grand Tour, but next year we hope to do the Giro or the Vuelta.”

However, Marcato also has a few regrets.

“The victory was impossible but I have some regrets about Roubaix for how things were done ​​in the finale,” he said. “I played my card in a bad way. I attacked at a wrong time and then I paid for it. With 240km in the legs, you have one shot and I used it by trying to attack before Carrefour de l’Arbre. There was a strong headwind and they looked at each other. My goal was to form a group with two or three riders, but it did not happen. I ended up being alone in the wind and when the others, including Degenkolb, returned, I had no legs. I was on the limit. If I had waited, I could have done a little more. A top 10 in Roubaix would be important.”

Marcato has now set his sights on 2016.

“The cobbled classics will be the first goal of the season,” he said. “I'll try to be in good condition and we will see what the road will tell.

”If the team gets an invitation for a Grand Tour, I'd like to do well at the Giro or the Vuelta. An invitation to the Tour is unlikely but we can do the other two races. I also hope to be part of the national team. This year I tried but probably did not have sufficient condition. On courses like this year’s and next year’s, I could be a valuable element. We will see, I hope to talk to the national coach [Davide Cassani].

“I have a little experience and I know how it is done. Let's see. Logically I need to be in good condition and get to the top. I will try.”

Wanty-Groupe Gobert have made a number of new signings for 2016.

“Sprinter Kenny Dehaes is nice and very good for the one-day races,” Marcato said. “I know Björn Thurau from the races and he is a great rider. I don’t know the others so well. They came from Continental teams and I have only met them on a few occasions. At the first meeting and at the training camp in January, we will have the opportunity to get to know each other and establish a certain bond. 

”We are quite free. We're not a super super controlled team which organizers many training camps. I have been a professional for several years and I know how to manage myself. If I see that the weather in Italy is bad, I go to Spain to train in the heat. Certainly when you get to a certain age and have a family, we are away so much that this is the only time where you can feel more comfortable at home and enjoy your time. It is an essential part of the winter not to do training camps in November and December. Before the races in January, it is important to know your teammates well, but here at Wanty, apart from two days, we are free to do like we want until January. Then we will gave a 12-day training camp. For a young rider, it is important to be controlled a bit and to receive input. Then it depends on who you're dealing with. I'm good with it and I find it important to get mentally fresh. With too many training camps, you risk being tired already after a few months and unable to ride as you want.”

Marcato is now one of the experienced riders who has to share his experience with the young riders.

“[Simone] Antonini is a great young man,” he said about one of his teammates. “He came here with the right attitude, he wants to learn by putting himself at the disposal of the team. The same goes for the others. I have found myself giving advice more than once, trying to mediate between young people and other members of the team. It's a role that I like and I think I know how to do it well. However, it is not easy to speak with different nationalities. We Italians have a different approach. Abroad the young riders grew up with other set-ups and you always have to try to understand them. Here young people listen and they want to learn and this is a nice starting point.”