Edoardo Zardini has been one of the revelations of the 2014 season. The Bardiani rider has become a protagonist at the highest level after he won two beautiful stage victories, one in the Giro del Trentino and the queen stage of the Tour of Britain, while also supporting his teammates. That convinced Italian national coach Davide Cassani that Zardini deserved a spot in the 11-rider team for the World Championships. In just his second year in the pro ranks, Zardini has repaid the trust given by Bardiani manager Roberto Reverberi and proed that he has the potential to take a prominent place in the cycling world.

 

"My balance is great," he tells Spaziociclismo in an interview. "I won two races and if I had been told at the beginning of the year that I would win only one, it would have been great. In addition, I took several places of honour, made good performances, was selected for the Worlds. It has been a great season.

 
"Honestly, I did not expect [to reach this level]. I did not expect at all. In fact I was very pleased. I always do the maximum. If I reach my goal, I am happy, otherwise I try again. This year I achieved several objecives and it is good for the future.

 

"The highlight was the first win in Trentino and the time after Tre Valli Varesine when I knew I was going to the Worlds with the national team. Those were the best moments. But the victory in Trentino, close to my home, is unforgettable."

 

That day Zardini attacked early on the final climb and managed to hold off the main favourites like Cadel Evans, Domenico Pozzovivo, Fabio Aru and Michele Scarponi.

 

 

"I attacked with 10km to go and I was on my own for at least 5km," he says. "I was fine and I thought I would be difficult to catch which turned out to be tru. When I attacked, I did it to try to surprise everyone. I was fine and I started to believe more and more in my chances. With 2km to go, I knew I could do it. I knew the climb and the finish was not so hard. I pushed hard and was strong. It was a surprise for everyone, including me. My fans were there, close to my home. It was very nice.

 

 

"It changes everything. You know you can win. I'm not saying that I did not think I could win but you get the proof which is good for the morale. You ride with more ease, without the stress of searching for something. For me, it changes so much."

 

In May, Zardini rode his second Giro d'Italia.

 

"I made ​​several breakaway attempts but the Giro is more difficult because the level is higher. I was still happy with my ride. I joined more breaks and I am satisfied. As a team we did something unique with three stage wins."

 

In the second half of the season, Zardini returned to form with a stage win in the Tour of Britain.

 

"I took a break of two months after the Italian Championships. Then I started to prepare well by riding in France and I started the Tour of Britain at 100%. I did another good ride because there were so many strong riders and the climb was short. I attacked right away and I was able to win. I was really good in those day, maybe even better than I was in Trentino. In fact, I finished fourth overall and with the time trial, that was not easy. I was going strong. Maybe I could have finished on the podium if we had done more as a team. The rider who won [Dylan van Baarle, ed.] took time in the penultimate stage due to a breakaway. It would have been fair if I had been third. I did well in the time trial but the course as a whole was not hard. With another uphill finish, I won't say that I could win again but I would have been near the front becayse I was always with the best on the climbs."

 

 

After his strong performance in Britain, Zardini was contacted by Cassani.

 

"After the victory in Britain, I was among the 16 riders for the national team," Zardini says. "Then I went to Tre Valli Varesine and [manager] Roberto Reverberi told me to ride only with Cassani on my mind because he wanted to see me in that condition. I rode very fast and in the end, I was selected for the Worlds. I was lucky because it came at the right time. When I had to get selected, I was riding strongly and two days after I won, the first 16 riders were to get selected. Then there was Tre Valli Varesine and he appreciated the work I did on the last lap. If I had ridden for myself, I could maybe even have gone for victory because I felt fine in the end but we had Sonny [Colbrelli] who was very good and in the end he was very close [he finished second behind Michael Albasini]."

 

Zardini was part of the team at the Worlds but ended up as one of two reserves that didn't do the race.

 

"It was a good experience," he says. "I had never been in the national team. I learned new things from new teammates. With the presence of Nibali, there was a large media attention. I do not know how it was in other years, but this year there was really a lot of people around us. When we were in Bra, many cyclists followed us at the start and also in the hotel there were a lot of people. The Worlds  is not a race like any other. You have a different focus. I didn't ride the race but I think that in the future there will be other opportunities. This is why I did not take it badly. Cassani saw that Caruso was in great shape but it does not matter. At the beginning of the year, I would have never thought that I would get to that point. I'm happy because even after the Worlds I maintained a good condition and I was also strong in the Giro del'Emilia."

 

In addition to Zardini's own achievements, Bardiani had a great year, highlighted by three stage wins in the Giro.

 

"Eight different riders on the team won races and that means we did well and that the level is high," he says. "Winning is not easy and it is hard to do so with so many riders. Furthermore, the quality of the victories is important and we have won races in the Giro and at the HC level. We did not win the Coppa Italia but this does not change anything. The balance was great but generally we have been strong in all stage races."

 

Next year Zardini hopes for similar success.

 

"The core is pretty much the same," he says. "I think we can do even better with the new signing who are all neo-pros. We will support them and try to repeat this season. It will not be easy because when you raise the bar, people will be disappointed if you do worse. I think we have the ability to do well. We are good riders and a good group. I will be an excellent year.if you do worse than people realize it, but I think we have the ability to do well. We are good runners and a good group, promises an excellent year.

 

"Personally I will more or less focus on the same races as I did this year. Winning a stage in the Giro d'Italia would be great and then I would like to be more consistent. I want to be better in the early part of the season since last year I didn't do much before Trentino. I will try to do well in races that suit me, like Tirreno-Adriatico. The objectives will always be Trentino and the Giro d'Italia. Here I want to be at 110% but I will try to be there in the early part of the season too. I don't like to set a specific goal and then end up with nothing. Last year, I found continuity but for someone like me, winning is not easy because I need a tough race and good condition as I have to get rid of everybody else. As a climber, you should be satisfied with 3-4 wins per year.  The opportunities are few and everyone wants to win.

 

"I need to improve in time trials to be better in stage races. There is always a time trial and if you don't g well there, it is difficult to win even if you are good on the climbs. It is easier to win if you are a good time triallist that can defend yourself on the climbs. For me, it is a goal but we need a team that has the same mentality. Otherwise, you can't do it. It takes 2-3 riders that help you defend the positon. In Bardiani, we don't have this kind of problem because everybody is ready to work. If they hadn't helped me in Britain, I would not have finished fourth."