Giovanni Carboni has arrived to Equipo Kern Pharma full of motivation and hunger. After a complicated year, interrupted by the dissolution of Gazprom-RusVelo team, the Italian could race again in the final weeks of the season. He’s working hard and looking forward to starting 2023 in a good condition, with the goal of bringing his new team many good moments and remarkable results.
How did you live the previous months of your signing for Equipo Kern Pharma?
It was a tough experience for me, especially in July and August. At that time, I was still training on my own and watching how the competition went on without me. You must focus on working hard and wait for an opportunity, but that is hard. Eventhough, I’d been lucky for having the chance to ride in a few races with the Italian National Team until June.
Your chance finally came with Equipo Kern Pharma’s offer. What did convince you to join the team?
First of all, I was keen on signing for a non-Italian team, because I wanted to keep on broading my horizons. I finally decided to join Equipo Kern Pharma because of its international growing impact and its presence in important races. I saw it as a beautiful opportunity to improve even more as a cyclist.
A few days after your signing, you made your debut in the Tour of Slovakia. How did you feel at that race?
To be honest, I accused my lack of competition pace. It was hard for me to feel well accumulating days of racing, but at the same time I felt I needed to be back in the races. Not only to get the tone again, but also to know my new teammates and Equipo Kern Pharma’s staff as soon as possible. That’s why the experience was so exciting for me, because it meant a new start.
How are you getting on with your new teammates?
The adjustment to the team environment is being quite good. Every teammate has given me a warm welcome and I feel my way of living cycling is very similar to theirs. I consider myself a sociable and open-minded guy and I believe that is truly important in a young squad like Equipo Kern Pharma, because it helps you to get on with people. I must say I’m very happy.
What type of cyclist is Giovanni Carboni? How would you describe your way of riding?
I’d say I’m basically a climber who feels comfortable fighting for stage victories. Apart from that, I can perform well in time trials and this is the reason why I think I can achieve good results in stage races. Anyway, I’m sure I can help the team in many circumstances and ways.
And which are your goals for 2023?
I’ve been lucky to have experienced the feeling of winning this season and I have to say I’d love to repeat it with Equipo Kern Pharma next year. But what I really want for 2023 is having a season of stability, because I come here after two hard years due to COVID-19 and the Gazprom-RusVelo issue. I’m really looking forward to getting my best condition back and starting the new season really strong.
