Jonathan is seagull and bull, caress and club, breeze and hurricane. He is a combination of things that make him the man of the year, the tuttoBICI 2024 Oscar, a reference athlete and hope for Italian cycling orphaned by Vincenzo Nibali, but also Cipollini and Petacchi. No, he's not the new Ganna. Rather, he is the evolution, the logical consequence and transformation of the big guy from Vignone.
He is the "baby" of the family, of mom Elena and dad Flavio, also an excellent amateur. He used to win the most beautiful international races: from Belvedere to Del Rosso, from a stage in Val d'Aosta to one in Settimana Bergamasca. Even a World Championship, the one reserved for military personnel, which opened the doors to professionalism with the Amore & Vita jersey of Ivano Fanini, but his experience in the world of the greats lasted too short: as brief as a butterfly's life.
"At the beginning it was dedicated only to cyclocross and mountain bike, then it also opened up to road," Jonathan tells us.
Like a seagull, you learned to fly..."Well, on the track I'm low-flying, on the road I'm learning to take flight: this year 11 victories, I'm on the right track".
Is it true that you love collecting vintage Vespas?"I've always liked them. Not because I love motorcycles, but because I like Vespas".
So seagull, bull, and Vespa..."(laughs), I'm a beautiful animal... That's how it is, after the Tokyo Olympics I bought myself a 1962 model: it's beautiful. When I get home, I always take a little ride. I'm also registered with the Vespa Club of Gemona: one day I'll do the rallies too".
He grew up in Roberto Bressan's Cycling Team Friuli, a small talent forge.
"A calm environment that teaches you to be a cyclist without pressure, but with great attention and rigor".
At the World Championships in Ballerup, Denmark, he was the only one to bring home gold.
"I had only programmed myself for the individual pursuit challenge. I was chasing the dream of the world champion jersey, the one that had been on Filippo's (Ganna's, ed.) shoulders six times. I surpassed myself, having also set the world record (3'59"153, average of 60.212 km/h over 4 km). Let me be clear, I didn't take the world record from Pippo, but I simply avenged him against British Josh Charlton, who had improved the limit just a few hours before me".
Did he realize what he had accomplished?
"I'm only realizing it now, calmly, after all the commotion. Everything is incredibly fast, timed to the thousandth of a second, all programmed. And when you realize that the dream is reality and that sometimes reality is better than your dreams, it takes time to become aware. I'm not very quick to metabolize".
Four kilometers are few, it's an explosive effort like no other. They say that when he accelerates, it hurts.
"I don't know that, although it's not a painless gesture. In that progression, in reaching cruising speed, staying on axis, going full throttle, it's the result of a lot of work, a lot of sweat, and many training hours".
Did he seem to be in a state of grace that day?
"It was like that. I felt like I was one with my bicycle. And I'll never forget my teammates' embrace: that was the most beautiful reward".
And to think that there were all the ingredients to lose one's mind: in qualification, the Englishman Josh Charlton had truly done a masterpiece...
"True, but in certain situations, I thrive. Doing the final with someone who just set the world record can condition you, can make your legs tremble. Instead, I felt incredibly strong. If he did it, I could do it too".
How does one maintain such serenity in certain moments?
"I don't know. I'm just made this way. I could say what I've already told other colleagues: getting agitated serves no purpose".
And doesn't he think about the hour record?
"No, I don't feel ready yet (Ganna has held it since 2022 with 56.792 km; ed.): that's a crazy effort, it must be prepared well. Pippo has really raised the bar very high. If you want to surpass it, you must be super prepared, super motivated: you must be super".
This was his first year with Luca Guercilena's Lidl Trek, what grade does he give himself?
"I found a beautiful team that supported me in every way. Eleven road victories are a good omen, but it's just the beginning. I know I still need to improve a lot, that I need to find the right synchronicities with my train, but I give myself an 8 anyway".
Perhaps the only bad day was at the European Road Championships, where he was among the big favorites.
"The National team did a great job, I did less. I got tangled up. I'm especially sorry for my teammates who had given their soul for that goal, but we'll make up for it. In hindsight, I can also say that maybe we could have pulled less, because the group had been significantly reduced and therefore it was easier to move accordingly. But with hindsight...".
Is it true that his mom didn't want him to race?
"She always told me: don't do what dad did".
Has he always had such a massive physique?
"In three years, I transformed: from 18 to 21 was an explosion. I was changing shoes and clothes at the speed of sound. Before, I was scrawny".
Nightclub?
"Little, almost nothing, it's not my habitat. I prefer the woods".
Like elves...
"I've done that too".
In what sense?
"My parents have been carrying on the tradition of Santa Claus's arrival since I was a kid. It's a tradition that lives in Ursinins Grande, a fraction of Buja. One year I played a Santa's elf".
Speaking of gifts: does he think about the Tour's green jersey?
"It's among my primary thoughts. It's a gift I want to give myself sooner or later".
Does he feel like a sprinter or something more?
"I feel I can play an important role in some classics. At the top of the list are Sanremo, but also Gand and Roubaix. Flanders? Maybe one day, you need to be more structured".
In sprints, what does he need to improve?
"Definitely position: I need to be less in the wind".
A phrase that feels like his own.
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn".
Vacations?
"With my girlfriend Samira in the Maldives, although I've always loved the mountains more".
Strange for a sprinter... pardon, a seagull.
"But I'm also a wasp and especially a bull. The bull of Buja, as the fans call me and as I love to be called. A bull that sees red, but loves the blue of the sky and sea, loves and adores the green of the mountain. The green of go-ahead and freedom".
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