Pagoto looking to a better 2008

22 year-old Andrea Pagoto of the CSF Group-Navigare team is looking forward to a strong start 2008 and good performance at the Giro d'Italia.

"Since November 10, I've been training on my Colnago," said Pagoto, who is hard at work already for the upcoming season. "Sometimes I rode for four hours or more, switching the bicycle, in sunny days, and the gym, when it was raining. On winter, you know, it's always a good idea to draw advantage of the few times the sun shines."

Pagoto was born in Montecchio Emilia and now lives in Sant'Ilario d'Enza, where he passes by the headquarters of his sponsors CSF Inox and Navigare regularly during training. "I think also the sponsors will be pleased to look out the windows and see a rider with their colours training in that area," said Pagoto.

The young rider is coming off a tough season, his second as a pro rider. "This year I rode the Giro and I have to thank Reverberi family for this, because the first Giro is unforgettable. Unfortunately, I was neither at the 90% of my possibilities, but just competing in the Giro d'Italia was one of my main goals for the season. I would have liked to join a breakaway, but it's always so difficult in the Giro," said Pagoto.

"The Giro was a huge effort and, even if I tried to recover quicker than in the past, with some training sessions in the mountains, the fatigue was still there in the races I rode in August and September. In the Giro dell'Appennino, I thought I was in a great shape, but I quickly became aware that I couldn't actually do my best. Maybe, one of the reasons was the deviation of the nasal septum, which prevented me from breathing well: but now I hope to have solved this problem with a surgery I took in October."

The operation kept him off his bike until the end of the season, but he's more prepared for the 2008 season. "The surgery was necessary and it's better to drop a month, especially in a year which hasn't been so good for me, than to delay the training for next year... . My contract ends at the end of 2008 and I'd like to be strong in the early races, to show my abilities. Then, I hope to be able to take the start in the Giro d'Italia."