Dario Frigo - Photo courtesy of Fassa Bortolo

He got separated from Fassa Bortolo in troubled way (fired after a doping affair in Giro 2001); now he comes back, wanted by Ferretti, after having paid for his faults.

DF: I found again the nice atmosphere I knew and they welcomed me back, as last year I was just put between “brackets.” Ferretti is always the same: the same character, an example for everybody. I was looking for new challenges and coming back to Fassa is a big bet; Ferretti and I are waiting for good results.

Together with Aitor Gonzalez, Frigo will be one of the stars of Giro 2003, but he won’t wait til the month of May to obtain these good results he talks about.

DF: I’m very interested in the short stage races, beginning with the Valenciana, going on with Paris-Nice, Settimana Catalana, Pais Vasco. I could even look for Tour of Romandie, but I could even choose to participate in the Ardenne classics.

Let’s talk about your main goal, the Giro.

DF: I’m going to the Giro and I wanna win it, I know I will have my orders from the team. This year the route is not so hard, there won’t be two hard stages one after the other. Perhaps the only two hard consecutive days are those of Pampeago followed by the Bolzano Time Trial. My enemies will be always the same. I think that the good climbers (Simoni is more dangerous than Casagrande) are still favourites compared with the Time-Trialist. But as the Giro ends with a Time Trial - I think even Aitor Gonzalez can do very well, in the last Vuelta he showed he’s able to change the situation just in the final Time Trial.

What about you and your Giro 2002.

DF: In 2002 I suffered the few races I had participated before the Giro. This year I hope to begin better knowing to not having left aside anything.

And for the rest of the season?

DF: Surely I won’t stop till the National Championships, then I will stop at the end of August. Nowadays I don’t think to participate to the Vuelta even if it could be the right preparation for the Worlds, I’m interested in both the races, even the Time Trial. We will see, if I will have the head to run I could even ask to the team even to race in Spain.

In the end, what are you asking from this 2003?

DF: I’m happy for my 2002 results, but I had many good moments alternated with “dark” periods of bad shape. I want to stop with this ups and downs, being more consistent.

Thanks to Francesco for the translation.