"Thanks to Ferrari, I found new motivation and conviction," says Argentin, over an espresso in his hometown on the plains near Venice, where he is now a successful real estate developer, "He was the very first coach who worked on 360 degrees—every aspect—of a rider's training and life: his diet, nutrition and not only training but living the life of a cyclist. Before, we didn't even understand why we had sore legs. With the new methods, we understood why, and we could make changes. He didn't change the amount of training, he changed the methods; so it became more structured and more disciplined, with definite intervals and recovery periods. Thanks to him, I learned more about myself and my own engine. As a consequence, I became convinced! of my own talent, my own physical capabilities."
He had some engine. The very next season, 1990, Argentin won the Tour of Flanders, Fleche Wallonne and a stage of the Tour de France. He won Fleche again the following year, as well as Liege-Bastogne-Liege and another Tour stage. In all, Argentin won more than a dozen races and stages in the five years he worked with Ferrari.
"He was the best then, and the best now," says Argentin. Slim and soft-spoken, he still looks like the elite athlete he once was. His well-tailored tweed jacket, and his brand-new Volkswagen SUV, speak of a comfortable post-cycling life. He's been out of cycling since retiring after the 1994 season, but he well remembers die furor his beloved coach caused with that infamous "orange juice" interview, because he'd won his third Fleche that same day. (Ferrari was right, by the way: Erythropoietin, used to treat anemia, is often cited by medical trade journals and other expert sources as one of the top-selling; and safest, prescription drugs.) "Ferrari said what we all thought," says Argentin. "There are 3,000 products on the doping lists, and only 30 that can be found in a test. I think that's really what Michele wanted to say. You can't just accuse people of doping. You have to verily."
He takes a little sip of coffee, then continues: "I don't deny my past with him. I'm proud to have worked with him. He never prescribed me anything. He did lots of other things, like tests, training, diet, experimental things. We did everything that was legally possible, yes. I'm not saying I'm a virgin. I did everything possible and legal to be good. I didn't hold back, because I knew it was the only way to be competitive."
Pause. Sip, "Cycling at that level wasn't good for my health," Argentin says. "I've got the sacrosanct right to give back to my body everything that it consumes. You can be replaced on a team, you know, so your engine has to work, always work."
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram