In a matter of a week I won the World Championships and the Giro di Lombardia, two races that can make a career. Camenzind has left the super team of Mapei, where he was one of the leaders, to go to the new Lampre-Daikin, where he will be 'the' leader, at least at the major stage races. Giuseppe Saronni and Pietro Algeri, team manager and sport director have a lot of faith in the Swiss. They see him as the great rival for Marco Pantani at next year's Giro d'Italia. I've never been in this role, so I must test myself.
Leaders are born, a good captain can become one.
Camenzind, now, is aware that he is one of the major players in the current cycling scene. With more conviction I could have won last year's Tour de Suisse and could have been at the podium of the last Giro d'Italia. In 1997, in Switzerland, I was the strongest, but I lost to Agnolutto, because I didn't have the courage to ask for a sacrifice from my teammates. It seemed like something too big for me. I had to wait for Tonkov at la Marmolada, because that was my assignment.