THE SIDEONE PROFILE

James Piccoli: The Canadian reaching every road racer’s dream.

By Phyl Newbeck

A resident of Jericho, Vermont, Phyl Newbeck is a freelance writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.

2019 was a breakout year for cyclist James Piccoli. He podiumed in three of the premier races on the North American circuit, winning the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico and finishing second in the Tour de Beauce in Quebec and the Joe Martin Stage Race in Arkansas. 2020, however, was even bigger. The 29-year-old from Montreal was signed by the Israeli Start-up Nation racing team and competed in his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España in November. The 18-day race (reduced from the usual 21 days because of Covid-19 travel restrictions) covered a total of 2,892 kilometres.

“It was very exciting.” Piccoli said. “The Grand Tours are the most televised cycling events. It’s the dream of every cyclist who starts road racing to do a Grand Tour because it’s the ultimate test and there are only three of them: the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, and the Giro d’Italia.” Piccoli recognizes that due to the pandemic, he wasn’t able to enjoy the full Vuelta experience since organizers limited the number of fans along the roadsides.

“I think that’s part of the experience and we missed that,” he said. “Having fans is the reason we’re all cyclists. We love to perform in front of people and entertain. Having people cheer you on when you’re on those crazy climbs is a really cool experience.”

Piccoli praised the race organizers for their work in ensuring Covid-19 protocols were followed and crowd control measures were taken. “Obviously this year there were a lot less fans than usual,” he said, “but there was still a lot of support.”

A BIG STEP UP

The Israeli Start-up Nation team is four years old and this was the first year they had World Tour status. “That means they are officially invited to all the biggest races in the world, including the Grand Tours,” Piccoli said. “I personally took a step up this year and so did the team. There were five of us at the Vuelta who had never done a Grand Tour before.” While Piccoli benefitted from the veterans on the team, he also enjoyed having the company of others in his position. “It’s been nice to grow alongside the team and share the experience of my first Vuelta with other first-timers,” he said.

Piccoli may not have finished on the podium at the Vuelta but he is happy with his performance in support of his teammate Dan Martin, who finished fourth overall. “Dan won a stage and had his best Grand Tour result ever,” Piccoli said. “I wasn’t racing to finish as high as I could. It was my job to help him in any way so he could save energy for the next day.”

“Having fans is the reason we’re all cyclists. We love to perform in front of people and entertain. Having people cheer you on when you’re on those crazy climbs is a really cool experience.”

Piccoli’s task was made easier by the fact that the teammates enjoyed one another’s company. “All the riders got along well,” he said. “We also had a great time off the bike. It’s easy to have one without the other and it’s best when you have both.”

Piccoli admits it took him three or four days after the Vuelta to feel normal again. Two weeks after the race, he still had not gone on a training ride. “It was a week of not doing much and another week of finding my rhythm again,” he said. After the race, Piccoli recovered at his European base in Girona, Spain before heading back home to Montreal. “Girona is perfect for training,” he said. “There are a lot of foreign riders and since that includes Canadians, Americans and Australians, there is a little bit of home.”

Piccoli is considered a climbing specialist but he confesses he doesn’t reap much enjoyment from that aspect of racing. “I really do like climbing when I’m training,” he said, “because climbs are often the nicest roads with great views and you can stand up and look around. Plus, the descents are fun.” When he’s racing, however, Piccoli doesn’t have the same level of pleasure. “I happen to be good at climbing,” he said, “but that just means I go faster while I’m suffering as much as everyone else.”

THE EVEREST CHALLENGE

During the first wave of the pandemic, Piccoli put his climbing prowess to good use. “A popular way for climbers to keep in shape,” he said, “was something called Everesting, which meant doing hill repeats until you reached 8,848 metres, or the height of Mt. Everest.” When a friend suggested that Piccoli take part in an endurance challenge to raise money for charity, he decided to “Everest” on Mount Royal near his Montreal home. “That would have been 75 or 76 repetitions,” he said “but one of us suggested doing 100, so that was the challenge I set for myself.”

Piccoli started his ride at 4:30 a.m. and finished around 9:00 p.m. for a total of 322 kilometres and 12,605 metres of elevation gain (roughly 1 ½ Everests), raising $20,000 to purchase personal protective equipment for workers at Montreal area hospitals. “That was one of the best days on the bike in my career in terms of how gratifying it was,” he said. “It took me all day but it’s a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life.” Friends and family lined the road to cheer him on and give him snacks, and some rode laps with him. “I saw a beautiful sunrise,” he said, “and later I saw a beautiful sunset.”

Riding the Vuelta fulfilled a lifetime dream for Piccoli. “A Grand Tour was my goal ever since I started cycling,” he said. “I always wanted to experience the ambience.” Piccoli noted that he has been fortunate to have another race – the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal – closer to home. “I’m lucky to have a oneday World Tour race in my hometown,” he said. “I started watching it when it was a woman’s race and it takes place on the same roads I ride every day when I’m home.” Covid-19 caused the cancellation of this year’s race but Piccoli was able to take part in two prior iterations. “It’s a special event for me because I can race in front of family and friends, some of whom don’t really understand what I do for a living,” he said. “Very, very few riders can say they have a World Tour race in their backyard.”

A CANADIAN BREAKTHROUGH

Canadian cyclists have not been well represented in cycling’s Grand Tours but Piccoli hopes that situation will improve. “Cycling just isn’t as popular as hockey and other team sports,” he said. “With less popularity comes less government funding, fewer development teams and fewer riders, but I think that’s changing.” Piccoli noted that one unintended side effect of the pandemic was that people rediscovered bicycling. “All the Montreal bike shops sold out in May and June,” he said. “People wanted to keep fit. I’ve been riding Mount Royal for ten years and I’ve never seen so many people on the roads, both young and old.”

“Now there is more of a network to grow the sport. I think cycling has the potential to be big in Canada.”

Piccoli noted that 10 years ago there was, at most, one Canadian each year in a Grand Tour race. “Now there are six or seven,” he said, “and next year there will be one or two more. Hopefully it will continue on that path.” Piccoli hopes the uptick in cycling will continue and some of those riders will take up racing. “More racers means more teams and more funding,” he said. “Now there is more of a network to grow the sport. I think cycling has the potential to be big in Canada.”