Every year, at the beginning of April, in Versilia (at the beach of Marina di Pietrasanta), a beautiful event's audience dedicated to CrossFit. This is a one-of-a-kind competition - why takes place on the beach.
The final phase of the competition is divided into two days and the participants are required to perform 4 WOD.
Index
Pietrasanta Beach Throwdown: the Ferrero brothers dominate the event
in the category RX Men, the top three are:
1 ° Andrea Ferrero (Crossfit Verbania)
2 ° Oliver Ball (Redfield Crossfit)
3 ° Luca Caresani (Black Pigs)
As for the category RX Women, the athletes who climbed the first three steps of the podium are:
1 ° Cecilia Ferrero (Crossfit Verbania)
2nd tie: Lucrezia Siri (Redfield Crossfit) Alessandra Pina (Crossfit Erba)
We were able to interview the protagonists of the event, which they shared with the readers of Crossmag.it their impressions and emotions. Let's get to know them better.
Interview with Andrea Ferrero
Victory in Pietrasanta, did you expect it?
I faced this race as a test of my current form status, after a period of fluctuating training (mainly for boxing engagements). I didn't take anything for granted, also because a competition on the beach is very tricky and the general level of the boys in the race was really tough!
Wod1 only fourth, did you want to study opponents?
Wod 1 I won my battery without worrying about the previous ones, which I rarely do. I will learn that the scores of other batteries must also be taken into account. Anyway, congratulations to the first 3: difficult to go so strong on a similar wod.
Wod2, early 3 very close. Where did you make a difference?
I think about the management of the bike. Together with my coach Alessandro we worked a lot with this device, and this is paying us back.
When did you realize that Oliver Ballo was your opponent for the final victory and what strategy did you adopt to bring the title home?
Until the final wod I had no way to confront him directly because he was always in the battery before mine. I arrived in the final with only one point ahead of him and, honestly, I didn't think of any other strategy than to stand in front of him.
Luca Caresani finished third 27 points behind you, but in the final you gave more than two minutes to your pursuers. Did you want to win the last wod?
My main interest was to maintain the first position. Luca made an incredible final; I could hardly have stood up to him.
What was the most difficult moment?
Probably the first Yoke Carry: never used and enough dancer!
How did you get over it?
Clenched teeth and try not to drop that tool.
Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
I have to say a word about this race which, year after year, proves to be increasingly valid and spectacular. Wod in water included: really fun. A sure thing to start a season with a bang!
Interview with Cecilia Ferrero
Hi Cecilia. Victory in Pietrasanta, did you expect it?
You never take a victory for granted. But I wanted it so much, I don't hide it.
In wod 1 you trimmed almost 1 minute to the second, while in wod2 you finished in eighth place, what happened?
I had some problems with free joke and with the exercise standards. A no-rep made me go back 10 meters with that infernal tool, digging two grooves in the sand! With the load overhead I felt unstable and looking around I seemed to see a group of drunk girls…. The fact that I kept laughing didn't help!
In the final did you administer the advantage or did Giulia Mazzetto have more?
I arrived at the final more tired than I thought. I only had one goal, leaving those in the standings behind me closer! My friend Giulia was legendary! A real forklift! His victory in the final was super deserved!
What was the most difficult moment?
At the beginning of the fourth wod, during the descent of the second rope climb, the final part of the rope hit me on the ear! It was like getting a punch full of wet sand !! I then started jumping rope and felt like I was moving to the right. I was afraid of invading my right-wing partner's station, so I stopped and moved to the left! My judge didn't understand what I was doing! Other wod, same drunk in the field race .. hahaha!
How did you get over it?
I don't think I've really overcome it! It was more like continuing to go on as I could until CapTime! The cheering of my Vikings has certainly helped me not to stop!
Next race? Targets? How are you preparing it?
I have some team races planned to have fun: Liguria box Battle with my little sister, who is getting better and better. Italian Box Battle with the girls of my box! And for the individual competitions… I'm just fighting now with my coach Federico Husson 😉
Interview with Lucrezia Siri
Hi Lucrezia. Even with Alessandra Pina, what should you have done better for second place overall?
The first day penalized the wod with the sup. An ankle problem caused me stability problems in the barefoot burpees on the sand and I could not be as fast as I should have been. The points I would have gained in that wod would have been enough for me for the second place overall.
Second in the first wod behind Cecilia Ferrero, where did you get the 47 seconds of final second place?
To recover the 47 "I would have had to shorten the transitions between one exercise and another, in the execution I went as I thought: I never broke the exercises.
Victory in the wod 4: 186 rep against the 184 of Rachel Mammoliti second. How many chances did you get, at the end of the wod, to bring Pietrasanta home?
At the end of the 4 wod I knew that I could also win the first place, if I still had the chance to compete in the semifinal and the final. Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, the wod of the semifinal was eliminated and I didn't have the chance to earn the points that separated me from the first. This is not an excuse anyway because I should have tried to distance the opponents in the other wods. Unfortunately in the race you are always forced to face unexpected events and you should be prepared for everything. This is why I am constantly striving to achieve better results.
What happened in wod3 and wod4 where you finished 7th and 10th respectively?
In the wod 3 I started too fast on the first lap on the bike and I was in trouble for the following exercises .. not having the bike erg in the box I didn't know how to handle myself. In the 4 wod I had trouble with burpees due to an ankle problem.
What was the most "delicate" phase of the event? How did you manage it?
The most difficult moment was after the fourth wod, when I saw the ranking of my tenth place.
I got over it thanks to my coach, who motivates me and encourages me to never give up and always believe in my possibilities.
Interview with Alessandra Pina.
Hello Alessandra. Second place tied with Lucrezia Siri, did you expect it?
I did not expect it, however, unlike other races, where I went to do them or to defend myself, in this case I knew instead that I could try.
You started badly, only eighth in the first WOD, what happened?
I arrived 8 ° because I have an important deficiency on the muscle up and so I knew that I certainly couldn't aim to arrive among the first three. That's okay: I did what I had to do. I didn't get lost.
In the wod 2 instead you have won, always equal with other 3 athletes, with 71 rep. Where did you make a difference?
In the second workout there was the bike. I go strong in everything that is endurance (biking, rowing, etc.).
About the snatch, I'm not a weightlifter, but I like barbell cycling. So I knew I could push, aware that, after those six minutes of agony, it would all be over for a good few hours.
After the WOD 2 the final winner of Pietrasanta, Cecilia Ferrero was in trouble, only eighth.
What did you think? Did you want to try to win?
Yes, of course after word 2 (and also after word 3) I wanted to try to win! I didn't make it. Cecilia Ferrero was stronger than me and that's okay. It's the second RX race of my life and there's a lot of time to improve.
Was the eighth place in wod1 the penalizing element for the final victory?
I don't think workout 1 was the decisive factor in my positioning. As I told you, I did it at the limit of my ability. The workout that was penalizing was definitely 3. I went very well, however, at the end of the workout I forgot to move the bar to the next station and did 5 more reps. These obviously have not been counted to me, as they are not valid. In that workout I would have won, thus earning another 2 points. There is a bit of remorse, because on that occasion I lost concentration.
© BODO digital art