Simone Andreetta of the Bardiani-CSF team was the subject of sincere concern by a Cyclingnews reader who watched him riding in the breakaway in the Dubai Tour and suggested he needs to lower his saddle. But the Italian fended off the suggestion, saying he is happy with his bike fit.
Andreetta was in the breakaway of the day during stage 2 to Ras Al Khaimah on Wednesday and caught the watchful eye of a real estate broker named John R. in Ottawa, who was inspired to send an email to Cyclingnews by the Italian's swaying riding style.
He wrote: "#41 in the 2017 Dubai Tour needs to lower his saddle by 1cm or 2 cms. I watched him in the breakaway in stage 2. His hips were going up and down with each pedal stroke."
"Please use your resources to contact the Directeur Sportifs for the team. Suggest to him that #41's saddle height should be examined and adjusted if needed."
Cyclingnews did just that and passed on the message to Andreetta and the Bardiani-CSF team. Rather than being upset or dismissive of the comments, Andreetta was grateful and happy to send a message back to John via Cyclingnews.
"It's nice to get feedback from people who watch you race and so thank him from me," the Italian rider told us.
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"I can understand why he said it, but I'm happy with my position. I move in the saddle a little bit, but it's my riding style. I'm actually lower this season than in the past. Someone even suggested I was too low."
Cyclingnews forwarded the message, and John replied.
"You have made me very happy by taking such prompt action. Thank you also for the update from Simone," he said in an email. "He has the final decision and he is happy with his position. Wonderful!"
Want to send riders a message via Cyclingnews? E-mail us at cyclingnews@cyclingnews.com.
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
