Whenever I am assigned a task, I prepare to make the most of the new experience. Although it's not an easy job, I've learned that passion, open-mindedness and commitment can make a big difference in the final result. When I received the call from the Cannondale headquarters asking for a summary of Avancini's life with the Factory Team, shortly after starting to search my photographic archive I realized that it was not going to be one of those easy jobs.
Source: press release/Michele Mondini
I imagine many cycling enthusiasts have memories of a win or some special moment. It might seem simple enough to create a career summary. If you just look at the stats – 2018 Marathon world champion, 2020 Nove Mesto World Cup winner, first Brazilian to win an XCC race in Andorra, multiple stage winner with CFR teammate Manuel Fumic at the Cape Epic since 2016 to 2019, and more – you know right away that we're talking about a talented athlete, sure, but you also miss a lot of the story.
I started my image research with the 2017 season. I don't know why, but in my mind, that year was the turning point in Henrique's career.
That season started with some changes of players in the squad, and Avancini – or “Ave” – had the chance to show his personality. Together with his idol (and teammate) Manuel Fumic, he was able to show signs of his future, winning some stages of the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa, wearing the leader's jersey and finishing fifth overall.
The good results in South Africa probably convinced him of the possibility of aspiring to the marathon rainbow jersey in Singen, but he finished far from the podium. In the rest of the season he achieved consistent results in Brazil, but he still lacked something to enter the top 20.
But maybe it would be better to start the story from the beginning… I started my photography career around 2009, but the first big works came a few years later. One of my dreams was to travel the world photographing the best pros on the circuit. My first time in South Africa was at the World Championship in Pietermaritzburg in 2013. That was the first time I saw our Brazilian superstar racing for a national brand.
A few years later, in 2015, I was lucky enough to join CFR (Cannondale Factory Racing). That was also Avancini's first season. At that point not many people were convinced of this guy's potential, but he was dreaming big.
Ave and I went to the Cape Epic in South Africa for the first time in 2016. My English was decidedly poor and the only two people I could talk to were the mechanic Giacomo and Henrique, who spoke fluent Italian. That trip allowed us to build a strong relationship.
I guess no one expected that the CFR team would be able to take the leader's jersey at the demanding Cape Epic. I still wonder if that result was also the result of the good times we spent together on the pitch.
“The President” was frustrated at not being able to reach his goal very often and was devoting more and more time to training. On one of the long journeys to a World Cup stage in 2017, I still remember us talking about this situation. I ended up telling him something like, “Make sure you don't lose focus; keep in mind that to go to the top you must first hit the bottom. Obviously it wasn't just my speech that changed the situation, but the World Cup stage in Cairns, where the three CFR lions missed the podium by a few seconds.
That highlight at the end of the 2016 season gave him the motivation to work hard over the winter period. In December we were already together in South Africa to prepare the athletes for the course and for the heat.
The frustration turned into smiles. Henrique started the 2017 season with renewed energy. The Training Camp in South Africa resulted in numerous top ten finishes, with the CFR team taking the title of best team. As a result, the crowd around the podium has also become increasingly large.
“XCC Short Track is the real novelty of 2018. The UCI, looking to create a more interesting format for the fans, has introduced a 20-minute quick race that determines the starting position of the riders for the next XCO race.
In the beginning no one really understood how this race was going to impact the main race of the weekend. The teams were a bit skeptical about having it as the opening race of the weekend. The tactics then became clear after a few events, and in Vallnord Avancini achieved his first victory in a World Cup event.”
The dream of an rainbow jersey passes through the Marathon Championships in Italy in 2018. This certainly represents a signal for him. Auronzo, the site of the Marathon world championships, is very close to the small village where Avancini lived in the first period of his stay in Europe.
The difficulty of that race, with the technical descents on the Dolomite singletracks, play a determining role in the result of the season.”
“When my research landed on the 2019 folder, I had to catch my breath. In a season like that, it was definitely difficult to choose what to choose and what to abandon.
Those who claim that new energies and the right atmosphere create a positive vortex are right. Everyone involved in the life of the CFR team felt proud of the overall results and everyone was working hard to deliver the best they could.”
Avancini's impact on the team was becoming evident. He spent an enormous amount of time each day in interviews and media meetings. A Brazilian company has decided to send a video crew to follow its entire competitive season, showing the real life of an athlete.
2020 was supposed to become the sequel to the previous season, but the pandemic has reshuffled the cards hitting everyone hard. We were leaving and returning from South Africa when we heard the first confusing news about the Coronavirus. Europe was in a panic, but in our bubble the usual routine wasn't all that different. After two training camps in South Africa and the quick adventure at Tankwa Trek, we were ready to tackle another Cape Epic. That was supposed to be a special race, marked by the imminent retirement of Manuel Fumic.
Things suddenly changed and we had to get home as fast as possible as Europe was starting the lockdown.
The dream had to wait until October, but in the end it wasn't going to come true."
“After the great achievement of winning the XCO World Cup in Nove Mesto, things didn't get any easier for Avancini.
In 2021 traveling was still difficult, and for a few months he couldn't even get to Europe.
His motivation took a hit and he had to put in a lot of effort to stay at the top of the UCI results.”
“If I'm not mistaken, during a chat earlier this year Ave had mentioned that he would like to have a World Cup in Brazil, and that he was trying to find the right place and the support to make it happen.
On this occasion “The President” made the right moves and with the announcement of the 2022 Cup calendar we had confirmation that another milestone had been reached.”
“Never in my life had I been as happy as when I flew overseas to photograph an event like the one at Ave's home. It was amazing to see the size of the crowd and their love for athletes and sports.
I'm pretty sure that weekend changed a lot of people's minds!”
“I guess I've already taken up a lot of your time, yet we haven't reached the present day yet.
There's not much more to add. Simply everyone at Cannondale and CFR feels so lucky to have shared an enormous amount of time together over the last nine years of Henrique's career.
I had the opportunity to connect directly with him and learned from him that dreams can come true.”
