The 24-year-old Italian looked back on the perfect day last October, when he delivered the 950th victory in the team’s history.
“Winning Gran Piemonte made me very happy for a number of reasons. First of all, it was my maiden victory since turning pro in a one-day race on Italian soil. It’s one of the oldest races in Italy, won by some great riders in the past, and to have my name on the roll of honor made me really proud.
I remember that on that day I felt good from the very start, and when we hit the Alpette climb, which was the hardest of the race, I asked Mattia Cattaneo to go full gas and he did a tremendous job. I took off some twenty kilometers from the finish, and even after the others came across, I remained confident in my chances. We shared the workload in the group all the way to the finish, where I gave my best as I had a lot of confidence in my speed, and took that beautiful victory.
I had a lot of motivation, as it was my penultimate race in the colors of this amazing squad that is Soudal Quick-Step, with whom I spent my first four years as a pro rider, and I was glad I could repay them for all their support during this time. I improved a lot here and I am where I am today thanks to them. I was sad to be leaving, but at the same time, I was happy that I could thank the Wolfpack for four unforgettable years with such a success that helped the team reach another fantastic milestone.”
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
