The Italian sprinter will sport the new garment next Sunday, for the first time since taking gold in the Netherlands.
Last week, Elia Viviani pulled off a magnificent victory, one of the finest of his career, at the European Championships in Alkmaar. One of the pre-race favourites on the pan-flat course, the 30-year-old didn’t wait for the bunch sprint, instead going on the attack a long way from the finish, taking advantage of the havoc created by the strong crosswinds. Into the home straight, Elia found himself together with Deceuninck – Quick-Step teammate Yves Lampaert, which he outsprinted for his ninth win of the season.
“When I rode the parcours of the Yorkshire Worlds and saw how hard it was, I shifted my attention to the European Championships and made that race one of my primary goals of the season. I recovered after the Tour de France, had a good condition and came to the start with plenty of confidence after my victory in London. The race was atypical, many were betting on a mass gallop, but it got split early and things were completely different from that moment on. Being there in the finale with a Wolfpack teammate showed our strength and made the victory even more memorable”, a delighted Elia said when recollecting last Sunday’s race.
“When I came to Deceuninck – Quick-Step two years ago, I had many goals and I am grateful to the team for helping me achieve them. I took stage wins in all Grand Tours, I won the National Championships last season, and now the European Championships, two beautiful jerseys that I’m very happy will always be on my palmares. Wearing this garment makes me even more motivated for my last goals of the year.”
Elia Viviani will make his first outing in the European Champion jersey next week, at the Cyclassics Hamburg, Germany’s only World Tour race, which he won in the last two years.
Photo credit: ©Photo Mariani
