Growing up in the northern town of Negrar in Italy, cycling has always been a constant in my life. I have been on the saddle since before I can remember, exploring the Italian countryside and getting lost in my own little world whilst on two wheels.
I was incredibly energetic as a child, often needing to find different activities to escape and exert the bundle of energy that I had bubbling away inside of me. Cycling gave me this release, and it quickly became my biggest passion in life. As I started to take up cycling seriously as opposed to just a hobby, my parents were on hand to offer unwavering support. They would take me to all of the races and drive me around the country. I certainly wouldn’t be here today as a professional cyclist without the sacrifices they made for me.
Today, I find myself among my fellow UAE Team Emirates riders at the Giro d’Italia. As an Italian cyclist, the Giro carries a little more importance to me due to it being my home Grand Tour event. It is such a special race for so many reasons – the breathtaking route through the Italian countryside and mountains, the incredible passion of the Italian fans out on the roadside, and the world-class level of competition. The Tour de France is often viewed as the pinnacle of the cycling calendar, but the Giro also has an exclusive spot at the top.
So far, we have performed well as a team without really turning the screw and bringing home race wins. Fernando Gaviria and I have both made the podium across different stages, but we have given ourselves numerous opportunities to convert race positions into stage wins, which we haven’t quite been able to achieve yet.
Finishing third place on Stage 7 was a really pleasing result for me in my home country. Of course, I wish I could have won the stage, but I gave it absolutely everything so I can have no regrets. It was a really tough day, and I knew I was one of the strongest on the climbs, but Team Jumbo-Visma had two riders well placed so it made for a really good battle. I was able to create a gap on the last climb, but they managed to claw some of it back before a sprint finish – which isn’t necessarily my strongest skill on the bike – meant I had to settle for third place.
The atmosphere in the team is still incredibly positive as we enter into the final week of the event. Delivering positive results is always the aim, but to do it for a team that make you feel like family makes it even more special. I feel very privileged to be here and have had some of the best years of my career as a part of this team.
Looking ahead, the next big goal for the team is the Tour de France. Tadej [Pogacar] and the rest of the guys know what it takes to win that event, so we will be looking to cross the line in Paris victorious for the third year in a row. This would be such an incredible achievement.
From a personal perspective, I will be taking a bit of a break upon completion of the Giro to allow my body to fully recover. From there, I will start to build up towards other races such as the Tour of Poland and II Lombardia at the end of the year. As a team, we have never targeted anything other than race wins in each event that we compete in, so we won’t be changing that mindset anytime soon!
Last but not least, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the Emirati people for their continued support for our team. Having visited the UAE many times now, the passion and enthusiasm around cycling is growing with each visit. This is certainly felt within our team, and it inspires us to give our best for the people of the UAE and represent them on the world stage.
