For the sprinters too, the former European champion sees plenty of opportunities, especially during Grande Partenza in Bulgaria. “Start strongly, maybe take the pink jersey on the opening stage, win in Milan or Rome. That doesn’t happen often.”
Missing bike already
Even though Viviani enjoyed an extensive career and his retirement came around rather naturally with a sweet conclusion of a world title in team pursuit on track, the Italian rider still feels a strange tingling sensation in his legs when coming back to Giro d’Italia.
“For an Italian, the Giro is the race of the year. Even more than the Tour, because of what it represents. It is home, the streets where you grew up, the fans. I would always have chosen it.”
Elia Viviani concluded his professional career on a high with track rainbow jersey
The harsh reality of Italian cycling
However the Italian cycling in general is not living through its golden era. Surely, former track teammates of Viviani – Jonathan Milan and Filippo Ganna – are holding the tricolor above water with excellent time-trial and sprint performances, but in the mountains, Vincenzo Nibali’s 2016 Giro d’Italia triumph is notably covered in dust by now.
“I am optimistic. I always see the glass as half full, as I have throughout my career – not backwards, because that serves no purpose,” Viviani says positively. “We have excellent cyclists: Ganna and Milan are among the best in the world. The key to improvement lies at the grassroots level, in the youth categories.”
But Viviani notices a positive trend among younger riders: “They have become extremely fragile in recent years. Nowadays the search is immediately for pure talent, but that brings the risk of missing those who develop later.”
For now, the truth is hard for Italy. “We are in a global sport dominated by champions, and that is not easy. The truth is that with Pippo and Jonathan we have held our own very well. But we have competitive riders across different areas. Think of last year: Ciccone finished sixth at the world championships and Scaroni fourth at the Europeans.”
And for the future, the country already has something very promising in the pipeline. The 22-year-old Giulio Pellizzari is suddenly a podium contender for upcoming Giro. “[Lorenzo] Finn is taking the right steps – he’s not rushing anything, and his time will come. I repeat: we just need to be patient and work hard at the grassroots level, so that the champions of the future can develop,” Vivani concludes.
Filippo Ganna upset the sprinting peloton with a late attack at Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026