Diego Ulissi sets sights on Italian National Championship after Giro dell'Appennino victory: "We will try to give it a proper battle"

Showing his incredible longevity, Diego Ulissi marked his 16th consecutive season with a pro win on Tuesday afternoon at Giro dell'Appennino 2025. Now, the 35-year-old is switching targets towards the Italian National Championships - a title that has so far proven elusive in his career. 

"We had a pretty young team today, with guys from XDS Astana Devo Team, some of them had just come back from the Giro Next Gen. Everyone did a great job," reflected Ulissi in post-race comments posted to the official website of the Astana team, having soloed for around 50km to take the victory. "We controlled the early breakaway. Then, on the hardest climb, with around 50 kilometres to the finish, I attacked."

"It was quite tough with the head wind, but I managed to gain some advantage and take this win," Ulissi continues, before turning attention to the aforementioned fight for the Italian tricolour jersey. "Up next we have the Italian National Championships and I think we have a strong team there, so we will try to give it a proper battle."

In an added bonus for the XDS Astana Team, Ulissi ended up being one of two riders on the final podium. Joining his compatriot, former Italian national champion Simone Velasco sprinted to 3rd at the line.

"Today I didn’t have super legs because I really suffered from the heat, but we were still up there in front, and I tried to cover as many attacks as possible for Diego," he recapped. "All our guys did a great job in the first part of the race, up to the decisive moment. Then it was up to Diego and me when the race opened up, to do our part. Diego made a great move, he rode solo for about 50 kilometres, and I tried to neutralize all the counterattacks. In the end, I managed to win a bunch sprint and claimed third. So yes, for us it was indeed a good day."