"Ganna is the athlete who can win Milan-Sanremo": Elia Viviani believes Italy has a challenger to Pogacar and Van der Poel

In 2025, many high-profile riders have announced their retirement. One of them has been the Italian sprinter Elia Viviani, who is hanging his bike after an extremely successful career both on the road and on the track. However, he won't go too far away, as he has become the new manager of the Italian national team.

The Venetian rider ended his career a few weeks ago, first bidding farewell to the road peloton at the Giro del Veneto, before closing his competitive journey on the track at the Six Days of Ghent. Some days before that, he won the world title in the elimination race at the Track World Championships in Chile.

Elia Viviani’s professional journey began in 2010 when he joined Liquigas–Doimo. Over the years, he became one of Italy’s most successful and reliable riders, combining success on both the road and the track. During his professional career, Viviani amassed five stage victories at the Giro d’Italia, three at the Vuelta a España and one at the Tour de France, reaching the impressive number of 90 professional wins.

Speaking to Ansa, Viviani explained that his new role as a manager reflects a responsibility he has already embraced in recent years. “Over the last few years, starting from the gold medal in Rio, I tried to be a reference point for the younger riders, and I want that to continue,” Viviani explained. “I won’t be on the bike anymore, but the objectives don’t change.”

For Viviani, the Olympic Games remain the central goal, regardless of his new role. “The Olympics, whether as an athlete or not, remain the dream, and we will work hard for that. The challenge will be increasingly difficult, because from Rio onwards we have always won at least one gold medal and more and more medals.”

While there are established stars in their prime, the Italian younger generations are also coming very strong. For Viviani, the future ahead for Italy is really bright. “We have an excellent group: from Pellizzari to Finn, including Tiberi, Milan, who is the strongest sprinter in the world, and Ganna, who dreams of winning Milan-Sanremo or Paris-Roubaix.”

Looking ahead to the next Olympic cycle, Viviani stressed that preparations are already underway, even if there are more than 2 and a half years until the event. “Los Angeles is closer than it seems, and qualification is about to begin. We are already thinking about the Olympics.”

For Viviani, there is one Italian rider that he sees capable of winning the Primavera in the near future. "Ganna is the athlete who can win Milano-Sanremo. He also wants to reclaim the throne in the time trial, and we know how hard he works when he sets his mind to something.”

"We have Milan returning to the Giro, which is something special for us Italians; an Italian at the Tour de France is not the same. Many track riders can do well; there's a good group. For the women, we have the strongest group in the world; we don't need a generational change," he concluded.