"I am a bit tired of podiums": Matteo Malucelli on beating Jonathan Milan and chasing his Grand Tour dream

The path to the highest level of professional cycling is rarely easy, but Matteo Malucelli has faced more obstacles than most. After surviving sudden team closures and spending years fighting in the lower divisions, the Italian sprinter finally secured his WorldTour chance with XDS Astana last year. Now, at the age of 32, he is proving that patience pays off by challenging and beating the fastest men in the world.

At the recent AlUla Tour, Malucelli achieved a massive milestone by beating his highly successful countryman, Jonathan Milan. Now, he is racing against him again at the UAE Tour. While Milan has looked unbeatable there, despite suffering a crash during stage 1, Malucelli still managed a fourth-place finish on stage one, a sixth place on stage four, and a third place in Dubai.

However, the XDS Astana Team rider is hungry for more than just top placements. "I am actually a bit tired of podiums, I already got too many," Malucelli admitted in words to Tuttobiciweb. "I am looking for a victory in a major race."

Still, winning early in the season against a star like Milan was a huge boost. "For a sprinter it is important to break the ice and having done it immediately takes a weight off your mind for the first part of the season," he explained. "In addition, having done it ahead of a rider like Milan is an extra satisfaction."

It is rare to see a rider make their WorldTour debut past the age of 30, but Malucelli's career timeline was delayed by bad luck. "At the moment I was supposed to explode, at 28, I was at Gazprom, which lasted two months and then I found myself without a team," he recalled, referring to the team's sudden closure. "It took me another two to three years to get a chance at the highest level."

Despite this long journey, he feels very fresh. Because he did not race a heavy WorldTour schedule in his twenties, his body is not worn out. "The positive thing is that I didn't squeeze myself too much, I trained the right amount and I didn't race that much," he noted. "My biological age does not match the 32 years on my identity card and I think I still have some room for improvement."

Malucelli knows that riders like Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier, and Jasper Philipsen are currently the top sprinters in the sport. However, he does not feel intimidated by them. He knows he can beat them, as he has already proven this season. "From an absolute point of view, they have a bit more in terms of team, organization and also individual strength," he said. "But the difference is not that wide."

He remembers a sprint in the UAE last year where he finished just behind Merlier and Milan. "It also counts a lot to have the conviction of being able to be competitive and to try to play it out with them," he explained. "Slowly you also earn respect as a sprinter and as a team, and then, if you manage to struggle less to gain position and conserve some energy, you'll arrive fresher in the sprint. In short, it is a combination of factors, but we are working on it."

Despite having 18 professional victories, Malucelli has never raced a Grand Tour. Doing a three-week race like the Giro d'Italia could help him discover the best version of himself. "I would like to do it, certainly, but it is not an obsession," he stated. "If they select me, good, otherwise I will try to do my best in whatever race they send me to."

When asked about his ultimate dream for this season, the Italian sprinter remained mysterious. "I don't want to say it... Come on, for now let's say participating in a Grand Tour."