"I am where I am today thanks to them" - Andrea Bagioli gives Soudal - Quick-Step parting gift with victory at Gran Piemonte

In one of his final races in the colours of Soudal - Quick-Step and potentially one of the team's final races, Andrea Bagioli took a brilliant victory at Gran Piemonte in what could turn out to be a departing gift.

“I felt good from the beginning today, and on the hard climb of Alpette I asked Mattia to go full gas, and he did a great job," recaps the 24-year-old Italian, who will join Lidl-Trek for next season regardless of whether or not the merger between Soudal - Quick-Step and Jumbo-Visma is to go ahead or not. "I then accelerated with 16 kilometres to go, and even after the others came across, I remained confident in my chances."

Heading into the finale alongside Marc Hirschi, Alex Aranburu and Guillaume Martin, victory was by no means assured. "We shared the workload in the group all the way to the finish," says Bagioli to his team's official website. "I gave my best and took this beautiful win, my first in an Italian one-day race.”

“It was my penultimate race in the colors of this amazing team with whom I spent my first four years as a pro rider and I want to thank this group for all this incredible time," concludes Bagioli. "This fueled my motivation for today. I improved a lot here and I am where I am today thanks to them.”