"I hope I can be a protagonist at least from the second half of the race” - Filippo Zana heading to the Vuelta a Espana full of confidence

Filippo Zana will be heading to 2023 Vuelta a Espana quietly confident of some good results and possibly even mounting a general classification challenge. The Italian impressed earlier this year at the Giro d'Italia winning a stage.

Speaking to OA Sport, Zana outlined his goals for the final part of his season after having two months off since the Tour of Slovenia after crashing in training. "I'm fine, I've recovered. I'm returning from Livigno – where I stayed for three weeks – I'll spend a week at home and on the 22nd I'll leave for the Vuelta," Zana says. "After breaking my collarbone I was off for ten days, then I did about 10 days of rollers before starting to train on my bike again. In Livigno I tried to recover my leg and therefore the bottom."

As mentioned, Zana was one of the stars of the 2023 Giro d'Italia earlier this year, winning stage 18 in a thrilling battle with Thibaut Pinot. So what goals does the Team Jayco AlUla prospect have at his second Grand Tour of the year? “I'm happy with how I am and from the training I've done. I haven't raced for two months and so I don't know exactly how it will be in the race, but I managed to do a good job at high altitude," he explains. "The first part of the Vuelta may be a little more complicated, but let's hope we come out well. In the first stages I'll have to find my rhythm a bit. I hope I can be a protagonist at least from the second half of the race.”

"Let's start with an approach more similar to the Giro," he continues, outlining the team's plan for the race. "Eddie Dunbar will be there to try and make the classification and I'll try to support him as best as possible, then we'll see along the way."

The Vuelta doesn't end Zana's season either, following that there is still much more the 24-year-old is keen to achieve. "I should do racing in Italy, therefore the Coppa Agostoni, Tre Valli Varesine, Giro dell'Emilia, Giro di Lombardia, Giro del Veneto and Veneto Classic, but these last two are still in doubt. I will evaluate together with the team," he explains. "Definitely, we hope to come out well from the Vuelta and therefore to have a good footing to make Lombardy a protagonist."