“I’d be over the moon to race Milano–Sanremo and the Giro d’Italia”: Soudal - Quick-Step prospect dreaming big after impressive debut World Tour campaign
Cycling
Andrea Raccagni Noviero has ended his first WorldTour season by setting his sights on the two most sacred dates on the Italian calendar. After a year that stretched from Australia to China and delivered real signs of progression, the 21-year-old believes the next step is obvious: aim for Milano–Sanremo and, one day, the Giro d’Italia.
The Soudal - Quick-Step rider’s campaign began brightly in Adelaide, where he banked his first WorldTour top ten on the final stage. “It was nice to start my season with a top ten on the last stage of the Tour Down Under,” he said, reflecting on a confident opening to life at the top level in conversation with Tutto Bici Web.
A few days later he animated the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in the break, before tackling the cobbles of northern France. “That day I made my debut at Paris–Roubaix. I suffered, but that experience taught me a lot. The support and the atmosphere were something unique,” he recalled. “I hope I can race it again one day.”
The step forward became clearer after an altitude block mid-season. “When I returned to racing the sensations were better and in Poland I got the answers I was looking for. On the Zakopane stage, on a very tough course, I finished fourth (just behind Bagioli),” he noted.
That momentum carried into his late-summer and autumn workload: a solid Deutschland Tour, seventh overall at the Tour of Slovakia, and eye-catching rides in the Italian one-day races. “Seventh overall was really incredible. I could hardly believe my first placing in a time classification. And when I think I missed the best young rider’s jersey by just two seconds… that was one of the most important moments of my season.”
Raccagni in action during 2025
What comes next: climbs, a first win, and the Italian dream
Raccagni is clear about the profile he wants to grow into. “I want to improve on the climbs, because that’s where I feel strong. Obviously I’ll be hunting my first victory and maybe try some races in the Ardennes.”
And then there are the goals that matter most to any young Italian. “I’d be over the moon to race Milano–Sanremo and the Giro d’Italia,” he admitted — not as hype, but as the logical destination for a rider whose first year delivered depth as well as promise.
The story here isn’t a single headline win; it’s accumulation: long blocks of racing, smarter positioning, better recovery, and a tangible uptick after altitude. Coupled with front-group finishes in the Italian autumn calendar and that narrow miss on the young rider’s jersey in Slovakia, the picture is of a rider moving from ‘neo-pro learning’ to ‘reliable contributor with upside’.
If 2025 established his base, 2026 is the test: convert presence into a first victory, harden the climbing legs, and — schedule permitting — edge closer to those two iconic start lines. For Raccagni, the dream is clear. Now the work begins to make it routine.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
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