INEOS Grenadiers sprinter does not want to end career: "I dream of returning to the Giro d’Italia"

Elia Viviani will likely not continue with INEOS Grenadiers in 2025 and his career currently stands at an unknown point. The 35-year old sprinter has achieved a lot in the past on the road but in recent years this is not the case, and the British team is focusing away from the sprinters.

Viviani signed with INEOS in 2022, partly because of Filippo Ganna with whom he shared track racing with and also teamed up on the road quite a bit as leadout and sprinter together. However over the years he's struggled to get results and in 2024 he did not raise his arms with the British team, and currently has no contract for 2025. “I’m returning to road cycling... I dream of returning to the Giro d’Italia. Winning a stage? It would mean really feeling like 2018," Viviani said in words to SportFace. 

CyclingPro.net recently reported that Viviani was set to retire at the end of this season but it doesn't quite seem to be the case. It may happen, but Viviani may also still find a contract in the upcoming months. Astana Qazaqstan Team for example are in search of a sprinter and actively sign Italian riders so it would be a fitting match; but the Italian ProTeam scene also presents several viable options. He may sign for a team where his ambitions on the road will just be secondary since the veteran does continue to perform on the track - he recently finished second at the Olympic Games Madison race, and second in the World Championships elimination race.

The track is definitely a priority, although at this moment he does not know yet how the next year will develop: "I feel a bit like the father of Italian track cycling. I like the role of leader of the track group and at the end of my career I would like to stay in the environment. However, at the moment I don’t have the technical skills of coach Villa but only the experience of an athlete. I would still like to stay in cycling, with a team or maybe the national team“.