"It was the race of my dreams": Retiring European champion outlines his biggest regret

Giacomo Nizzolo is one of the many big names that have bid goodbye to the road peloton at the end of this season. The 35-year-old can look back at his career with satisfaction. He had become the 2020 European Champion, won a Giro d'Italia stage and twice the Points classification at Corsa Rosa. Besides that, he also won the Italian Championships twice (2016 and 2020), concluding 15 seasons as a pro with 31 professional victories. Which one was the best?

Nizzolo has to think about the answer for a bit, but eventually chooses his 2021 Giro d'Italia stage win. It was a very emotional victory because the Italian had come runner-up agonizing 11 times without a chance to raise his hands. "I'd been chasing a stage win at the Giro d'Italia for a long time, but with such a long wait, I enjoyed it even more," Nizzolo said on the RadioCorsa television program.

The European title comes quite close. "The 2020 European Championship in Plouay? Arnaud Démare was there, racing on home soil; he was one of the big favorites and coming off an extraordinary season. That day, the Italian team had been incredible, and I managed to crown my teammates' work with a great sprint."

Nizzolo's trophy room also features two Italian national jerseys, won in 2016 and 2020. The latter just a few days before his continental success: "The Italian Championship has always held a special place in my heart," commented the now former rider from Brianza. "Then, if you have to weigh victories, the European Championship probably holds more weight. I, however, couldn't choose."

The national titles might not be as highly valued internationally, but for Nizzolo those are the proof of his personal growth. Starting off as a pure sprinter, his victories on the lumpy roads in Italy didn't come without a lot of hard work.

"In Cittadella (2020), it was a great challenge to hold on for the entire course, due to the many times we faced the Rosina; then, in the finale, I managed my sprint. In Boario Terme (2016), the victory was a surprise for me, given that I arrived alongside Gianluca Brambilla, who had completely different characteristics than me. It was a great satisfaction."

Nizzolo also recalls the 2016 World Championships in Doha, where he finished in fifth place: "Yes, I sprinted with too high a gear, but I still got there and fought for it," said the rider from Besana. "Whoever won (Peter Sagan – ed.) deserved to do so, and Mark Cavendish and Tom Boonen also made it to the podium. I would have signed for a fifth-place finish at the start. It was a hellish day in terms of the heat, but I remember it fondly."

The rainbow race returns to Middle East in less than three years, but whether it'll be sprinters on the fore again is in the stars. "The 2028 World Championships in Abu Dhabi? I wish Jonathan Milan a great day there, hoping they don’t actually put that mountain on the course…"

"Sprinters now know they have to endure tough courses to be able to compete in the sprints. When I joined the amateur ranks, I had to shed the reputation of being a rider suited to completely flat races, and the Italian Championships in Boario Terme was the first demonstration that I could handle even slightly more hilly courses."

"The dream that remains? The Milano-Sanremo," Nizzolo replies without having to think too long. The "sprinters Monument" was never quite built for Nizzolo, but he still managed to arrive 5th in 2020, not too far off a victory. "It was the race of my dreams, but in recent years it has become increasingly out of reach due to champions who have made it a completely different race from the past."