Jhonatan Restrepo has good impression of his new home at Polti-Kometa: "I have found a very ambitious team eager to grow"
Cycling
After a one-year break, Jhonatan Restrepo will be back racing at the European scene, joining the Italian ProConti team Polti-Kometa. There, the 29-year-old Colombian will rank among the most experienced riders, thus his role will be also that of a mentor, besides delivering results himself.
"The opportunity to join Polti-Kometa arised very early. After my victory in the Giro de Calabria in April, my manager told me about the possible interest of a team but never told me which one, and a week before the Giro he revealed to me that we could very possibly make a deal with the EOLO," Restrepo told ciclismointernacional.
"I start on January 21 at the GP Castellón, then I travel to Colombia to race the national championships and I am waiting for confirmation of our team to race the Colombia Tour. Then I will ride the Tour of Rwanda and from there I'll head to Italy."
As said, Polti will have a young squad that has yet to prove themselves, but apparently, the atmosphere is more relaxed than one might expect. "I have found a very ambitious team eager to grow, and that is what they ask of me, to make my work as professional as possible. But also that I really enjoy being on the team. It is logical that they ask me for results but they ask me to be happy and this is very important," he highlights.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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