Marta Bastianelli delays retirement plans as she re-signs with UAE Team ADQ - "I can contribute for another year to the development of young and new riders"

Marta Bastianelli had announced her retirement from pro cycling earlier this year, however with the amount of evolution that women's cycling and her lineup UAE Team ADQ are having, the Italian veteran has decided to prolong her stay in the peloton.

“I am very happy to stay with the team,” Bastianelli said in a press release. “We have decided together that with my experience I can contribute for another year to the development of young and new riders. I would like to finish my career with another Grand Tour, and with a win. Then we will decide together with the team about the last step in my career.”

Despite being past her prime, this year the 35-year old has won the Ceratizit Festival Elsy Jacobs, aswell as the Omloop van het Hageland classic, the Vuelta CC Feminas, a stage at the Setmana Valenciana and two stage wins at the Bretagne Ladies Tour. It was a successful season which also included several top results in the cobbled classics, and she's looking to assist the quickly-developing team into gathering more results - aswell as take some more wins of her own.

“In the meantime, I am happy and excited to be part of UAE Team ADQ's project," she continued. "The philosophy of UAE Team ADQ corresponds to my values: sharing knowledge and always wanting to go further. In the final chapter of my career, I will always do my best and try to win.”