There were murmurs that Elia Viviani might be forced to retire from the professional peloton when his INEOS Grenadiers contract expired at the end of 2024. Thankfully for the experienced Italian though, whilst it may have taken time, he does now have a contract for the coming year at Lotto.
"I’m very happy to extend my career with Lotto," the Italian sprinter says enthusiastically, in a press release on his new team's official website. "First and foremost, I want to keep sprinting for victories, but I also want to share my experience with this young team. I’m ready to take on that role—giving my new teammates tips, whether they are sprinters or not, and helping them grow."
A nine-time Grand Tour stage winner, Viviani has had an incredibly successful career, both on the road and on the track. Whilst the now-36-year-old has seen victories harder to come by in the last few seasons, he and the Lotto Cycling Team are confident there is still a role to be played in the peloton by Viviani. "At 36, I’m still highly motivated. I’m still a sprinter. I want to win. After focusing on the Olympics and track cycling last summer, it wasn’t easy to find a team, as I hadn’t been able to prove myself on the road. But then Stéphane Heulot heard about my situation, and suddenly, the puzzle pieces fell into place," he adds. "My wife, Elena Cecchini, actually preceded me. She raced for Lotto in 2015 and was absolutely thrilled that I would be riding for the Belgian team (laughs)."
"I’ve known Elia Viviani for ten years- our paths have crossed at previous teams. That’s why I’m delighted to announce his arrival and welcome him to our team," Heulot himself commented. "Elia brings a wealth of experience that he can share with our young riders, and at the same time, I’m convinced he still has an important role to play in the sprints."
✍🏼 New Signing ✍🏼
— Lotto Cycling Team (@lottocycling_) February 20, 2025
We are delighted to welcome Elia Viviani to our team! 🇮🇹 The Italian sprinter has signed a one-year contract.
🔗 Read more: https://t.co/YrDCasV1Jm pic.twitter.com/dJCb7NvMrW
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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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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