"The secret was definitely in the plan of the team" - Astana brought out the best of Christian Scaroni
Cycling
Christian Scaroni has hit what is perhaps the peak of his career at age 27 this past season, performing incredibly well throughout the year where he took several high-level victories. The Italian tells that he never would've expected such performances, and that this was brought out by XDS Astana Team who took the gamble on him back in 2022.
Scaroni is racing Tirreno-Adriatico and Itzulia Baque Country ahead of the Ardennes classics next spring, the races that are expected to be his big goals of the season: "Next year, I think the most important goal would be to do the best result in the Ardennes classics," Scaroni shared with IDL ProCycling. "First we do Basque Country, to arrive in the top shape for the Classic races. We have everything here to do our best."
It is a goal for the Italian puncheur, a type of rider who gets less and less opportunities at World Tour level currently due to the changes in routes and also the transformation of the world's top climbers into classics riders; but one that continues to thrive in the one-day races and more modest calendars.
Scaroni will be backed up by several of his compatriots in the Ardennes which are a big goal for the team. "We want to get the best result ever. But on the team, other riders like Bettiol or Velasco will be able to do the same result. But for sure, I will be a leader of the team. We will see day by day, race by race who will be better."
Family in Astana
In 2022 the Italian spent several months without a team after the end of Gazprom - RusVelo. At the time, Astana then took the risk in signing him, and it paid off big time. "For sure, it´s like a family,. When I was without contract in 2022 - because Gazprom closed - the team took me in when nobody trusted in me. I’m really happy to be here another two years. I improve year by year, and I’m really happy to continue my story with the family that is XDS Astana."
He had solid but modest results in 2023 and 2024, but the team's urge to chase UCI points this year - which proved successful in saving the team from relegation - forced the team into making schedule choices that, as a coincidence, brought out the best in Scaroni.
"We changed the performance plan. Normally, they made me race in the stage races. But from this year on, the team needed to score a lot of points, and they made me into a classics racer, scoring points in the one day races," he tells. "There, I discovered that I perform better in the one day races than in the stage races. The secret was definitely in the plan of the team, they believe in me to do one day races."
Scaroni finished high in several one-day races early in the year and then won the Classic Var, as well as a stage and GC at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes. A crash at Strade Bianche derailed his spring, however the form he didn't find in the Ardennes he found at the Giro d'Italia, where he was aided by teammate and KOM jersey winner Lorenzo Fortunato to a stage win in San Valentino, one of the most difficult mountain stages of the entire race.
"The stage win in the Giro was an incredible feeling, because we arrived together, me and Fortunato. That does not happen everyday. But the last one, in the Giro della Romagna, I felt really good, I did the last 40 kilometers alone. But the stage in the Giro was the best one."
After several early-season results, Christian Scaroni briefly led the UCI rankings in 2025
Veteran compatriot became his mentor
"I know that this year was very important for me and the team, because we had to save our license. Last year, I was really close to winning some races, but it never arrived. This year, my goal was to come back with a victory - and I took five. I did not expect a season as great as this one. I finished the season the same way I started."
But his season continued all the way into mid-October and on the way he had several other strong results, a victory at the Giro della Romagna and then a fourth place at the European Championships, in which he was close to joining Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel on the podium. A breakthrough season no doubt, and one where he finished high in the UCI rankings.
He also found a crucial ally this year in Diego Ulissi who joined from UAE Team Emirates - XRG, and has guided Scaroni into his best season ever. "In every interview, I talk about Diego, because I think he changed this team, the mentality changed a lot when he arrived here. He was my roommate in the Giro d’Italia. And every evening, before sleep, he explained to me what we could have done better, to win the race. With him, I do not only improve the performance with the legs, but also the head, the mentality. My season was also because of him."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It’s off-season mate, I’m bored and fed up with the mediocrity of people unwilling to provoke change when they admit things aren’t right. What have you done lately to make anyone realise you won’t put up with things? What conversation, are you dictating to me which part of the incident I have to be interested in or telling me other parts are taboo? That’s what I guess the UCI would really like, let them moan, let it blow over for them pass on to the next thing, let’s keep the status quo, let’s try our best not reviewing or revealing anything about decision-making just like every time before, they’re used to it by now so we can take the risk they’ll never give us grief.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- As far as CUTD headlines go this is far from the worst. It helps if you look at it twice and realise it’s a list of descriptions from distinct events. You can’t deny the reality of being a rival if you consider the picture immediately below, frontrunner is unfortunate but I’m guessing this time it’s more a linguistic failure than a clickbaiting opportunity. Just a reminder that this is not an anglo website, for those who find it too tedious to interpret text to get the gist of things which are rarely of great importance (as opposed to eg purposely biaised DOJ extradition translations in order to achieve hidden agendas), there are plenty of anglo cycling websites google can suggest.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Ah, finally someone willing to be a bit proactive.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- So? Do you understand the way instructions, decisions and authority work? Do you think in a football match if after a match (or even after play has gone on) a player tells the referee he did touch the ball with his hands when the referee didn’t award opponents a penalty that they will revise the score or force a replay? You really don’t get my point, it’s not against the rider but everyone here is so emotional for her they can’t get back to an issue which needs resolving for the future and the first step (or maybe second) is to try to understand how and why it happens, none of you have contributed in the least to that. All everyone is interested in is letting everyone know they agree how unjust it was, not even sure anyone thinks that could affect anything.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Shouldn’t you be in MOUrning?Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- Maybe you don’t like it and that’s fine, we all have different sensibilities and topics that touch us, but as you try to show me, it doesn’t hurt to reflect and compare ourselves to others behaving similarly. What precisely is the difference between a sports fan interested in every detail of his/her hero’s life and a celeb fan having the same hobby? It’s far more interesting to learn and think about how and why (which) people do things than reading about what they are actually doing. And just to add another level, maybe you’ll agree we don’t use the same value system for everyone, we discriminate in an enormous number of systematic ways. For example, when is the last time you saw a discussion arguing about the achievements of two politicians to compare or for that matter two business leaders apart from the comparison of hypothetical wealth accumulated? Perhaps you misunderstood the intention?Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- I don’t think I know what’s beneath the surface but I am willing to think about it, discuss it, compare it to a known past, extrapolate to a potential future and ask/try to find out truth or even take action within my powers (boycotting something or someone is within EVERY person’s reach). If you think your attitude has more chance of changing a result, a process, a system or an institution or it just makes you feel good, keep at it but to me it looks like you’ve already given up before trying.Jumpyjohn09-11-2026
- All journalists should start asking the UCI uncomfortable questions, sending inquiries about the interpretation of the rules and the justification of the results. This is the only way to change anything.averagecyclist09-11-2026
- OFF TOPIC: OK, don't get mad with me... I have some very important news, something that can't be overlooked, something that can't be ignored!!! In the new documentary Anatomy of a G.O.A.T. (released in November 2026), legendary Belgian cyclist EDDY MERCKX spoke about TADEJ POGAČAR: Merckx: “He has revived a style of cycling that we had almost forgotten. He is now better than me.” Key statements by Merckx about Pogačar in 2026: - Acknowledging his superiority: This time, Merckx openly admitted, without any subsequent backtracking or reservations, that Pogačar had surpassed him and was now above him. This contrasts with 2024, when he quickly softened his remarks about Pogačar being faster. - The possibility of a historic triple (Giro, Tour and Vuelta): During the July Tour de France (where Pogi claimed his fifth title), Merckx stated that Pogi was the only cyclist in history capable of winning all three Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España) in a single season, provided the conditions were right and he had sufficient team support. - Lack of serious competition: Merckx emphasised that Pogačar has no real rivals in the mountains since 2024, thanks to his extraordinary climbing ability and the fact that he continues to improve despite still being under 28 (he turned 28 in autumn 2026). - Praise for his racing style: Merckx highlighted how Pogačar is bringing back the aggressive, uncompromising spirit of cycling's golden era, when races were not merely about calculated stages and tactical conservatism, but about attacking from long distances. PS: Now, this is real important cycling news. This is not "boring" ... this is called making real history, not BS history. Capish?PogiSloFans09-11-2026
- how else is there to look at things? we are responding to words and pictures, we are not there. your long winded replies make zero sense to anyone. pretty much everyone but you says the same thing. MS was robbed. somehow you think you're so smart to dig beneath the surface and discover something no one else, including the opposing coach and cyclist, saw. lol. you are a tool.mij09-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment