"The team really believes..." - Visma's new Italian signing has promising view of the future

Davide Piganzoli was one of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's signings this winter, a young Italian climber who has potential to develop in future years and maybe even gain a leadership position depending on his evolution. For the time being it is a period of adaptation for the Team Polti VisitMalta rider, who joins the team with compatriots Filippo Fiorelli and Pietro Mattio.

In the ceremony for the Coppa Italia delle Rigioni, where he was awarded with the best young riders prize, the 23-year old said: "I'm very happy, also because of the expectations Visma | Lease a Bike has for me. The team really believes in it. I've only just started working on it, but for now we're taking it slowly. There's a lot of work to do, but I definitely have big goals".

He has joined the team on a three-year deal and such a move doesn't come as a surprise after his performances in the last few years. In 2023 he finished third at the Tour de l'Avenir and he backed that up in 2024 with a 13th place at the Giro d'Italia, GC win at the Tour of Antalya and most impressively a third place at the Giro dell'Emilia where he joined Tadej Pogacar and Tom Pidcock on the podium.

But he followed through with his contract until the end, riding to second place at O Gran Camiño, 11th at the Tour of the Alps, 14th at the Giro, second at La Route d'Occitanie and a few Top10's during the Italian autumn classics. A well-rounded rider with two years of experience as a leader, who might be a diamond in the rough coming from a lower-level team (as are several of Visma's signings).

"This year I've unlocked a different vision of the race. I tried to race using more instinct, perhaps more in the old-fashioned way, believing more in myself and in what I've worked for. In the end, it often paid off," he concluded. "I've achieved some good results, and I hope this bodes well for the future."