Young Italian climber set for WorldTour debut with Groupama - FDJ United
CyclingSaturday, 12 September 2026 at 03:00
Groupama - FDJ United are not among the teams in need of making massive moves on the 2026 transfer market. With only 7 riders out of contract, the French formation shifts its focus to nurturing the talent they already hold. Still, one interesting name bolsters Marc Madiot's formation on a three-year contract; Ludovico Crescioli.
Even though Crescioli impressed already in the junior ranks with for example second place overall at the prestigious Giro della Lunigiana (won by Lenny Martinez), his talent went long unrecognized racing at an amateur level for the first two seasons in under-23 category, only being provided platform to grab attention of bigger teams by Team Technipes in 2024.
That season saw Crescioli truly put his name in the spotlight with 4th place at Ronde de l'Isard, 3rd at Giro Valle d'Aosta, and a stage win at Tour de l'Avenir. Team Polti VisitMalta did not hesitate to promote the talented Italian who, during his two years the team, grew into a prospect who had many WorldTour teams lining up at his door.
The 2025 season has been a bit of a transition for Crescioli who came close to a big result on many occasions, but more often than not finished outside the top-10.
🤝 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒐, 𝑳𝒖𝒅𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒐!
— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ United (@GroupamaFDJ) September 11, 2026
🔜 2027-2029#DreamForward #PlusHautPlusFort pic.twitter.com/m95oGCDuAx
However this year, the 22-year-old no longer looked for excuses and secured his first professional victory at Giro dell'Appennino. Few weeks later, Crescioli made his Giro d'Italia debut where he grabbed one 7th place from a breakaway and finished 27th overall. Additionally, Crescioli finished runner-up in the final stage of Arctic Race of Norway last month, highlighting his explosiveness.
FDJ is in a neeed of new star
Joining Groupama - FDJ United, Crescioli hopes to further develop his stage racing ability. In that regard, a lot of work can be done on the young rider's time trial skills.
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In any case, there are sure to be many opportunities for the Italian to find his place in WorldTour with his new team open to any ways of broadening its UCI points account. Currently, the French team sits 20th overall, and trails WorldTour-securing positions by over 500 UCI points.
The situation is not quite dire, but with expected departures of Guillaume Martin, or Valentin Madouas, Crescioli will need to continue his upward trajectory.
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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