Almost forced to quit by COVID and Russia—Now a surprise challenger to the world’s best: Who is breakout star Christian Scaroni?

By the end of 2024, Scaroni was already far from an unknown. He regularly finished in the top 10 of stages and was one of the most aggressive riders in the Giro d'Italia, attacking deep into the third week. However, that was nothing compared to his explosive start in 2025. In Spain, he placed 5th, 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd in the Challenge Mallorca races. He then won the Classic Var, took both the stage and overall victory at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, and finished second behind the unstoppable Juan Ayuso (UAE) at the Trofeo Laigueglia.

This created a bizarre situation where, heading into Strade Bianche on March 8, Scaroni had earned more UCI points than any other rider in the first weeks of 2025. Expectations were sky-high for the iconic white roads of Tuscany, though Scaroni himself tried to downplay the hype. "I’m a rider who prefers to climb from the saddle, but that’s not easy on the gravel in Strade Bianche. You have to apply pressure while seated, and that makes me a little nervous."

Scaroni admitted his lack of experience in Strade Bianche, a race where experience might be the most important factor of all. His Dutch teammate, Ide Schelling, even warned us before the start that Scaroni might struggle. "He’s in the form of his life and can follow the top riders, but he wasn’t looking too comfortable on the gravel." And as if cursed by fate, Scaroni was lying in the ditch with 81 kilometers to go, with teammate Alberto Bettiol bent over him. "Not what I had expected—a crash that will keep me out of racing for a little while," he later wrote.

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Fortunately, Scaroni escaped serious injuries—he suffered no fractures and had to stay off the bike for only three days due to the impact of the crash. Good news for both cycling fans and the climber himself, as he hasn’t lived a day without his bike since he was six years old. "I started cycling back then because my uncle was a professional cyclist. I grew up with the sport and eventually turned pro in 2020 with Gazprom-RusVelo. I rode there for three years, but without much luck. In 2020, we were hit by COVID-19, in 2021 I broke my arm, and in 2022, the team was banned from competition due to the war in Ukraine."

On March 1, 2022, Scaroni suddenly found himself without a job. "That was really tough because, as a young pro, you need to rack up kilometers and gain experience. I struggled a lot mentally and even considered quitting because Gazprom-RusVelo was shut down in the middle of the season, and there was no possibility of signing anywhere else. Just sitting around waiting—I wanted no part of that. Thankfully, the Italian Cycling Federation stepped in to help, so I never completely lost my motivation. Now, three years later, I can say I’m really happy to still be a cyclist."

The Italian Cycling Federation offered Scaroni and a few other teamless Italian riders the chance to race in 2022 under the national team’s blue colors. Thanks to two stage wins at the Adriatica Ionica Race, Astana took notice of Scaroni. "That’s when I really became a pro in 2023. Thankfully so, because I never considered anything other than cycling. I wouldn’t even know what other job I could do. I love football and I’m an AC Milan fan, I enjoy spending time with friends, but work...? Luckily, I can still focus on cycling for many years to come."

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In 2023 and 2024, Scaroni progressed significantly, despite being a bit of a late-blooming neo-pro. "Last season, I was already getting good results, but I wasn’t able to win. Over the winter, my coach and I adjusted our approach, putting more focus on one-day races since Astana needs to collect UCI points to secure its WorldTour license," he explained matter-of-factly. The Kazakh team is aiming to secure a WorldTour license for the 2026-2028 cycle, meaning they need to climb the rankings in the 2023-2025 period.

This shift in strategy has been a game-changer for Scaroni. In 2024, he still rode many stage races, but by early 2025, he had only competed in one—the two-day Tour des Alpes-Maritimes. His other ten race days had all been one-day events. "This change has made me a much stronger rider. I actually train a bit less now, but when I do train, I go all out. On the days I’m not training, I focus entirely on recovery. That focus on one-day racing has turned out to be the right choice."

And what a choice it was—Scaroni suddenly became a race winner. "I’ve proven that I can follow the best riders in the world, even though some people said I was only doing it in smaller races. But Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious) won in a strong field at the Tour of Valencia, and I was able to match Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)." According to Scaroni, it’s not just about having good legs—instinct also plays a big role. "I’m not just going to blindly follow a rider like Tadej Pogacar. We’ve seen plenty of times how that leads to riders blowing themselves up."

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Due to his unusual path to the top, there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Scaroni’s true potential—even at 27 years old. "Maybe by the end of 2025, I’ll truly know what kind of rider I am. Until last year, I raced all kinds of events, but now I can fully focus on becoming the best version of myself. My numbers are good, so we expected that I could do what I’ve done so far. The hard part is proving it in races and showing your full potential."

Now that the floodgates have opened, Scaroni is deeply grateful to his current team. Alexandre Vinokourov gave him a chance in 2022, and Scaroni repaid that trust by earning a contract extension last season. "The team has always believed in my abilities, which is why I decided to stay after last year. My contract was expiring, and I had offers elsewhere, but I prefer being in a slightly smaller team—it’s better for my development. Here, I truly get to race for my own results. In another team, I’d probably be assigned a domestique role much faster."

Conclusion: The Christian Scaroni project is only just beginning, and the best is yet to come. On March 19, he will return to action in Milano-Torino, followed by Coppi e Bartali. Then, he heads to a high-altitude training camp on Teide in Tenerife, before tackling Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The Giro d’Italia will follow, where his big goal is to win a stage. "I love attacking, even though it sometimes costs more energy. I also enjoy being a team leader, but I still have a lot to learn from guys like Diego Ulissi. He’s an incredible person and has so much experience."

However, Scaroni isn’t rushing into the role of a GC rider just yet. "Let’s see if I can become a good leader in the future—for now, that’s not my main priority," he said, adding that Tirreno-Adriatico was never in his plans. "I didn’t want to race Tirreno—it would have been too much. A rider also needs rest, and I’ve already raced a lot this season."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])