Grazie mille Elia Viviani, Italian legend and writer of nearly impossible cycling fairytales until the very last second

Born in Isola della Scala on February 7, 1989, Viviani combined track and road cycling from an early age. As a junior and U23 rider, Viviani made a big impression, winning several medals at World and European Championships. In 2008, he even made his debut at the European Championships and immediately won bronze in the Omnium. The Dutchman Wim Stroetinga won the gold at the time.

Viviani's road career then also developed further. In 2010, he moved to the then-major Italian team Liquigas-Doimo. In his first race for that team, the Tour of Turkey, Viviani immediately showed his talent for mass sprints by winning the penultimate stage. It didn't stop there; later that year, he also won the Memorial Marco Pantani and the Memorial Franck Vandenbroucke.

It was a great start to a highly successful career as a road sprinter. But it took a while after that debut year in 2010 before Viviani started winning really big road races. To do that, he had to leave his Italian home for the British Team Sky. For that team, he won his first Grand Tour stage in 2015. For Viviani, perhaps the most important one: the Giro d'Italia.

However, Viviani's move to Sky was also intended to prepare for the 2016 Olympic Games. The Italian hoped that the British team's extensive knowledge of track cycling would help him prepare optimally for his Olympic mission. It proved to be a golden move, earning Viviani a gold medal. He won the Omnium, beating none other than British star Mark Cavendish.

Nevertheless, Viviani's time with Team Sky was certainly not what he had hoped for. Due to the team's emphatic focus on winning the Grand Tours, Viviani would only start in two Grand Tours, which meant he could hardly compete with the best sprinters. As a result, the Tour de France in particular remained out of his reach.

To shine as a sprinter at the highest level, Viviani had to look elsewhere. Patrick Lefevere's Quick-Step offered a solution in 2018. The Belgian team had said goodbye to multiple Tour stage winner Marcel Kittel the year before and needed to find another golden boy to replace him.

The two-year collaboration between Viviani and Quick Step began with an incredible first year. The Italian sprint bomb was one of the sprinters of the year with seven stage wins in the Grand Tours. In his native Italy, Viviani proved virtually unbeatable in the sprints with four victories and the points classification. In the fall, he added three more to his tally on his debut in the Vuelta a España.

But yet again, he missed out on participating in the Tour de France, but that came the following year, in 2019. And Viviani immediately marked his debut with a victory in stage four. It would remain his only stage win, although Viviani came very close to a second. Many cycling fans will remember the Italian's stunned look after Wout van Aert snatched the victory from him just before the finish line.

In the same year, Viviani also became European champion in Alkmaar. He also won the WorldTour race in Hamburg for the third year in a row. Together with his victories in the three Grand Tours, these victories were the highlight of his career. Viviani was never a big winner year after year, but by peaking for a few years, he built a list of achievements that many cyclists would envy.

After a stint at Cofidis, Viviani returned to INEOS Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky) in 2022. The focus shifted back to the track, and he would not be riding any Grand Tours for INEOS. However, he did enjoy some great successes on the track, including his second European and world titles in the Madison and a silver medal in the Madison at his last Olympic Games.

As a true elimination race specialist, Viviani competed one last time at the Track World Championships in Santiago, Chile, in October. And as if it were meant to be, he survived lap after lap until there were three left. A medal was therefore certain. Could it get any better? Yes, it could! First, an exhausted Youri Havik dropped out, and then Campbell Stewart followed suit. With the killer instinct of a true sprinter, Viviani left track cycling in 2025 through the front door.

“I was very nervous before the start, just like the first time,” Viviani said after winning the world title. “It felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but after the first sprint, I realized I was good. After that, I was completely focused on the race. Ending my career with the rainbow jersey is perfect. This is what I wanted, it’s extraordinary,” said a very calm Viviani.

Looking back on his career, the Italian says he has achieved everything he could have hoped for. "I couldn't have asked more of myself as an athlete. Of course, you look back and think: maybe if I had done this... But I have won a lot on the road and on the track. If I had to choose one moment, it would be the gold medal in Rio de Janeiro (2016). Once you've achieved that, you can't match it with other results."

In 2025, Viviani ended his track and road careers with the Belgian team Lotto. On behalf of that team, he started once more in a Grand Tour, the Tour of Spain, which began in his own country. Could he win again at the highest level? No, although Viviani came close. In the tenth stage, he was delivered to the finish line in a comfortable position, only to be beaten in the sprint by Jasper Philipsen. However, the jury took away Viviani's impressive result because he obstructed Philipsen in the sprint.

Nevertheless, Viviani did not end his last season empty-handed. He raised his hands in victory twice more after successful sprints. These victories showed striking similarities with his debut year. Just as in 2010, Viviani won a stage in the Tour of Turkey and another race, this time the Briek Schotte Memorial.