In his prime, Alessandro De Marchi would have been a perfect fit for attacking UAE and Pogacar

De Marchi was born on May 19, 1986, in San Daniele del Friuli, and joined the pro continental Androni Giocattoli team as a trainee in 2010, after successful years as a track cyclist in the team pursuit. Androni was already known for its large pool of (mainly Italian) talent, such as Egan Bernal, who would break through years later with the team of the now deceased Gianni Savio.

When De Marchi signed his first professional contract in 2011, Isaac Del Toro was 6 years old. This shows how long the Italian competed at the highest level, with his heyday at BMC. He rode for that team—succeeded by CCC in 2019—for a total of six seasons. He achieved this because, after two seasons with Androni, he switched to Cannondale.

De Marchi claimed his first professional victory with the Italian WorldTour team, which was clearly recognizable in the peloton by its green jerseys. In 2013, he was the best in the eighth and final stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. He stayed ahead of Chris Froome in a tough mountain stage, finishing half a minute ahead at the finish line.

This marked the start of a remarkable career, because from that year on, we saw De Marchi almost every year with super legs on the highest podium. In 2014 and 2015, he won a stage in the Vuelta a España, both times from the breakaway and both times in a tough mountain stage. In 2015, he did so in the colors of BMC, making the same switch from Cannondale as his good friend Damiano Caruso.

In fact, De Marchi joined BMC when the team's heyday was already in decline. Cadel Evans left after 2015, and although men like Caruso, Tejay van Garderen, and Richie Porte still showed some promising results, they were no longer in contention for overall victory in the Grand Tours. That was fine for De Marchi, who was able to combine a role as a domestique with his great love: the breakaway.

The cunning Italian always chose his days carefully, and when he was in the breakaway, it was almost always in a leading group that made it to the finish. He had an eye for it, just like guys like Jay Vine, Marc Soler, and, in the recent Vuelta, Juan Ayuso. In his heyday, De Marchi also had the surplus of such men, and in 2025 would have been a perfect fit for a team like UAE Emirates-XRG: attacking nicely, with a bit of support here and there for someone like Tadej Pogacar.

However, that's not how it turned out, even though De Marchi always chose teams that gave him room to attack. After his time at BMC and CCC, he moved to Israel-Premier Tech, and after two seasons, he rode for Jayco AlUla for another three seasons. And not without success: after winning a Vuelta stage and the Giro dell'Emilia in 2018, Israel won the Tre Valli Varesine in 2021.

In 2024, De Marchi triumphed again in the Tour of the Alps, in his characteristic way: sitting in, consolidating, riding away, and ultimately leaving his fellow escapees in the dust. He won a total of seven times in his career, including four WorldTour victories. He rode a total of 19 Grand Tours, finishing no fewer than 17 of them. De Marchi did not crash often; he was a true rider.

As an Italian, however, his most significant moment may have come in the 2021 Giro. He was in the breakaway on day 5 and finished second in the stage. However, he rose to first place in the general classification, earning him the pink jersey. He wore that jersey for two days. In the Veneto Classic on October 19, he said goodbye as a professional, as a rider of a dying breed. Grazie mille, Alessandro!

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