Italy delivers the most stunning National Champion: club rider pulls off stunt of the year, team is ecstatic

Conca does have a history as a professional. He rode for the Continental Biesse Carrera since 2019 and was signed by Lotto Soudal in 2021. After two years with the Belgian team in the WorldTour, he rode for Q36.5 for another two years, but his contract expired at the end of last year. The search for a new team proved difficult, so Conca decided to cycle at club level.

The young Conca had never won a race in his professional career. Still, when it became clear that he would not find a professional team, he devoted himself to what became months of preparation for the national championship in Italy. “I had a choice: quit or go to Swatt. I've been waiting for this race since October,” he said afterward. “In all my years as a professional, I worked solely for others and, therefore, rarely achieved any results of my own. That's why I couldn't even find a continental team.”

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Sunday was, therefore, “an incredible day,” in which Conca was faster than UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Alessandro Covi and Soudal-Quick Step talent Thomas Pesenti. “At Swatt Club, they allowed me to participate in gravel races, but it wasn't an easy season for me. I've had bad luck with crashes, and in mid-May in Livigno, I hit a marmot on a descent. I've been looking forward to this day since October, so this is a dream come true.”

An achievement to be proud of. “Not so much because of the result, but mainly because of all the suffering I've been through in recent months.” At Swatt Club, the tent was ecstatic after the Italians saw Conca sprint surprisingly to the tricolore. Beautiful images!