ANDREA BAGIOLI

The 19- year- old Italian climber already drawing WorldTour attention

Tell us about this Italian teenage sensation...

Andrea only has one complete year of racing at U23 level in his legs, but already he looks to be a big talent. Despite going into 2018 with the expectation of learning and helping his older team-mates, the young Italian scored some eye-catching results of his own.

What kind of results?

For starters Andrea was runnerup at U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which gives a taste of the kind of the credentials he has for climbing and on a punchy parcours. A fortnight later, he won the Toscana Terra di Ciclismo Eroica, a three-stage race through Tuscany, where he also won the final rolling stage. He rounded off his season strongly with another runner-up spot at Il Piccolo Lombardia, having forced the race-winning move of nine riders then showcasing a fast finish in the sprint for the line.

And you say the pro teams have already been taking note...

Pretty much. Andrea spent a few weeks with UAE Emirates last autumn as a stagiaire, riding three of the Italian autumn classics with the team; Coppa Agostoni, Tre Valli Varesine and Milano-Torino. Then in January, the teenager was one of three riders invited to spend four days with Team Sky, at their Majorca training camp.

What’s his plans for 2019?

For now, he’s sticking with Italian amateur squad Team Colpack, who he joined in 2018. Founded in 2011 and managed by former rider Antonio Bevilacqua, in 2017 the team became an official development squad for BahrainMerida the WorldTour team with arguably the deepest Italian connections.

Anything else we should know?

Like many other young road riders, Andrea’s first cycling experiences came mountain biking near his home in Valtellina. He began studying mechanical engineering but cycling is very clearly the first love, plus it’s firmly in the family, too - his older brother Nicola, 23, is a pro rider for Nippo Vini-Fantini Faizanè.