A year later, Ludovico Crescioli returned from the trip to Malta together with his teammates from Polti VisitMalta. It was the first retreat, to see and get to know the boys who will officially join the team in 2026Last October, the Tuscan rider was in their situation, in fact Crescioli After his stint at Technipes #InEmiliaRomagna he made the big leap into the professionals together with the formation of Iván Basso and Fran Contador (in the opening photo Maurizio Borserini).
Now, 365 days later, it's time to look back and take stock of my first season as a pro.
«I'm still on holiday – Crescioli tells us – After the trip to Malta I returned home, this year I will spend my holidays with relatives and friendsI don't get to see them often and spend time with them, so I take advantage of it and enjoy some rest. I still have a week off, then I'll get back on the bike and start doing some lapsMy season ended at the Veneto Classic on October 19th, these three weeks off were necessary."
What can you tell us about this first season as a professional?
All in all I can say that it went well, there were a few hitches especially at the beginning. I had a knee problem that kept me out for a good month.After my debut in Spain at the end of January, I returned to racing in Calabria in mid-April. I put together forty-eight days of racing, all concentrated from April onwards.
Do you feel you've made the right improvements?
I don't think I had a gradual growth, but I've definitely improved also because at the end of the season I saw some steps forwardIn the September and October races I was often able to stay with the best.
What were the biggest difficulties?
Understanding this new way of running, in some moments of the race I realized that I was missing that touch of experience that would have helped me to do something moreIn the last races of the year I could have done better.
Tell us…
At Tre Valli Varesine, where I finished twentieth, I lacked experience and race vision. I had managed to stay with the small group chasing Pogacar, but at a roundabout we got the classic "whiplash" and we split upWe made a huge effort on the way back, which I paid for in the final sprint. Maybe I could have made the top ten, which at Tre Valli is always a good result.
What aspects do you still need to work on?
Next year I'd like to do a few more stage races. In 2025, due to the injury at the beginning of the season, I didn't have the chance to run manyBut I realized that running for many days in a row helps the body respond well. I also had one of my best performances at Tre Valli Varesine and I was coming from three consecutive days of competition.
Next year, we'll be missing a key player like Piganzoli. You have similar characteristics. Do you think you can take his place?
Replicating the season and the last years of "Piga" would mean going really strong, because he, first and foremost, has shown his worth. I want to achieve the best possible results, it won't be easy, but I'd like to make further progress. It would be nice to do some stage races to work on them and grow for the near future.This year I saw that I can contribute even in one-day races.
With the dream of the Giro d'Italia?
We still don't know anything, there's the matter of wild cards and getting answers about the invitations. The main direction is to improve myself in short stage races, but an experience like the Giro would provide great continuity. We'll see, because this year's calendar will feature many new stage races and many of these will be in Italy..
