Following solid performances in the Junior category, the 19-year old rookie of UAE Team Emirates Gen Z aims for a positive result at the Easter Monday Classic on April 1st: “The dream is to win, the top-5 a reasonable goal”
Luca Giaimi well represents this new era of cycling, made of young riders setting the tone since the very early stages of their careers. The 2005-born Italian athlete from Alassio (Liguria) has just ended his Junior years and he has already got his feet wet in the pro ranks with one of the strongest squads in the peloton, UAE Team Emirates. In fact, in 2024 Giaimi participated in events such as Vuelta a Murcia, Clasica de Almeria and Le Samyn, to start gaining experience at the highest level.
While setting up for the future, Giaimi’s present is the Under 23 category, in which he looks primed to collect more satisfaction before stepping up to the next level. On April 1st in Villa di Cordignano (Treviso, North-East Italy), Giaimi will play a key role for the UAE Team Emirates Gen Z at the Giro del Belvedere, together with other talented riders such as Slovenian Gal Glivar and Belgian Gibbe Staes.
“We are very young indeed, but we already showed our skills – argued Giaimi -. Ahead of Giro del Belvedere we will perform a route recon with the team, to better understands the secrets of this race. I have already checked the course and I think it suits me well”.
Even though Giro del Belvedere represents his debut in the Under23 category, Giaimi has a clear vision: “In the Juniors, I had good results in one-day races, so I think to have some chances here. I’m not a pure sprinter but I can have my saying if we end up in a small group. My goal is always to make the race more selective in its final part, especially when the route features a lot of ups and downs like here. The dream is to win, but being my first U23 Classic I can reasonably aim at a top-5 placement. The Team to watch? Visma-Lease a Bike, no doubt”.
The ambitions of the young rider of UAE Team Emirates Gen Z are backed by a solid winter season, that got him ready for an all-Italian race tryptic that also includes Palio del Recioto and Trofeo Piva.
“The build-up to the season was smooth, and I’ve been training consistently both individually and within the team camp. I’ve started the year with some Pro races, where I’ve worked for my teammates and I didn’t even feel that much difference compared to previous years. In addition, I’ve also ridden on track in the Nations Cup, where I gave it all to get myself a spot in the Olympic quartet. From now on, I will focus on the road season: the team’s approach is to let us work and grow with no extra pressure, and that’s what I will do”.
On Monday, April 1st, the 85th Giro del Belvedere will kick off with the teams’ presentation at 11.45 and end with the awarding ceremony in the majestic Villa Mocenigo-Bernardi (also known as Villa Belvedere), in Cordignano. The race start is set for 13.15.
