I cycle since i was a child. I still have a vivid memory about when I used to “challenge” my father by mountain bike on the paths to the lakes near Pergine Valsugana, the village in the province of Trento where I live and I was born on the 13th of January of 1987. We used to do short excursions into beautiful landscapes. They were relaxing moments for my father and exciting for me. I used to feel excited and happy. A big passion was about to be born, which would have transformed into a big dream. But after a while, the streets near home started to be no longer enough for me. I wanted to cycle elsewhere. It was a way for me to feel free, upon two thin wheels. So, almost accidentally, I knew the ‘Unione Sportiva Aurora’, one of the most important cycle club in Trentino.
When I was 7, the great day arrived: my first, real race. I tried to hide my emotion, but I was nervous. Nervous and happy. Tense and serene. A strange sensation, which then I would have felt other hundred times. The start was in Rovereto, a village near mine. I was in the ‘Giovanissimi’ category. I cycled very hard, I enjoyed myself as when I used to cycle with my father on the lakes near home. And I won. An infinite joy, that I will never forget. In the following years I had been able to display myself many times, but most of all, the races and the tea
m spirit allowed me to have many friends, have fun and love more and more this sport. When I got to the ‘Esordienti’ category, I went on enjoying and winning. I think I had been able to reach more or less twenty victories in total.
Then, in 2000 the first real important occasion arrived: the Italian championships on road of my category. A great emotion and the possibility to confront myself with realities others than that of Trentino. The two following years in the ‘Allievi’ category were useful for this reason and they allowed me to widen my horizons.
From Trentino to Toscana. When I was ‘Juniores’, the Us Aurora club affiliated with As Aquila 
club of Florence which allowed me to have more experiences. They were important years: my passion was becoming something more. I sometimes wore the t-shirt of the national team, both on road and on track and I got 3rd in the European Championships and 13th in the World Championships in Los Angeles. My dream was becoming true. So much time was gone since I used to cycle with my father but I had the same spirit: cycling in order to have fun and improve thanks to excellent people I met on my way. So another big change arrived, I moved to the ‘Dilettanti’ category with the prestigious t-shirt of the Zalf Desireé Fior, which had been my home for three years. It had been a society that made me grow up not only as a corridor but also as a man. In these three years I learnt so much and I lived joys which are indelible in my memory. I got to the arrival with my arms up to the sky 11 times, it was my springboard toward the Under 23 World Championships in Varese, where I got 8th. So we arrived to th
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ese days, to the most important event in my career: when I signed a contract as a professional cyclist with the Pro Tour Liquigas team (today Liquigas Cannondale), one of the most successful formation in the international area. My dream finally came true, but it’s only the beginning. The first year allowed me to get acquainted with the reality, to know my limits and my poten tialities. Last season had been a beautiful surprise. I took part in important and fantastic races, starting from the classical races of the North, until the Tour de France. Thanks to the training, I was able to reach important placings that allowed me to get known and appreciated. Then, in the ‘Giro del Veneto’ (Veneto tour) I won for the first time as a professional cyclist. It was pouring but when I passed the arrival, with my arms up to the sky, for me it was like the sun was shining. Also thanks to that victory, the team manager Paolo Bettini capped me for the World Championships in Australia. It was an huge satisfaction, a honor which makes me proud. Now a new season is about to start, a new adventure. The purpose is to go on like this, improving step by step, race after race. I will have to work hard for this aim, but I’m not scared. For sure I’ll need the support of everyone who believed and believe in me. Go on following me, meanwhile I pedal!
