{"id":205021,"date":"2025-10-16T21:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/205021\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T21:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T21:04:09","slug":"an-incredibly-emotional-day-i-couldnt-have-closed-in-a-better-way-italian-sprint-legend-brings-down-curtain-on-iconic-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/205021\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAn incredibly emotional day… I couldn\u2019t have closed in a better way\u201d \u2013 Italian sprint legend brings down curtain on iconic career"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elia Viviani<\/a> has bid farewell to the road in the only way he knows how \u2014 by attacking. The 36-year-old Lotto<\/a> sprinter rolled out from Vicenza for the Giro del Veneto<\/a> 2025 wearing the number one bib, visibly emotional yet fully engaged in the action.<\/p>\n

After around an hour raced at a relentless pace, he surged into the day\u2019s breakaway, determined to show himself on his final appearance on home roads between Vicenza and Verona \u2014 the city where his professional journey began fifteen years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an incredibly emotional day,\u201d Viviani told the mass of media assembled for him at the start of the day. \u201cSince I announced my decision, I\u2019ve received so many wonderful messages from fans, friends, family, even rivals. I\u2019ll try to enjoy every kilometre of this race 100%, right up until this evening. I\u2019m really happy to end a career that I couldn\u2019t have closed in a better way. I hope I\u2019ve given a lot back to Italian cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nProlific winner on road and track<\/p>\n

Viviani retires as one of Italy\u2019s most successful and versatile riders of the modern era \u2014 90 road victories, multiple Grand Tour stage wins, and an influence that extended far beyond the sprint finishes where he made his name.<\/p>\n

His rise began with Liquigas\u2013Doimo in 2010, where his speed and consistency quickly earned him a reputation as Italy\u2019s next great finisseur. A first Giro d\u2019Italia stage win came in 2015 with Team Sky, followed by a career-defining transfer to Quick-Step Floors in 2018. That two-year spell remains the high point of his road career: five Giro stage victories, the Maglia Ciclamino, the European road title in Alkmaar, and a Tour de France stage win to complete his Grand Tour collection.<\/p>\n

Off the road, Viviani was equally influential on the track, spearheading the rebirth of Italy\u2019s endurance squad. His gold medal in the Omnium at Rio 2016 proved transformative, unlocking a belief that fuelled success both on the boards and the tarmac. Two further Olympic medals \u2014 bronze in Tokyo and silver in Paris \u2014 added to a palmar\u00e8s that bridged two disciplines with rare harmony.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you win Olympic gold, it unlocks something inside you,\u201d he reflected. \u201cMy biggest road victories came after that moment. That win in Rio gave me the freedom to achieve everything that followed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"1073746746\"\/<\/p>\n

Viviani has had a glistening career on the road and the track<\/p>\n

One final challenge awaits<\/p>\n

Although the Giro del Veneto marked the end of his road career, Viviani\u2019s competitive spirit remains intact. He will now turn his attention to the Track World Championships in Chile, where he hopes to add one last medal \u2014 and perhaps even another rainbow jersey \u2014 to his glittering record.<\/p>\n

From the track in Rio to the roads of Verona, Viviani\u2019s legacy is one of longevity, professionalism, and a deep connection to his sport. In an era defined by aerodynamic marginal gains and increasingly specialised riders, his versatility stands out: a sprinter who conquered three Grand Tours, and an Olympian who helped revive Italian track cycling<\/a>\u2019s golden age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elia Viviani has bid farewell to the road in the only way he knows how \u2014 by attacking.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-205021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}