The new Italian champion in the junior category, 18 year old Simone Gualdi from Lombardia, will join the structure of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty from 2024 in the colours of Circus-ReUz-Technord.
One of the most promising Italian riders of his generation will make his debut in the U23 category with the Continental Development team directed by Kévin Van Melsen next season.
Strong in hilly races, he represented the Italian national team in the World Championships in Wollongong 2022 as a first year junior, finishing in 35th place.
He recently won in Brescia and in the Giro della Valdera and also showed himself with the Squadra Azzura this season in prestigious races of the Nations Cup, ending second in the final classification of the Due Giorni Eroica and third in the queen stage of the Course de la Paix.
This Sunday 2nd of July, he won the national title in the junior road race on a hilly parcours of 138 kilometer around Pieve del Grappa. In the structure of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, he will join his compatriots Francesco Busatto, champion in the U23 category since last week and also double vice Italian champion in the pro category Lorenzo Rota.
"First, I want to say how proud I am on this Italian title. It was one of the goals of my last season in the junior category, in addition to conquering selections for the European and World Championships. My joy is doubled today, because I will join Circus-ReUz-Technord next season. It was my ambition, I wanted to join the structure of a World Team to benefit from a professional structure and an extensive and attractive race calendar. From my first contacts with the performance team of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, I was immediately convinced of the way of working and the important role of the family atmosphere. Circus-ReUz-Tehchnord is one of the best teams in the U23 category. Its mission is to accompany the young talents in their development by enabling them to prosper, this is a vision I like. For next season, my first one in the U23 category, I wish to acquire as much experience as possible and to contribute to the collective goals. On the long term, my ambition is to shine in events such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège U23 or the Giro Next Gen. My dream to become a professional cyclist is alive since I started riding at the age of eight years old. In the structure, I admire Biniam Girmay or Lorenzo Rota, who comes from Bergamo just like me."
"We knew that Simone Gualdi was an excellent puncher with a potential to excel on longer climbs. His new Italian title, which was a major goal for him, reinforces our impression. He's a big talent. His profile is similar to the one of his compatriot Francesco Busatto, who will step up to our World Team at the age of 21. His profile is very interesting for Circus-ReUz-Technord, because we have several races corresponding to him in our programme. Just like in his first year in the junior category, he won several difficult races in Italy this season, each time solo. He still has to prove himself in the U23 category, therefore we want to invest in his development. This means that we will accompany him in a professional way, offer him a tailor-made programme to ensure that we make the right steps in his progression."
