Meeting him during this period, there would be no need for verbal confirmation (though it did come) to understand that Matteo Scalco is driven by great peace of mind. You only need to watch him move for a few seconds among the equipment, teammates, and staff of XDS Astana, his new home this year after three seasons with Bardiani, to sense the serenity of his state of mind—a condition that has allowed him, in this early 2026, to repeatedly stand out both by seizing the opportunities the road has offered him (1st at the Tour of Rhodes, 2nd at the Palio del Recioto) and by dedicating himself to supporting his teammates.

Successfully competing on both fronts in the first months of this season, the twenty-one-year-old from Thiene has proven immediately useful to the Kazakh team's cause, which, seeing the type of responses received, has not hesitated to reward his reliability by allowing him to increase his experience in races like the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (scheduled from Sunday, April 26 to May 3) and the Tour of Hainan.

It was precisely there, in what was his second race in Chinese territory of his career, that we had the opportunity to meet the confident and relaxed Scalco of this year, asking him in more detail how his adventure at the court of Alexandre Vinokourov is proceeding, how he is changing, and in what way, in light of his growth, his future can be framed.

Matteo, you moved from Bardiani to the Devo of XDS Astana: how did it start and how is your integration into the team proceeding?

"Well, I can say that certainly a lot has changed, starting with the language. Everything began with the December training camp, where I spent a couple of days with the World Tour squad where I met staff and teammates, and the rest with Devo, and then continued with the January camp entirely with the development team. Logically, we're talking about a different reality compared to where I was last year. Here, for example, you come to races to win, to race, and not to watch how others move and behave accordingly: you are the one who must first manage the situation, and now I'm learning especially this".

You changed environments, but among riders and staff there is still a lot of Italy at XDS Astana, so perhaps this transition was less traumatic, especially from a linguistic point of view...

"Certainly. During the December camp, in the days with the World Tour, there were many Italian guys (some of whom I already knew) and so it definitely helps a lot. At Hainan I was in a room with Malucelli and that made the whole day much easier and more relaxing in certain ways".

You're dividing yourself in this early season between commitments with Devo, which has already seen you bring home victories, and commitments with the World Tour squad where you're in service of the captain of the moment. Will you be managed this way through the end of the year?

"Yes, since winter the idea was this. We went to Provence where I was immediately given free rein to try to chase the general classification and I started off on the right foot. From there, I then went to Greece to try to win and we succeeded, and so the calls came for Hainan and the Tour of Turkey with the World Tour squad".

Do you feel that something is changing both physically and mentally in you?

"Physically, year after year I notice that something changes. This winter in particular, as soon as I started again, I felt I had started from a higher base and, indeed, it showed from the very beginning of this 2026. At the same time, I'm maturing a lot mentally too: here the average age of the guys is higher and that helps you grow much more".

The question of the timing of talent maturation is always current in Italy: do you think it's not necessarily wrong to take more time to develop?

"I think everyone needs their own time to mature. There's Seixas who at 19 has already shown he can win at World Tour level, but not everyone is like that. I'm happy I did my four years as an Under 23 because I grew a lot during this period and, at the same time, I think that if I had been thrown into the mix too early I might have risked cutting my own legs out from under me. That's also why last year I didn't want to force my hand at all costs to try to make the jump immediately, but it worked out well for me to embrace Astana's project by opting for a quiet year without pressure in Devo and then continue my path".

What do teammates and sports directors tell you most often at this level?

"To do things without rushing, to not have too much stress or desire to arrive immediately. Both Ulissi at Coppi e Bartali and Malucelli during the Tour of Hainan insisted on this, namely doing things calmly because if you have to arrive, sooner or later you will, no matter how. From this point of view, Malucelli, who moved to the World Tour after many years, is an example".

Your teammates, already last year, were surprised by the quality of the equipment they found in their hands. Your feeling about it?

"Last year, when I was at Bardiani, I had registered the entry of this new brand alongside Astana and from the outside, I admit, I was a bit skeptical. Almost immediately, however, those inside the team started speaking well of it and then seeing it up close in the group we realized it was a valid bike. I was able to verify all of this right away this winter when they gave it to me and I found myself really liking it. It's very fast and in the climbs it's not heavy".

Speaking of climbing, what kind of rider is Silva, the last winner of the Tour of Hainan?

"Honestly, I got to know him in the last few days in China because in December, at the training camp, both he and I were new and it didn't happen to talk much. He's a really calm guy who I got along with very well. He's very altruistic, generous in thanking us and encouraging us, and then, of course, he also has important qualities that we all saw these days. In racing he's very calm, but above all he believes very much in himself, he knows he can do well and he brings peace of mind to the whole group".

What prospects do you see for your career in the medium to long term?

"I think that ultimately the numbers will decide what kind of rider I'll become, but certainly stage races are the ones that suit me best, so I think my career will be more focused on those. Subsequently, depending on how strong I am and how things go, we'll see what role I can have".

Stage races that, by the way, are in your schedule since you'll be doing the Giro Next Gen...

"Exactly. After the Tour of Turkey I'll spend a month without racing where I'll rest and try to find the best condition for the Next Gen with a nice period at altitude. The objective? I can say it's the podium. Last year I already made a top 10, the team believes a lot in me, I've had a good start to the season, so I can say that I'm aiming for that".