Elia Viviani will continue racing in 2025 and will do so with the colors of Lotto, the Belgian team captained by Arnaud De Lie. A press release today makes the news official after months of speculation. On February 7th, Viviani turned 36 and in his career has achieved 89 victories, with the last one in October 2023 at the Tour of Guangxi. This month we have seen the Prophet racing on the track with the colors of the Italian National Team, the cycling specialty where he has achieved numerous successes, including the gold medal in the omnium at the Rio Olympics in 2016, as well as gold and silver at World and European Championships.

With Lotto, Elia Viviani will be able to race for another year, as he had previously decided when his contract with Ineos was not renewed. Not all of Viviani's wishes have been fulfilled, and while on one hand he will have the opportunity to compete in a high-level calendar, on the other he will not be able to race the last Giro d'Italia he dreamed of, because Lotto has been declining to participate in the pink race for several years.

Viviani has raced, not continuously, for six years with Ineos, but has also had a two-year contract with Cofidis and Quick Step and in his career has won stages in both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. In the Giro, he also conquered the points classification jersey. At the beginning of the year, when the Veronese rider was still without a contract, a managerial role in the Italian track cycling sector was hypothesized for him, but the call did not come and perhaps a possible assignment might arrive in the future.

"I am very happy to extend my career with Lotto," says the enthusiastic Veronese sprinter. - I want to continue sprinting for victories, but I also want to share my experience with this young team. I am ready to take on this role: giving advice to my new teammates, whether they are sprinters or not, and helping them grow. At 36, I am still very motivated. I am still a sprinter. I want to win. After focusing on the Olympics and track cycling last summer, it was not easy to find a team because I had not been able to demonstrate my value on the road. But then Stéphane (Heulot, ed) heard about my situation and suddenly the puzzle pieces fell into place. My wife, Elena Cecchini, preceded me. She raced for Lotto in 2015 and was absolutely thrilled that I would race for the Belgian team".

In the team's press release, Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Cycling Team, comments: "I have known Elia Viviani for ten years, our paths have crossed in previous teams. For this reason, I am pleased to announce his arrival and welcome him to our team. Elia brings with him a wealth of experience that he can share with our young riders and, at the same time, I am convinced that he still has an important role to play in sprints".