Many saw Alessandro Fancellu's journey as a rebirth, a sign of finally finding his way, but in reality, the Como-based athlete had never truly lost himself, he just needed to find the right environment. In 2025, with his arrival at JCL Team Ukyo, something definitely changed. Fancellu began to show consistency, confirming those numbers he had already demonstrated in previous years, which now give him the opportunity to be present and aim for an excellent result. Since the Alula Tour in February, there have been many placements, but then, on the other side of the world, victory arrived.

It's been about a month since Alessandro returned victorious from the Tour of Japan, a beautiful success in the general classification, to which was added the victory in the second stage - a special milestone in the home country of the team that welcomed the entire expedition like a true celebration. Certainly, the pressure to perform in the home race was present, but the entire team managed it perfectly, conquering 3 of the 8 stages and placing two athletes on the final podium. "Winning was wonderful, I hoped for it so much, it was like a liberation. In the second stage, I was attacking with a Danish athlete. I noticed that in the last lap he was giving fewer turns, he was tired, and so I surprised him in the last 200m. It was 8 intense days of racing, but very beautiful. We can consider it a very formative experience because without radio communication, you had to always be on top of things, which is not a given since many athletes now get distracted. Excluding Mount Fuji, all days were difficult to interpret with semi-classic routes and many short climbs, and after the first kilometers, there was always a lot of confusion. You needed to be attentive, memorizing the various classification gaps because when information from the board arrived, it was already too late. With the team, we were very good at always being present and never being caught unprepared," Fancellu tells us.

The victory in Japan, however, takes on an even greater value because it is his first professional success. Over the years, he had come close several times, but then there were always obstacles holding him back, much bad luck like the collarbone fracture in August 2024 that suddenly interrupted his season. Alberto Volpi and Manuele Boaro had strongly wanted him in the team, believing in his great potential. They transmitted confidence and offered him the tranquility that had been missing for too long. "To Volpi and Boaro, I want to say a big thank you. They managed to create a beautiful environment at the races, a united team that commits itself but also knows how to have fun. It's a climate that doesn't suffocate. They are two very straightforward people whom I trust. They gave me peace of mind, and thus I was able to have the continuity that I was missing. From the start, I found myself in the right place with them," Fancellu continues.

Alessandro Fancellu's change of direction was not only mental; in terms of training, he began to work differently and more targeted, discovering a new type of athlete, more mature and more self-aware. "Certainly, at the training level, several things have changed. For example, I do more hours but less intensity. Usually, perhaps due to my young age, I tried to give everything in training, I tended to overdo it and would come home exhausted. It was a wrong method because then in races I would be good in the first kilometers and then fade in the final. Now I reason differently, and finally, the results are showing. I'm covering myself better, I'm not a pure climber as many believed, but a rider for undulating routes." Starting from the Alula Tour, we have witnessed a gradual growth path by the Como-based rider who has also performed well in Italian races, from Coppi e Bartali to Giro d'Abruzzo, where he also achieved a third-place stage finish. The construction of the victory in Japan passes precisely through this, through a regular growth that has rediscovered a consistent and performative athlete.

After about 5 weeks without races, Alessandro Fancellu is ready to return to the saddle for the Italian championships, a route of 228 km that is not as easy as one might think. "The Italian championships are always a particular race where rarely does a single team take control. This year's route reminds me very much of the Puglia route from three years ago, and I believe it's perfect for fast riders who climb well like Fiorelli, Albanese, or Covi. My teammates and I will try to give our best, especially because it's an opportunity to race in Italy, which doesn't happen very often. For us continental teams, there aren't many races at this time. I'll take advantage of this to do some altitude training in Livigno and return in August to the Czech Republic." Unfortunately, with the frenzied point-chasing by World Tour teams, few races remain available for Continental teams like Team Ukyo, which must hope for invitations that in some cases risk being last-minute. Alessandro Fancellu's hope for the second part of the season is to continue his growth moment and who knows, maybe even leave his mark in European or even home races.