Three seasons after his arrival in 2023, it's time for Luca Mozzato to say goodbye to Arkéa-B&B Hotels. The French team, heading towards an unhappy destiny, in recent years has allowed the Arzignano native to take an additional step by competing in the World Tour and, through the top-tier calendar (and beyond), to achieve satisfactions he would have struggled to reach otherwise.

There is much gratitude, therefore, in the farewell words that the twenty-seven-year-old Veneto rider addressed to his team before clipping into the pedals for the last commitment of his three-year stint in red and black, the Tour of Guangxi, a race he had never participated in before in his career.

"My experience with Arkea has been overall positive. I arrived here during a rather turbulent and difficult time after the closure of B&B Hotels - KTM, but from the start the team welcomed me well and in these last three years gave me the opportunity to have a great calendar. The best moment? Undoubtedly the podium at the Tour of Flanders: I think that will remain one of the highest peaks of my career. I would also add my first professional victory, confirming that there were many good moments. Now, however, it's time to look hopefully towards the future," Mozzato told our microphones, ready to wear the jersey of his new team starting from the conclusion of his commitment in China.

"With Tudor we've already met once to do the first material tests. Now, once Guangxi is finished, returning from China I'll stop in Zurich for the first training camp, which will mainly serve to get to know each other and start thinking about 2026," explained the winner of the Bredene Koksijde Classic 2024, with whom it was inevitable to discuss the difficult internal situation and the rumors that have surrounded his team in recent months.

"At the beginning of the year, the points issue was a hot topic and, without being stressed by the team about it, it was a fairly recurring discussion. After mid-season, when it became clear that the two main sponsors would not renew their agreements and new ones would need to be found, the focus of discussions around the team shifted to this situation. Everyone, from staff downwards, tried not to let it weigh too much in the team, but nonetheless, these rumors somewhat ended up influencing us," Mozzato recounted, who was allowed, like all team members under contract, to explore the market once things became complicated regarding the continuation of activities.

"For the riders who were under contract for next year, at the moment it became clear that the situation could be critical, they were given the freedom to look for a new placement. From this point of view, the treatment we received was quite good because giving everyone the opportunity to look around was not a given."

After three more than decent seasons with 3 victories, 33 top-ten finishes, and over 2300 UCI points earned, finding a new team and staying in high-level cycling was not complicated for Mozzato. The same can be said for many of his (almost ex) most talented teammates who, with longer or shorter contracts, managed to find a new home. Among these, the most significant name is Kevin Vauquelin, who, after showing remarkable improvements by finishing seventh in the last Tour de France, signed a three-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers: sharing the same colors, Mozzato was able to admire his growth and rise towards a future that looks very promising for him.

"Everyone has always spoken well of him, and it was always clear that he had talent. Gradually, at least from what I could observe since I joined the team, he has been able to sort out a few things between preparation and athlete's life, and this led to the impressive quality leap he made this year. We, seeing him every day from the inside, knew his qualities, but his top ten at the Tour de France remains something truly crazy," Luca said about this, who then confirmed, regarding talent, that he has seen many prospects being refined under Emmanuel Hubert's management.

"In the team, in the last two years, perhaps due to budget issues, quite a few promising young riders have passed through. Several of them, in my opinion, have qualities, but much will depend on the path they take and whether they'll have the opportunity to show themselves in the big races."

Crucial for them will be to compete on World Tour stages and demonstrate their ability to put their wheel in front of others. In this perspective, before rising to prominence in the great classics or three-week stage races, racing in events like the Tour of Guangxi could be particularly helpful, allowing a real assessment of their level by competing against top-tier teams in a competitive context where, for various reasons, everyone fights tooth and nail every day.

Achieving results here is by no means guaranteed, but Luca, after growing in his own admission during this last part of the season, will try anyway and, despite the fall he experienced on the first day, will try to "do something good" to close the Arkea chapter in the best possible way, a parenthesis that has certainly influenced his career, allowing him to become a different rider compared to the one who began his adventure overseas three years ago.