Filippo Fiorelli's transformation into a hornet has begun. Just a few more weeks and on January 1st we'll see him sporting the yellow-black jersey of Visma | Lease a Bike, marking his move to the WorldTour after 6 seasons with VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. His journey is the perfect example of grit and hard work: at 20 he first got on a bicycle riding granfondos, at 30 he was chosen by the world's second strongest team. And to prepare best for the big leap, there's nothing better than the sun and sea of his Sicily, which is helping him charge and recharge his batteries for 2026. In mid-November, when the sun is out, temperatures continue to exceed 20 degrees.

Filippo, why not do a team training camp in Sicily?

"Yes, many tell me that. The problem here is the hotels, which aren't equipped like in Spain and wouldn't know how to host a team for several weeks. There's just no concept of doing something like that here."

How's the traffic?

"Actually, if you stay away from big cities and maybe avoid the peak tourist season, you can ride well. I live in Ficarazzi, just outside Palermo, and I train going towards Cefalù, along the seafront and then on the inland climbs. There's no congestion and the roads are in good condition, you can see the Region had some money set aside to fix them. Of course, there are some secondary country roads in poor condition, but no worse than what I've seen in many regions of central Italy."

How long are you staying there?

"At the end of the month I'm going to the Netherlands for a team party, they'll probably start handing out equipment and doing some tests. Then from the 8th to the 20th of December we'll have a training camp near Oliva, Spain, and we'll start getting serious."

A definitely different winter for you...

"That's true, there's a lot of anticipation, but I'm handling it well. I've done 20 days without a bike, and at first I didn't even miss it, to the point that I was worried (laughs), but now day by day I feel the desire growing and I can't wait to start this new adventure. But I need to learn English..."

How are you approaching it?

"As soon as I signed with Visma, I started taking lessons to learn it. At school I hadn't learned almost anything, I was terrible and no one told me it would be important, so now I have to work hard. I feel I'm improving and talking with my teammates I'm sure I'll quickly learn to make myself understood."

Tell us how this negotiation with Visma started.

"After the Giro d'Italia, several teams approached me. I was about to close with an excellent WorldTour team, then my agent Paolo Alberati called me to say 'Visma wants you'. And I replied: 'Do you mean Devo?', 'No, no, Vingegaard and Van Aert's team'. We had a meeting and they told me they would let me know within 7 days. It was the longest week of my life. Also because the other team had made me a good offer and I would have signed blindly. But Visma is Visma. After meetings, tests, exams, and bureaucratic procedures, I signed after a month and a half, and it was official in August."

Considering your journey and your hard work, how proud are you of what you've achieved?

"Extremely. I started from a very humble family that didn't even know what cycling was, I never had any connections. And being here at 30 is something I'm very proud of, I won't deny it. Some will say 'he's going to pull for others'... so what? I'm going to pull for people who win Giro, Tour, Sanremo, and Roubaix. I'll race, by the numbers, in the second strongest team in the world. And they've told me I'll also have my own opportunities..."

You're joining a technologically advanced team. Everything changes for you.

"Exactly, that's perhaps the most motivating aspect of all. I'm really curious to see and understand how far I can push myself, how much I can improve with the materials, nutrition, and training of the world's best team. Since I became a professional, I've always grown in numbers and performance, so I'm certainly not at the peak of my physical maturation, especially because I started late. But that's not all..."

What else?

"Another aspect that galvanizes me is Visma's way of racing, always at the front, whatever the race. In these years it was practically impossible to get to the climbs or any important sector in the first positions of the group, and in the end, you work much harder to make things happen. I admit to having great expectations about this."

What do you think convinced Visma to choose you?

"They were impressed by my bike handling skills. They mentioned the Salerno sprint at the 2023 Giro, when Cavendish fell and I stayed upright despite hitting the barriers and some spectators, or the Tirana stage this year, in the crash involving Landa where I managed to pass at 50 km/h between a wall and a streetlight, with 10 cm of margin on the handlebar on each side. Concentration and excellent bike control are qualities they seek to escort their captains, also because if you don't crash and remain intact all year, you're an added value for the team."

And then you defend yourself on all terrains.

"Yes, one day I wake up a sprinter, another day a climber (laughs). The team hinted at piloting Matthew Brennan, but it's still all to be seen, much will depend on my development in these preparation weeks."

Is there a race you dream of doing among those you couldn't do until now?

"I'd like to try almost all the races I couldn't do until now. If I have to mention one, though, I say Paris-Roubaix. I think it would suit my characteristics well, I could help someone in the finale, maybe Van Aert or Brennan himself. But I also want to try to do a race like Strade Bianche by always staying at the front. For now, though, they told me I should start with the Tour Down Under in Australia, and that would also be a novelty."

VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè lost a reference point with your departure. How do you feel about saying goodbye to them?

"They were the first to believe in me, without them I wouldn't be here. Making me turn professional at 25 was courageous, not many would have done that. I may not have achieved exactly what they wanted, but I can assure you I always gave my maximum and I believe the 400 UCI points I made this year were useful. I'm happy to have contributed to finishing in the top 30, hopefully it ensures an invitation to next year's Giro."

The most beautiful memory?

"The podiums at the Giro, 3rd place in Sestola and 3rd in Rome, but also the victory at Sibiu. In general, though, I'm leaving with many beautiful memories."

In a year, what would you like to tell us?

"That I've become the new Van Aert (laughs). Jokes aside, I hope to meet the expectations the team has for me, maybe having helped a teammate win a big race and who knows... maybe even winning something personally, since I've been missing that for a while. In general, though, I hope to have raised my level, towards yet-to-be-discovered limits."