Tonight will be Elia Viviani's last dance, the Italian champion who has achieved 90 victories in his professional years. The Venetian has chosen the Zesdaagse to close his career. The Gand Six Days, the iconic track event with an ancient flavor, will see the boy from Isola della Scala race for the last time tonight. Viviani had the privilege of winning on this track in 2018 and today we'll see him conclude his adventure paired with his teammate Jasper De Buyst (31 years old), with whom he shared a season at Lotto. In Belgium, the curtain will fall on Elia's competitive career, and after getting off the bike, he'll move to the blue national car where he'll bring all his experience and passion to help grow the Italian track cycling movement.

"It's strange, though, my last, last race. I was packing my bag to come to Belgium: helmet, shoes, cycling jerseys - Viviani told the press at Gand - For years, this has been my biggest concern: do I have everything I need? If I take the plane next time, I won't even need all of this. Strange."

Last winter, Viviani didn't have a team and risked ending his career without being able to complete one final season, saying goodbye and thanking the world to which he had given everything for years.

"Last winter I had to look for a new team and I had a bad feeling. Then I raced with Lotto and it was an important year in many aspects, and now I find myself here in Gand, for my last time as a professional."

The merger between Lotto and Intermarché disrupted many contracts: perhaps the Venetian could have continued if the two teams hadn't united.

"When I signed with Lotto in February, the agreement was: we would complete the program for one year. If it went well, we could extend it for another year. But once the merger between Lotto and Intermarché was announced, I immediately understood that with all those remaining riders, there would be no place for me. I immediately decided that this would be my last year. Step by step, I planned my final appointments. First, the Giro del Veneto, my last road race, but perhaps too tough for me, but there was the finish in Verona, on the roads where I started cycling. Afterwards, I wanted to go to the World Cycling Track Championships for the last time. You know how it ended, with a world title in elimination and, why not?, also with the last cover that you from tuttoBICI gave me. Simply incredible."

That World Championship was the event that led Viviani to race again and close his career precisely with the track, and the Gand Six Days was the perfect race.

"During that World Championship, I sent a message to Christophe Impens from the Golazo organization. I hadn't raced the Six Days since 2018, but I really wanted to definitively conclude my career in Gand. In 2016, I saw Bradley Wiggins' farewell, my idol. That unique atmosphere, that special velodrome, and for a cyclist who loves the track, there's no better place than Gand to retire."

The Venetian is a unique rider, extraordinary on the track, from Olympic gold to world and European titles, and he has also achieved many successes on the road. Viviani has no regrets and is happy to close his career in Gand: he will say goodbye to the racing world tonight with a smile, because he knows it's a see you later and that now he's ready to experience this sport from a different angle.

"You can't say I was more of a track or road specialist, it depends on how you look at my career. Last year I was one of those four or five riders with more than ninety road victories. Not bad. Just as I'm proud to be part of the group of riders with stage wins at the Tour, Giro, and Vuelta. My only regret is not having success in Gand-Wevelgem or my dream race, Milano-Sanremo. For me, road and track have always gone hand in hand. Which wasn't easy at the beginning. With Milan, Ganna, and Consonni, Italy now has one of the best track teams in the world. At the London Games, I was still alone. Just me and a coach: that's it. Our box in the central field was so small that not even a mechanic could fit in. If you, as a road cyclist, said you wanted to race on the track, they would look at you badly. But I never wanted to give up one thing for another. Except during the Olympic years. Then the Games came first. You can see it in my record. In 2016 I won only two road races, in 2021 just a couple, and in 2024 none. But it was worth it. Gold in Rio, bronze in Tokyo, silver in Paris: there's no color I haven't won. I'm happy, I truly did what I loved in this sport and now, I finish as a happy man."