Antonio Tiberi faced a 2025 with ups and downs, often despite excellent condition, he had to surrender to great misfortune that persistently continues to haunt him. Now with a cool head and away from races, one can better analyze what has been, and for someone like the Ciociaro who always wants the most from himself, it is inevitable to already think about what needs to be reviewed to improve. Certainly, there is a good base to start from for 2026, the podium at Tirreno Adriatico is yet another confirmation of his talent that, despite bad luck, has always found a way to restart and challenge himself.

"It was a fairly positive 2025, but something was always missing. Certainly, I started well, there was the podium at Tirreno, but at Tour of the Alps I was forced to withdraw. Even at the Giro, I was in an excellent position, but the crash in the fourteenth stage practically excluded me from the game. In the following days, I tried to hold on, but my body was not responding well, I had too much pain and could only recover. I am very satisfied with the Tour of Poland, which I finished in second place, but then I caught the flu and was never in good form for the rest of the season. It's a shame, but it's part of the game," Tiberi tells tuttobiciweb, not hiding a bit of regret. Indeed, between crashes and seasonal ailments, we were never able to see Antonio at his peak. When everything seemed to be going in the right direction, here comes yet another problem to upset the cards. It's true that history is never made with 'what ifs', but the question comes naturally: what if everything had gone according to plan? Certainly, the hard work is absolutely not to be thrown away, the pre-Giro reconnaissance confirms the meticulousness of the Ciociaro, who in the meantime has learned to set aside media pressures to follow his path. The victory in a grand tour? It will come when the time is right.

At the Giro, he had set out to aim high, but after the crash in the Gorizia stage, Antonio had to reinvent himself and put himself at the service of Damiano Caruso, who in these seasons has taken him under his wing. Since Antonio joined Bahrain Victorious in 2023, a special friendship has developed between the two that goes well beyond that of master and student. "I'm really happy that Damiano is staying with us another year when he said he wanted to retire, I was one of those who urged him to sign for 2026. He is a huge point of reference for me, sharing most of the program we have become very good friends and I must say that with him I get along really well. For me, he is an extremely important figure within the team and since he has experience, I try to learn as much as possible from him. He has taught me many things and helped me change my way of racing by reading the race better; Damiano knows how to move very well during the race, he is always in the right place at the right time and so I always follow him without thinking too much, I trust him blindly and know he can still teach me a lot."

After a few weeks of vacation, Antonio Tiberi has already started preparing for 2026. The team retreat is scheduled for the beginning of December, and there is not yet an official program, but the Ciociaro clearly tells us what he would like to do: be at the start of the Tour de France. "There are many things I want to work on, for example, I would like to improve endurance, pace changes, how I react to attacks. I always ask a lot of myself and believe there is always something to improve. For next year, I would like to continue doing short stage races, I feel very comfortable and they are fundamental if I then want to aim for a grand tour. The pink race has a special place in my heart, but I believe it's time to try to tackle my first Tour de France."