The first Christmas as a dad is special. Just ask Edoardo Affini, Visma-Lease a Bike rider, who is enjoying an intense and special phase of his life during this off-season. Little Celeste was born in October, and for him, this is truly a moment filled with new emotions. The Mantua-born cyclist is preparing for his sixth season with Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard's team, one of the most structured and competitive in the international panorama, and while waiting for racing to resume, he's cuddling his little girl.

Life as a dad is...

"Unique and beautiful. When you talk to people with children, you usually think they're using clichés, but when you experience it yourself, it's all true. Celeste was born on October 13th, and since that day, she sets the pace based on when she needs to eat and sleep. She's good, waking up only once per night, so we're already on the right track. I raced my last event on September 20th, then kept moving until a week before she was born to fully enjoy Lisa's last week of pregnancy and the first weeks of the little one's life without training. I was only at training camp in Oliva, Spain, from December 8th to 16th."

Where will you spend the holidays?

"In Donderen, in the Netherlands, in the north of Drenthe province where I moved for love. Celeste is still a bit too small to travel. The grandparents are crazy with joy because she's their first grandchild; maybe they'll come visit us from Buscoldo (Mantua). Even though Celeste doesn't understand it's Christmas and doesn't know what a gift is, a little outfit or a teething toy will surely arrive knowing our relatives..."

Are there different traditions in the Netherlands compared to ours?

"They also celebrate December 25th and 26th, which they call Christmas 1 and Christmas 2, or rather, second day of Christmas. Culinary habits vary from family to family, but it's common to grill on a mini tabletop grill while chatting. The basic idea is to spend time with family and close friends, including for New Year's Eve. In the area where I live, they particularly love fireworks. The government is working on a law to ban them, but if it passes, there'll be a popular uprising (he jokes). I've already experienced a New Year's Eve here and seen everything, from kids with small firecrackers to the most extreme who spend thousands of euros on the most spectacular fireworks, with each neighborhood putting on its own show."

When will we see you with a number on your back?

"I'll follow a classic race schedule: I'll start with Omloop Nieuwsblad at the end of February in Belgium. We'll define the details with the team in January. Given the Giro d'Italia route, the Viareggio time trial would be a nice target to aim for, but we'll see where the team prefers to line me up. I wouldn't mind returning to the Tour de France... Last year I raced both major tours, it's an effort that can be done."

What goals have you set for 2026?

"Continue improving in time trials. Every year I try to win the national title, even though I know it's a very tough challenge against Pippo Ganna. I'll try to give him a hard time at the Italian Championship, and I wouldn't mind wearing the National jersey at Europeans and Worlds. This year the courses weren't suited to my characteristics, and I had other things to think about with the family about to expand, but for the new year, I'll do my best to earn the call-up."