These are hot days at the Tour of Oman, but they are also the days of the dream that Mattia Proietti Gagliardoni is living pedal by pedal. Born in 2007, just 18 years old, "The kid" as the Movistar team staff calls him, is facing his first true cycling experience. He is the youngest in the group, but he is not afraid to throw himself into the mix; rather, he wants to make the most of the opportunity to ride alongside the champions he has only seen on television. For him, who is not even a professional yet, but in the team's development squad, this is a unique opportunity that immediately becomes precious for a boy who until a few months ago was racing with Franco Ballerini.

His love for cycling was passed down by his father, and together they somehow grew cycling-wise, him as a child approaching the G1 category and his family discovering a world of races and sacrifices. "When I started, I was skinny and struggled a lot," Mattia says jokingly, but year after year he began to believe in that dream. As a child, he watched races on TV, fascinated by Froome and his way of attacking. Then came his first results in the junior category, followed by victories that attracted the attention of many World Tour teams. "I chose Movistar with my heart; it's one of the historic teams in cycling, and being Spanish, I wanted to feel a bit at home," Mattia adds.

In the Spanish team, he immediately felt comfortable and since the training camp last November, he has been able to confront not only the professional reality but especially the World Tour environment. The strangest and most special moment was receiving the clothing with outfits and jerseys in a quantity he could never have imagined, then came the medical checks, meetings, his first steps in a world he was exploring for the first time. "It's a very family-like atmosphere; I get along with everyone, they are very open to dialogue, and we bonded quickly. I'm not used to this kind of organization; I've changed trainers, I consult with many more staff members, but I've never actually felt the weight of the leap - Mattia continues - the working hours have remained almost the same, but the intensity has increased. Everything is more curated and specialized, but I'm not under pressure; they know I'm at the beginning of my journey."

Participating in the Tour of Oman was an unexpected surprise for Mattia, who as a young newcomer to the team found himself racing alongside one of the team's iconic riders, Nairo Quintana. He immediately bonded with the Colombian, asking for advice and tips about riding in the group, and the 2014 Giro winner immediately offered to help him, just like Einer Rubio, with whom he shared a room for about a week. Mattia approached his first professional race with the determination to challenge himself without fear of failing, but with the goal of learning as much as possible. "The first day of the race with the Muscat Classic was quite complicated, and I had to withdraw; my legs weren't turning, it was hot, and my nose was blocked. It was a pretty impactful debut, but then from the next day, I started feeling good, and it was beautiful. It's strange to race with guys I used to watch on TV like Adam Yates, being by their side, having the opportunity to exchange a few words with them seems unreal, just like hearing the sports directors' instructions on the radio. In the second and third stages, I faced a race of over 190 km, something that had never happened to me before," Mattia continues, who from the second day started feeling comfortable in the group. He made himself available to the team, worked, experienced the thrill of the peloton, and then secured an excellent 22nd place in yesterday's Eastern Mountain stage.

After Oman, we'll see Mattia Proietti Gagliardoni again among the professionals at Milano-Torino and Coppi e Bartali, then he'll tackle the under-23 calendar with Giro Next Gen and Tour de l'Avenir. His characteristics make him perfect for stage races, but as he specifies, it's still too early to understand his path; he wants to grow and experiment. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day, and he is still at the beginning. Meanwhile, Mattia grows by accumulating experience and nurturing his dreams; in the future, he hopes to become a professional and, above all, win the Tour de France. It's a big desire that he almost fears to say for fear of exaggerating, but at his age, it's right to think big and not set limits, especially since his cycling adventure has just begun.