They gave him the most famous cobblestone block in the world, he looked at it moved and lifted it. There, on the podium of the Petrieux velodrome in Roubaix, the stands packed with spectators applauding him. Ten years after Ganna, another Italian talent conquers the Paris-Roubaix Under 23: it's Davide Donati, a 21-year-old from Brescia, who races for Red Bull Bira-Hansgrohe Rookies, Finn's team. A ten-length sprint on the cement track, beating Irishman Dunwoody and Dutchman Van den Eijnden, who race for the youth formations of Bahrain and Alpecin respectively.

«They told me the last Italian was Ganna and by a twist of fate I met him at Linate on Friday when I was coming to France – Donati recounts, moved and delighted - Our flight had been cancelled and so I talked a bit with him. I had met Pippo at the time trial European Championship last year and I must say he transmitted a lot of calm to me when we spoke together, I managed to live it better».

How did you prepare for this race?
«It was my second Roubaix U23, I knew I could play for it. Last year it didn't go well, in the end I understood that you needed to gain some experience on these stones before you could actually win it. Today I tried to stay on wheels and follow the other breakaway attempts because I wanted to play it out here in the sprint. I know I'm fast and it went well».

What does Roubaix represent for you?
«I came here with the goal of winning it. It's a strange race, I love it and today I really enjoyed it, I had fantastic legs, I had a fantastic team, everything went really well»

How was the sprint in the velodrome?
«I've never done track racing, it was my second time in the velodrome. I prepared it like a normal sprint, I took it at the front, I was confident in my sprint, I launched it when I thought it was right».

You are one of the revelations of Italian cycling: you won two stages at the Giro di Sardegna among the professionals in February.
«I'm from Brescia, I grew up with mountain biking since I was small, then I switched to road racing as a junior. I raced with Biesse Carrera, then in 2025 I made the jump here to Red Bull. I'm growing year after year, I think it's the right choice. Someone calls me a sprinter, but I don't like the sprinter label because I'm not just that. I can prove I'm much more. Today I proved I'm a rider for the great classics and.... I'm still full of surprises».

What was it like lifting the cobblestone block?
«It was heavy… but beautiful, a relief».