At his debut at the Giro di Sardegna, he was one of the youngest riders in the race, at the Milano Torino he lived the dream of racing with those great champions he admired on TV, but this was only the beginning for Pietro Galbusera. The Lecco-born rider, class of 2007, is one of the young athletes in the Italian cycling landscape and certainly one to keep an eye on given his very young history with cycling. The XDS Astana team noticed him right away, and after seeing him make his mark in the junior category, they immediately decided to welcome him into the ranks of the devo team, where he is now gathering his first experiences in professional cycling.

Cycling was not Pietro's first passion; it was his brother Simone (now an athlete with Equipo Finissher Kern Pharma) who rode bikes, while he played football and was quite enthusiastic about it. Then came the Covid period, the lockdown, and suddenly he became interested in that sport he had always had before his eyes. His first races came in mountain biking in the second-year beginner category; two years later, following an injury, he continued only on the road, achieving increasingly better results and moving up from junior with Pool Cantù. The call from Team XDS Astana came in the summer, and Pietro began a truly special adventure. "Compared to the environment I came from, everything is gigantic, but everyone is very understanding and you feel like family. I'm doing very well; there are so many Italians, and even though the team is Kazakh, we understand each other easily not just linguistically, but especially in terms of habits and ways of doing things. I'm the smallest on the devo team, the only one in his first year, and at first it was a bit strange, but we're a united group and I'm learning from all the guys. I've bonded a lot with Simone Zanini; we've often shared a room together and he's teaching me a lot. He's in his fourth year with the team and is a bit of a veteran, and I'm taking advantage of his advice to understand better how to move during races. If I have any doubts, I ask him," Pietro explained after his first few months, having become quite familiar with the Kazakh structure.

The Giro di Sardegna was the beginning of the dream, his first race among professionals, the longest race of his career, five days of ups and downs, but with the great satisfaction of finishing it. Then, almost unexpectedly, came the call for the Milano Torino; it wasn't in the plans, but one of the riders got sick and so came the phone call "there's a free spot for the race... are you in?" Pietro didn't need to be asked twice, and after just a few days he found himself at the start of one of the most important races in the Italian cycling landscape. He was alongside riders he had only seen on television until that moment, but above all he shared the team with people of the caliber of Bettiol, Fortunato, and especially Ulissi. "At the Giro di Sardegna it was incredibly hard; I had never done so many days of racing and we started right away with a 160 km stage, it was a baptism by fire, but I learned a lot. Racing the Milano Torino was like living a dream; we were with the World Tour formation, but this time we had a specific objective, we knew exactly what to do and the team car gave us all the instructions. It took me a while to process it all, it was an incredible experience and it feels strange to think that the morning before the race I was sharing the bus with Bettiol, who won the Flanders, with Fortunato, who won the best climber's jersey at the Giro, and with Ulissi, who even wore the pink jersey. It's all crazy; I've always seen them on TV, and I was even joking with Diego about the fact that he turned pro when I was three years old, for me he's a legend," Pietro explains, and even though several weeks have passed since that day, the memory is vivid and generates great emotions.

It's too early to say what great achievements Pietro Galbusera will be able to reach; he himself tells us he still has much to learn and can't wait to do so. Unlike other athletes who chose online school, he opted for the traditional path, completing his fifth year. "It was a difficult choice, especially because the difference is very noticeable. My classmates have already finished school and can be riders 100%, while I have to try to balance everything and it risks being a disadvantage. Fortunately, the team is very understanding and the thought of school is still a challenge that motivates me a lot," Pietro tells us, and in the meantime, step by step, he is living his dream. As a junior, he performed very well on tough courses, even though he doesn't consider himself a pure climber; he could be perfect for the classics, maybe the Ardennes, but there's still time to say. In the devo Team of Team XDS Astana, he's the youngest, but he's already found his place, growing and gaining experience, hoping to arrive soon in professional cycling, of which he has only tasted a small corner. Among his wishes is to turn professional, race the Giro and the Tour, but especially the great classics like the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Amstel Gold Race, and particularly the Giro di Lombardia. But he saves his biggest dream for last: "It might seem strange, but my dream is to race the Coppa Agostoni, and who knows, maybe even win it one day. For us, it's the World Championship of Brianza, and it would be nice to set up a nice gazebo on the Lissolo with lots of friends to support me," Pietro tells us before saying goodbye. To some it might seem like a strange dream, but it testifies to that bond with the roads of home where it all began. It's hard to say if he'll be able to achieve it already this year, but in the meantime Pietro Galbusera is growing and accumulating experience, ready to face yet another adventure.