(Photo by Flavio Moretti)

At the Giro Next Gen scheduled for June 14-21 on the roads of Central-Southern Italy, there will be a particularly watched lineup: the Red Bull Rookies of Lorenzo Finn. Tim Meeusen, the sports director of the RB devo team, spoke about it from the altitude training camp in Andorra. We reported his words about Finn yesterday following the rider's own statements; here below we report what Meeusen said in general about the team and Under 23 cycling:

COMPARED TO WORLD TOUR «Nowadays the gap between athletes isn't that wide, the big difference lies in the ability to manage and control races. In the top category there are more riders dedicated to a specific role, starting with domestiques who focus on the first hundred-plus kilometers of the race to keep a breakaway of 6-7 men at a safe distance. In U23, on the other hand, there can be unpredictable dynamics and more surprise winners. The guys are a bit less experienced and more eager to make a name for themselves. It's up to us to channel all of this in a positive way».

THE SQUAD FOR GIRO NEXT GEN «In general, compared to last year when we were born as a Devo and had to take athletes from other teams, now everyone is consolidating themselves in the Red Bull environment and we're really positioning ourselves as a development platform for our talents from Juniors to professionals. We have many first-year riders but we're winning more than last season, which means the maturation process is proceeding satisfactorily and we're creating a real cycling family, where everyone knows each other's strengths and weaknesses and has complete mutual trust. Through a combination of effective training and interpersonal communication, we're creating the right atmosphere to carry forward a long-term process with every rider. We'll put all of this on Italian roads and beyond. Thanks also to the expansion from 5 to 6 riders, at the Giro we'll bring a varied squad: guys supporting Finn in the climbs, guys supporting the team on flat terrain, fast wheels for the sprints».

THE ITALIANS «There's not just Finn, of course. There's Alessio Magagnotti, whom I've been following since 2023 and got to know in 2024; I know where he comes from and where he can go. There's Davide Donati, who won the Roubaix Espoirs and is growing rapidly like Magagnotti. Italy has an enormous tradition in producing champions: for a long time they could stay racing in their own country while today they tend to move to international structures like ours, where they have all the structures to accelerate their growth process and maximize their potential. The average level of Italian riders is high and I'm truly happy to work with them!»