After an extraordinary 2025, culminating with victories at the Gent-Wevelgem U23 and the Italian Championship, this year Alessandro Borgo has managed to stand out among the WorldTour elite, performing well in the Monument Classics and achieving his first professional victory on May 24th at the Grand Prix Criquielion. After a week of rest due to a muscle injury, he looks with ambition towards the second part of the season, ready to demonstrate all his worth.

Hi Alessandro, how are you?

"At the moment I'm at my parents' house and I've recently resumed training after a week off due to a muscle strain. It happened on May 25th at the Antwerp Port Epic / Sels Trophy, the day after my victory at the Grand Prix Criquielion. In the final of the race I felt a muscle problem: initially I thought it was a cramp. I managed to reach the finish line, but then I realized it was something different. I took a few days of rest, but the pain wouldn't go away. We then had an ultrasound that revealed a strain. I had the Copenhagen Sprint and the Tour of Slovenia scheduled, two races where I could have carved out my space, but I had to withdraw. The team always puts health first and the goal is to recover in the best possible way. My next race will be the Italian Championship at the end of the month, after which I'll go to altitude to prepare for the second part of the season".

Do you think the Cuneo Italian Championship course suits your characteristics?

"Yes, it's a course that can adapt well to my characteristics. However, the Italian Championship is always a particular race. Many argue that it's an ideal track for Jonathan Milan: the last 80 kilometers are quite easy, while the first part is more demanding and winding. Much will depend on how the larger teams set up the race. I'll try to position myself correctly and be ready to seize every opportunity".

You're a young talent who already last season showed your qualities, and this year you achieved your first professional victory. For those who don't know you yet, what kind of rider are you?

"Among the Under 23s I was a rider who could defend myself well in the mountains and who could win in small group sprints. The jump to the professionals is big, though, and together with the team, we're still trying to understand what my real characteristics are. The team is giving me the opportunity to face very different races precisely to identify the terrain where I can express myself best. Even among the professionals I've noticed that hilly and demanding courses suit my characteristics well and that I perform best after long and selective races. In the race I won, Tim Merlier was also present. We knew that to beat him, we would have to make the race particularly hard, and that's what happened. In the end I managed to impose myself and this gave me a lot of confidence. I consider myself a rather versatile rider, capable of being competitive on different types of courses".

Are there champions you looked up to as a young rider or current riders with characteristics similar to yours that you particularly admire?

"When I was a child, my idol and that of many kids my age was Peter Sagan. Today, instead, the rider I admire most and whom I try to draw inspiration from is Mathieu van der Poel. He's one of the best interpreters of one-day classics and, from a stylistic point of view, he's one of the most beautiful riders to watch on a bike. Some say I resemble him in some characteristics; I simply try to learn from him and get as close as possible to his way of racing".

A few weeks ago you achieved your first professional victory, but let's take a step back to last season among the U23s. In 2025, your palmares include two prestigious victories like the Gent-Wevelgem U23 and the Italian Championship. Let's start with Gent-Wevelgem: take us back to the emotions of that day.

"Let's take a step back. In 2024, in my first year, the team took me to race in Belgium and there I had the opportunity to participate in Gent-Wevelgem. In my first experience I finished fifth. It was a somewhat unexpected result, but it confirmed the sixth place I had achieved about a month earlier at the Youngster Coast Challenge, another very important race in Belgium where all the best development teams are at the start. In 2025, in my second year among the Under 23s, together with my coach Alessio Mattiussi we set Gent-Wevelgem as the major objective of the season. We worked very well to arrive ready for that appointment and in the end the victory came. It was a great joy that rewarded all the sacrifices and work done in the previous months".

And at the end of June the Italian Championship also came.

"After Gent-Wevelgem I went to altitude with the team on the Passo Pordoi to prepare for the Giro Next Gen. At the Giro we had an extraordinary race as a team: my teammate Jakob Omrzel won the pink jersey and the white jersey, Seth Dunwoody won a stage and I got a second place in the Acqui Terme stage. That second place left me a bit bitter. I came home even more motivated and with a great desire for redemption ahead of the Italian Championship the following week. The Italian Championship was an unforgettable day. The charm of the tricolor jersey is incomparable. In the youth categories it seemed like an almost unattainable goal and managing to win it was an immense joy".

In the youth categories you weren't considered among the big favorites...

"I matured rather late compared to my peers and, physically, between the Esordiente and Allievi categories I wasn't at the level of the best. As an Esordiente I hadn't even been called up and within three or four years I went from following the Italian Championship from home in front of the television to winning it in the Under 23 category. It was something truly special".

When did you start racing?

"I started in the G5 category with Team Sprint Vidor".

When were you told about the move to the WorldTour?

"I had set myself the goal of doing two years as an Under 23 and then turning professional, and in the end I managed it. Already after the first year among the Under 23s there were good opportunities to make the jump at the end of the following season. Thanks to the results obtained in the second year we managed to reach an agreement with Bahrain Victorious. I decided to stay with Bahrain because I believe strongly in the project and I feel really good within the team".

This year you started the season with a victory, achieved at the Al Salam Championship with the Omniyat Shabab Al Ahli representative team. Tell us about this experience.

"We, like the UAE, represent very important realities in the Arab world. I raced with a selection of Omniyat Shabab Al Ahli together with other riders, including some teammates like Matej Mohorič. The race took place in Dubai and was an event that the royal family was particularly keen on. Starting the season with a victory was a nice satisfaction and gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year".

You then competed in three Monument Classics like Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. What was this first taste of great cycling like?

"I started with Milan-San Remo. For an Italian rider it's certainly one of the most felt races of all. It was a beautiful day. I started as support for Matej Mohorič, who has already won this race. I've bonded a lot with Matej. We often share a room during trips. He believes a lot in me, tries to pass on his experience to me and this helps me a lot in my growth".

What kind of race was San Remo for you?

"I started with support duties for the team and that day I really had great legs. I worked for my teammates and stayed in the front positions until just before the Cipressa. I was on Pogacar's wheel, with Van der Poel and Van Aert next to me, when Tadej crashed. I went down too, managed to get back up, but on the Cipressa I couldn't keep up with the best anymore. It's a race I really enjoyed and in the future I'd like to get a great result on these roads".

And what can you tell us about your debut at the Tour of Flanders?

"Among the three Monuments I competed in, it's definitely the one that moved me the most. That day I lived one of the most beautiful days of my life. Ten kilometers from the finish, after working all day for the team, I was in Alberto Bettiol's group but at a certain point my light went out and I was caught by the group behind us. It's a shame because I could have fought for a top twenty finish; in the end I finished 45th. Once I reached the finish line I burst into tears. I don't quite know why, maybe for the emotion of having lived such a special race, with an incredible crowd. That day anyway I gave my best performance of the season".

And Paris-Roubaix?

"Another extraordinary race, although Flanders moved me more. On the walls you really feel the warmth of the crowd because you proceed at lower speeds. At Roubaix you enter the cobblestone sectors at sixty kilometers per hour and exit at fifty. You have to be completely focused to avoid crashes and mechanical problems. In the Arenberg Forest I was coming out in the top ten, but about two hundred meters from the end of the sector I got a puncture and from there the race got complicated. I was getting back with Van der Poel's group when I got another puncture and from that moment I chased until the finish. I still managed to complete it. Entering the velodrome was an indescribable emotion. I took my hands off the handlebars, adjusted my glasses on my helmet and enjoyed the last lap and a half watching the crowd. Among the thousands of people on the stands I also saw my parents and it was a truly special moment".

After the experience in the Monument Classics, on May 24th came your first professional victory at the Grand Prix Criquielion in Belgium.

"Yes, after a first part of the season where I had always put myself at the service of the team, that was the first race where I started as team leader. The team raced perfectly and I managed to deliver on everyone's work. It was a beautiful satisfaction for both me and the team. It was a very hard day, characterized by high temperatures. On the penultimate lap I launched an attack that significantly selected the group. On the last lap I attacked again and we managed to get away with four riders. Not everyone was collaborating, but we still managed to fight for the victory in the sprint. I was especially worried about Fred Wright. I got on his wheel and when he attacked at 200 meters I realized I still had something to give. I managed to pass him just before the finish line thus achieving my first victory".

Now you're recovering from the injury. You'll restart with the Italian Championship: what will your plans be then?

"After the Italian Championship I'll go to altitude to prepare for the Tour of Poland and subsequently the Renewi Tour, two appointments where I hope to get good results. After the altitude period I should reach good condition and have all the credentials to have an important second part of the season".

Good, now let's look to the future: reveal to us your dream.

"I'm an ambitious guy. Winning a Monument Classic would be a dream. I know well that it takes time, patience and a lot of dedication because competing with champions of this level is never simple. However, the day I lived at the Tour of Flanders has stayed in my heart and my dream is to find myself one day there fighting for the victory".