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16-Aug-2019: A pro since 2013, Mattia Cattaneo will return to the World Tour next season, after the man from Alzano Lombardo penned a two-year deal with Deceuninck – Quick-Step, the most successful team of 2019. Cattaneo has a diverse skill set, reflected in his palmares, which includes the prestigious Girobio, incidentally, Italy’s last overall victory at the race, several other wins, as well as a string of top 10 placings in many top races.
In the past couple of years, Mattia has proved himself to be a consistently strong rider, having ridden six Grand Tours, most recent of which was this year’s Giro d’Italia, where he finished second on stage 15, to Como. In addition to it, this season he also took an extremely impressive fourth place overall at the Tour of the Alps and an emphatic solo success at the Giro dell’Appennino.
“I am very, very happy to join the Wolfpack. For me it is a dream, because I have raced with Androni Giocattoli for three years, but my objective was to come back to the World Tour and with Deceuninck – Quick-Step I am going to the best team in the world in my opinion”, an elated Mattia said after signing the contract.
“I am looking forward to helping the squad continue to be successful, as well as hopefully getting my own opportunities. Being an Italian, the Giro is always going to be the race closest to my heart, but in the past, I have raced Ronde van Vlaanderen and I fell in love with this event; also Il Lombardia is very special to me, as it starts in my home town and covers roads that I know very well.”
Deceuninck – Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere also shared his thoughts on this transfer: “Mattia has shown himself to be a very solid and consistent rider. From a young age he was very strong, which you have to be to win the Girobio, one of the hardest races on the U23 calendar. Since then he has been really consistent, and off the back of the strong year that he has had so far, we recognised him as somebody that can give us continuity across a lot or races, work hard as a member of the Wolfpack, and hopefully create and seize his own opportunities.”
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