Federico Savino: “I’m a more complete rider now”

The 21-year-old Italian talked about how much he has improved in the past couple of years and his hopes for the coming season.

Since joining our feeder team ahead of 2023, Federico Savino has racked up several victories and top-ten overall placings that underlined his potential and versatility, in both stage and one-day races. Now, as he prepares to start his fourth season with the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team, he is determined to show how much he has progressed under our tutelage and take some strong results in the biggest races on the calendar.

“Last season was my third with the team, and although I was hoping for more on a personal level, I am happy with it. One of the reasons for that is that I kept improving and learning; I learned how to read a race and ride smart, but I also improved my positioning, especially in the final part of a race.

Another important thing for me was that I got to compete together with the World Tour team in a number of races, such as O Gran Camiño, Coppi e Bartali and Slovakia. It was great to do that and live so many beautiful moments with the more experienced guys. It was a dream to be on the same squad as them and I loved every single moment of it.

I got some good results in the Circuit des Ardennes or the Tour de Bretagne, but the one that stands out is by far my overall victory at the West Bohemia Tour. We triumphed there in 2024, and it was amazing to repeat that success. I built my win early in the week, by going in the breakaway on the first stage, and together with the strong outing I had in the prologue, this propelled me into yellow. With the help of my incredible teammates, I defended the yellow jersey and took the victory, which was amazing.

I feel like I’m a more complete rider, but I know I can still improve, especially in the one-day races.

I will enter next season with a lot of ambitions, as I want to do well in a number of races, from Liège-Bastogne-Liège to the Giro Next Gen and the Tour de l’Avenir. I also hope to get some more chances to ride together with the World Tour team, because this is something that I know will help me become better.”

Photo credit: ©Wout Beel

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