Davide Formolo has had a very impressive start to his professional career and yesterday he continued his meteoric rise when he finished 13th in the opening time trial of the Tour de Suisse. Despite being at the race mainly to support Peter Sagan, he hopes to get his chance at some point in the race.

The 2014 season has been marked by several strong performances from young neo-pros. One of the best youngsters has been Italian climber Davide Formolo who joined Cannondale for this season.

Already in the early Italian one-day races, Formolo proved his strength when he was clearly one of the strongest climbers but with flat finishes, the races didn't suit his characteristics. Unfortunately, his progress was halted when he was diagnosed with chicken pox but when he returned to competition at the Tour of Turkey, he proved his real talent.

Despite lining up on the back of an illness, he finished fourth overall after taking second in the final mountaintop finish. He recently returned to competition at the Tour des Fjords where he was one of the most aggressive riders and finished 12th overall in a race that didn't suit him.

Yesterday he made his WorldTour debut when he lined up for the opening time trial at the Tour de Suisse and the lanky climber defied expectations. Formolo ended the stage in 13th and even beat a specialist like Bradley Wiggins.

With several hard mountain stages coming up, Formolo is poised for a great result in the Swiss race. However, he keeps his feet firmly on the ground, knowing that he is mainly in the race to support Peter Sagan who hopes to extend his impressive list of victories in the event.

"I have to learn how to ride on this bike which is very stiff, and I have to work on that," he told Spaziociclismo. "With the help of my coash, I am sure I can do well and become better in the future. I did not know what to expect in this race. It is my first race at the level and I will definitely give my best.

"I trained well and I hope to be a good support for Peter Sagan. It would be even better if I can find some room to ride for myself. After the Tour de Suisse, I will do the Italian Championships. I still have a lot to learn and it is best to keep the feet on the ground. We will see whether I will be able to achieve good results."