Davide Malacarne is one of many riders currently without a contract for 2017. After two seasons at Astana , the Italian rider is still searching for a new employer and the outlook is not the best.

It is a difficult situation for a rider who has spent his career with top teams, proving to be a valuable domestique for his captains, especially on the climbs. After three seasons at Etixx – QuickStep and a similar number of years at Europcar where he left a great impression, he made the transition to the Kazakh team where he always put his own ambitions aside in favor of the common good while actively participating in some of the biggest successes of the team. 

"I never expected to be without a contract in mid-November,” he told Spaziociclismo. “For a while, I had a half agreement with someone but today I find myself without a team. Each team makes its own choices and you don’t necessarily agree with the choices of everybody. But I think that I deserve a place for what I have shown in recent years.” 

It is a frustrating situation for rider who is still young and could still prove to be very valuable. In his WorldTour teams, he has always been very reliable for his captains.

"I'd hate to give up everything at age 29, just in the prime of my career,” he added. “I have yet to show the best because every year I feel better. I am aware of the sacrifices I made to get to this point."

Malacarne still hopes to find a solution even if he is aware of the difficulties.

"I still have some hope until December 31. I still want to ride, but at the moment there is no option that allows me to ride at a good level. I have little hope. The desire to ride is stronger than that to retire, however, we are at the end of November. If I had been 37-38 years old, I would have understood the situation because I would have been old ... But I am 29 years and I cannot explain it. Why do I have stop at 29 years of age?” 

With no offers from a road team, Malacarne is open to the possibility of a return to cyclo-cross where he won the world championships in the junior category in 2005, but he excludes this hypothesis for now.

"You must have the motivation. I am now in a process of despair. I'm training and working hard, but I have to think of other stimuli. Many ask me to go back to cyclo-cross, but when I cannot find a team on the road, it would be strange if I can find it in an area where I have not shown almost nothing. It would be inconsistent."