It the first Christmas as a professional for the newest member of the Martinelli cycling family. In 2016 Davide Martinelli will make his debut in the jersey of Etixx-QuickStep.

Born in 1993, he lives in near Brechia with father Giuseppe, sports director of Aru and Nibali at Astana, mother Anna and sister Francesca who is a race commissaire. With his professional approach that allows him to be meticulous and careful in the planning of and preparation of racing, Martinelli already has a rich palmares which in turn includes four Italian time trial titles (three as a U23 rider, one as a junior, the bronze medal in the road race at the last European Championships in Tartu in Estonia and the youth jersey in the Tour de l'Avenir.

Tuttobiciweb contacted Martinelli to find out how he has spent Christmas and what his goals are for 2016.

"Normally it is a day that you spend with relatives who come to our house," he said. "This year we were just me, dad, mom and my girlfriend Priscilla who is from Bologna and who also has a background in cycling. Usually December 25 is a day of complete relaxation, but I have sometimes tried to go out cycling during Christmas - not this year but the day before I did a nice distance. I like to spend it with my family and I confess that a little it is hard not to eat too much. However, this year I will be careful because I expect a demanding season and a whole new world.

"I love it after lunch, when we play cards and it really is the moment of maximum relaxation where you do not think about anything the bike does not even exist for my dad!"

Martinelli then reflected on his wishes for 2016.

"Since it will be a whole new year, my goal is definitely to learn as much as possible from my teammates," he said. "At Etixx-QuickStep I have so many established stars, I only have to mention a couple of names like Tom Boonen and Tony Martin who 'steal the spotlight'. It is not easy in the first year but I can already begin to understand what my role in the professional world will be. I want to understand how far I can get.

"I will soon make debut in January, from the 19th to the 24th, in Australia at the Tour Down Under stage race. I am very curious to see to how it is to do a WorldTour race with many protagonists of the highest level. I will be in France for the one-day races and some short stage races and also in Belgium for some minor races.

"The team has already explained that half of the team for the great Northern Classics is obviously already selection, but if I do well, I can get a spot. It would be a dream because it's the races that I love so much, but I know that will be difficult if not impossible to find space in the first year."