Simone Petilli is the next young Italian rider to move up to the pro ranks, after the 22 year old climber signed a neo-pro deal with Lampre-Merida. The talented rider spoke with Café Roubaix about his aims in his first year as a pro and how contact came about with the Italian WorldTour team.

“During the season I did a test with Lampre-Merida, and following the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, where I came third in the general classification, I received a phone call from the team to schedule an appointment. After that, they put a contract on the table, which I immediately signed.”

Petilli spoke about what it means for him to not just go pro, but to do it at the highest level with the best team in his country. He spoke about how he knows he has achieved one goal, and is now setting out more goals to last his career.

“Joining a World Tour team is a dream come true, and now that I’m realizing it, I have to give my best to achieve new goals. I have many new dreams that I want to turn into reality, and I will not stop here and think about what I did. Instead, I will focus on my future and on what I can do from this point onward.”

Talking about his goals for his first year as a pro, Petilli set a loft ambition: to ride his home Grand Tour, the Giro, in his first season, a difficult task.

“I want to prove that I deserve this chance that I got and to show my potential by working for the leaders and even take advantage of an opportunity in one arises. I want to be useful to the team and find my place in top level cycling. Another goal for next season is to ride the Giro d’Italia, because this is the race that every Italian kid dreams of when he gets into cycling.”