Adriano Malori (1988, Movistar Team), Elia Viviani (1989, Team Sky) and Elisa Longo Borghini (1991, Wiggle-Honda) are the three cyclists to have joined the Rio 2016 Olympic Club, a program of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) ahead of the Olympic Games. It is a group of 127 athletes chosen for their chances of getting a good result in Rio de Janeiro.

Malori is recognized for his five victories last season, but especially the silver medal at the last time trial World Championships in Richmond (United States), where he was only beaten by Vasil Kiryienka, a result that suggests that he could be in the running for a medal next year.

For his part, Viviani, beyond his 13 road wins, has ambitions to succeed in the velodrome. Recently he was European omnium champion in Grenchen (Switzerland). The reigning Italian individual pursuit champion won two medals at the Worlds in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (France): silver in the madison, a non-Olympic discipline, with Liam Bertazzo and bronze in the omnium where he was beaten by Colombian Fernando Gaviria (now Etixx-Quick Step).

Elisa Longo-Borghini especially shone in the Tour of Flanders which she won and in the Giro d'Italia where he was eighth. In the season finale, she won the Giro dell'Emilia and was fourth in the road race at Worlds.