Giacomo Nizzolo has important ambitions for the near future: Milan-San Remo, the Giro d’Italia, the Northern classic and the Worlds in Qatar. The Italian has clear ideas for 2016: more success, especially with an eye on the major classics.

"I consider myself as a classics rider and so far I think I have proved that,” he tells Tuttobiciweb. “Next year I will do many races to become familiar with the courses, gradients and the difficulties of some of the great Northern classics. Of course the goal is to win but to get a result it takes a fair amount of experience so I want to start to study them for the future.”

26-year-old Nizzolo ended 2015 with a win in the Grand Prix Nobili Rubinetterie, the red jersey (points classification) in the Giro and the fifth place at the European Games in Baku. At the Worlds in Richmond, he was the best Italian in eighteenth.

"With regard to the Worlds, I was told that the course was tailor-made for me, but it was not like that,” he says. “I knew it from the first recon. It was much harder than I expected. On the last climb many sprinters like me - I refer to Degenkolb, Van Avermaet etc. – were suffering."

Is the circuit in Doha, Qatar better for him? "It is said to be favorable for fast riders. It is certainly easier than Richmond but we need to see whether it is more suitable to my characteristics. The important thing will be to get to the race in the best condition.”

For now, Nizzolo has his eyes on the near future.

“In a couple of weeks, precisely on December 8, we will gather for the first training camp in Calpe and Benidorm, Spain. We will stay there for ten days during which I will have to get to know my new teammates and plan the program leading to the Giro d’Italia together with my sporting director Luca Guercilena.”

Nizzolo will start 2016 at the Tour Down Under in the second half of January. He will mainly do WorldTour races as he looks to Paris-Nice and Milan-Sanremo, the first major goal.

"I look to the new year with the goal to be competitive in the great classics,” he says. “I have to train well during the winter weeks and find the ideal condition for the races. My first Sanremo this year is still fresh in my mind. I wanted to go faster but I suffered. It is a fascinating race that opens the great classics season. I'm considering all the possibilities to be able to ride as a protagonist."

After Sanremo, the sprinter will decide together with the technical staff how to best exploit his qualities in Belgium. Races like Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke, the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix could serve as learning grounds for him. He wants to gain more confidence in those races.

"So far I have done many important races but I have been missing the Northern races,” he says. “I have set myself a target that I want to arrive at the Giro d’Italia with a great condition and motivation. The Corsa Rosa is only an achievable goal with hard work so I regard it as crucial to start right now. The races of the North will have great riders so there I can compare myself to riders who are already strong.”