Andrea Pasqualon has stepped down to continental level with the new Aero Zero team but proved that he still has what it takes to compete with the best when he sprinted to 3rd in his first race of the season, the GP Costa degli Etruschi. Despite missing out on the win, the Italian is happy to see his new team get their first season off to a solid start.

By winning a stage in the Tour de Limousin, Andrea Pasqualon had given signals that he has the capability to become a very capable sprinter at the end of hard races. After three years with Bardiani, however, he stepped down to continental level at the end of 2013, signing a contract with the new Aero Zero team.

Pasqualon got his career with that squad off to a great start when he finished 3rd in his first race, the GP Costa degli Etruschi. In a race that was perfectly suited to his characteristics, he survived the two passages of the Torre Segalari climb and was only beaten by Mauro Finetto (YellowFluo) in the sprint for 2nd behind winner Simone Ponzi (YellowFluo)

"I am very happy with this 3rd place," he told Spaziociclismo. "Of course victory is a unique thing but this is definitely a nice podium to start a new season. We are still very early in the season so I am pleased to already be on the podium because it means that I have worked well in the winter and that we can obtain good results in the next races. We hope that this has shown organizers that they should invite us to their races."

Pasqualon was also happy that his new team had shown strength in its very first race.

"The races are won by the team and not for by individual riders," he said. . Already today they have supported me and were willing to work for me because they knew I was in good shape. I congratulate the team as both Fabio Chinello and Marco Tecchio were in the breakaway and later worked for me with Paolo Ciavatta and Stefano Tonin. Aero Zero is a really strong team and you will see that we will obtain good results in 2014."

Sports director Andrea Tonti was also relieved to get the new team off to a flying start.

"We knew we had  worked well throughout the winter but as it was the first race, we lacked a direct comparison with the other teams," he said. "Our goal was to use our preparation as good as possible and I have to say that we did that very well. Chinello and Tecchio had the task of staying attentive in the early kilometres and so they did as they joined the early break that animated the race for almost 150km. All the riders have done well, both the young ones and the two more experienced, Ciavatta and Pasqualon who were our reference points.

"With this podium, Pasqualon has proved his worth and that he is a good rider, but today we have more than anything else proved that we are a unified and competitive team and this is for all of us the most important result.Pasqualon with this podium has proved its worth and that it may go away, but especially today we have proven to be a unified group and competitive and this is for all of us, athletes and staff, is the most important result."