"It was a dream come true.” Those wore the words of MTN-Qhubeka’s Kristian Sbaragli when he suddenly became a household name in professional cycling by winning a stage of the Vuelta a Espana. "It is not the first time I try: finally I succeeded. It is a great victory for me, for my team and for all of Africa,” he added after crossing the finish line of Castillon to take the first big victory. The third year at the pro level allowed the 24-year-old Italian to make a breakthrough and now he is ready to build on the success in 2016.

However, Sbaragli is still relishing what he achieved on that glorious day in late August.

"That day I said to myself "now or never!” I pushed hard and it went well,” he told Tuttobiciweb. “It is the dream of every professional to win a stage in a grand tour and I did it. It was just a great feeling. I had already had the taste of victory as a neo-professional when I won a stage in the 2013 Tour of Korea but to win in an important race like the Vuelta gave me a strong emotion. The next few days I had a high  moral but I was focused on the race.

“I only realized what I really did when I got home to Castelfiorentino, my friends and my girlfriend Camilla who had organized a beautiful surprise party. Making my dad Fabio and mom Lucia proud was the greatest satisfaction. I am happy that my parents were with me that day in Spain along with Camilla who has been at my side for five years and has lived in both Empoli and Tenerife. In winter I move to the Canaries to train in good weather and she takes a couple of weeks out of her schedule to accompany me.”

"For me it is important to follow the path I have had so far,” he added. “Year after year I am always able to improve, thanks to the team that allowed me to have an important calendar. In the three seasons in the top category I took part in many quality races on the WorldTour in which it is difficult to win as a young rider, but where you do the hard miles. I have collected many podiums, many placings in the top 5 and 10. I missed a victory for the moral and to get more space in the team. I wanted to repay the trust they had given me. I'm happy because I have improved and matured gradually.

“I thought I was a sprinter suitable only to the big bunch sprints but I understand that to excel at some level you have to be more resistant and durable so I worked specifically on that. Today there is a lot of fight for position in a bunch sprint with 200 riders while at the end of a selective race it is easier to find room. I'm specializing, but I have to improve to get better on the climbs of moderate difficulty and stay ahead to make it into reduced sprints.”

Sbaragli reveals that he was approached by WorldTour teams before he made the decision to turn pro with MTN-Qhubeka for the 2013 season.

"I started to ride at six years of age thanks to my grandfather Arduino who unfortunately passed away in 2006 but he left a legacy of his great passion for cycling,” he said. “As a child I did various sports, I grew up playing soccer, swimming in the pool and riding my bike. After 10 years of doing all the activities, I chose cycling because it was the one I enjoyed the most. My first bike was a Simoncini, purple. I graduated from high school, I love traveling and if I was not a professional cyclist I would probably have studied law or would have been entering Formula 1. But after proposals of Garmin and Ag2r, I got a relationship with the first African team in the history. That it was a UCI Professional Continental team convinced me to join this project that plans to help rural communities to grow by providing the largest number of children with bicycles, thus enabling them to study and work to improve their environment and their society. The European headquarters of the team is only 50 kilometers from my house, near Lucca. There we collect all the equipment and it is where the African riders live. We gather there when we come together to train together, as happened before the season. Every time I go to the headquarters in Johannesburg, it is a wonderful experience. "

Next year Sbaragli will again be a part of his current team that has made some big-name signings, most notably Mark Cavendish.

"I have a contract with this team - which will be called Dimension Data - for another season,2 he said. “I already had some contact with other teams, but it is too early to think about it and now I'm fine where I am. Later I will think about whether to renew or to consider other proposals. At the moment, everything is clear and I am grateful to those who allowed me to get to the highest category. In this team I often had to work for the captains, but on the other hand I also had several opportunities to do the race for myself. I have learned a lot by working for Boasson Hagen and Ciolek and I have gathered experience that will serve me well. I have proved I can fight at certain levels in both one-day races and stage races. I want to continue on this path. "

After his win in the Vuelta, Sbaragli was part of the 14-rider long list for the Italian Worlds team. However, he missed out when the list was whittled down to the 11 riders that ultimately travelled to Richmonds.

"Quite a lot,” he said when asked about how much he regretted missing out on selection. “In the Coppa Bernocchi I tried to do my best to prove my good condition, even though I didn’t get a good result, and in the Memorial Pantani and the GP Prato I showed good signs. Surely I am frustrated. I had hopes so it was a disappointment, but it's already been an honor to be included in the pre-selection of 14 for Richmond. Obviously riding the Worlds would have been the icing on the cake of a good season, but I take note of the choices made and I know that there are so many variables in play. I'm sorry, but nobody died. The important thing is to go fast, the opportunity will come.”

Unlike many of the riders that ultimately made the cut, Sbaragli doesn’t get much attention from the media.

"I only think about riding well, then the decision is up to the technicians,” he said. “Objectively, it is true that there is not much focus on me in the media but for me it is not a major problem. What I care about is that I am valued within my team so that I can have a good calendar. As for the national team, I hope to be able to experience the squad next year, to start a more consolidated work with the coach and prove myself at the Worlds in Qatar."

However, before it is time to think about Qatar, Sbaragli has ambitious goals for 2016.

"I want to make the most of 2016. I want to confirm the level. I want to have greater awareness of my ability and precise objectives,” he said. “I want to focus more on the races more suited to my skills and win another stage in a Grand Tour. I would like to be a contender in Milan-Sanremo and the Ardennes, mainly the Amstel Gold Race and the Brabantse Pijl. If MTN-Qhubeka will do the Giro which I really hope, it would become my main goal. I dream of a stage in pink.”