Matteo Tosatto is one of the most experienced rider in the 2016 peloton. The Italian has ridden 31 Grand Tours and he hopes to ride the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France again this season. Interviewed by Rouleur.co, he told about his long career, his teammates Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador and his program for the next twelve months.

"My first year was in 1997. Paolo Bettini was my first team-mate, at MG Maglifico-Technogym", he remembers. "When I started, a good bike was 8.4kg. Now, it’s under 7kg. That’s a big difference."

Tosatto has been riding with a lot ofthe  biggest names of the last three decades: Johan Museeuw, Alessandro Petacchi, Paolo Bettini, Tom Boonen, Alberto Contador, Peter Sagan.

This year he will again work for his leaders. With Peter Sagan, he will try to protect the Slovakian in the spring classics. He will be present at the start of the Giro with Rafal Majka and at the Tour de France in order to help Contador in his quest to win his 3rd Tour de France. "Now Peter Sagan is the world champion, but he’s a fantastic guy," Tosatto added. "Outside of the race too, he’s perfect. Alberto is the same. It’s a good group, which is very important for difficult races."

He also shared his view on modern cycling. "Every team sends nine riders to a race in top condition. Many years before, four or five guys were in preparation for the next race. Now, it’s impossible."