Simone Antonini joined Wanty-Groupe Gobert in 2015. The young Italian neo-pro got to ride no less than seven WorldTour-races in his first season, including the Spring Classics and the Tour de Suisse. He proved to be a talented and hardworking rider throughout the year.

“It was a very intense year where I gained lots of experience because I got to do so many different races. The Spring Classics, both the cobbled and the Ardennes ones, were my season's highlight. To me, those are the most exciting races: you are part of a big show with the strongest men in the peloton and you feel small next to those champions. But this also gives extra motivation to perform at your best. The best moment of the season was Paris-Roubaix. My father and some friends came to cheer for me at the Carrefour de l’Arbre and when I entered the Velodrome in Roubaix. I still have goosebumps just thinking about how thrilled I was to finish such a monumental race!

Antonini turned 24 in February. He joined Wanty-Groupe Gobert with one big win under his belt: the overall classification in the Giro della Regione Friuli. Next to riding the big classics he also proved to have good instincts for the right breakaway. In the Bayern Rundfahrt he wore the mountain jersey for a two days.

“I see my first season as the foundation for next year, I learned many things especially during the Spring Classics. One of the most useful lessons I was taught by my colleagues is to pay attention to every turn because the risk of crashing is always behind the corner. The stage races are quite difficult. The atmosphere is very different from one day races. You always have to work hard all day, every day. Tour the Suisse was the most stressful for all the team, not just the riders. At the end I was totally empty but I finished!

This shows the tenacity of young Antonini. He finshed 60 of the 70 race days he did for Wanty-Groupe Gobert this season. 

"One of the most important things to work on are my climbing skills. Even if you aren’t a pure climber you need to manage your effort very well, so you are not completely empty when you reach the top. I also hope to improve in time trials (Antonini was 7th at the Italians championships this year). It’s the kind of race I love. Finally, my personal goal for next season is to play a main role in an important race."