It has been an up and down year for Androni Giocattoli’s Andrea Zordan, gaining experience in the big Classics like Amstel, Flanders, E3 and Het Nieuwsblad. However, he has suffered from mononucleosis, destroying the middle part of his year.

The 22-year-old Italian talked to Cafe Roubaix about his neo-pro year and how he hopes to build on it for 2015.

“My first season as a pro was a long and hard one, with many difficult moments, but also with nice memories, one of which was traveling around the world with the team. It certainly was a significant leap for me, considering that I went from 130-150 km long races races to 200 km long races. The pace is an intense one, especially at the end of the races, but thanks to the different races which I did, I managed to cope with these things pretty well.”

He was in no doubt when he was asked what his best moment of the 2014 campaign was: his very strong August performances.

“Without any doubt, that was in the month of August. After I got over my physical problems, I did some training in France and in the end I could fight against fast riders like Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd and others. Then in Italy I made myself noticed in the Trittico Lombardo, with more than 200 kilometers in the breakaway during Coppa Agostini.”

Unsurprisingly, his mononucleosis proved to be the worst part of his first year riding among the pros.

“The worst moment was when I realized, in April, that I did not have an optimal physical condition. After several tests, in July I discovered that I had mononucleosis. That was why in many of the races I did I had a strange feeling and I felt tired. This led to many races I didn’t finish.”

But he also gained great experience in the Cobbled Classics, which should serve him very well in the future.

“It was an important experience that helped me grow a lot. I now understand that these are races in which you have to be at 110%, given that all the great champions want to do very good. In addition to that, I saw how the bikes are prepared for these kind of races, nothing is left to chance, never.”

His 2015 goals are simple: perform well in the Classics and the Giro d’Italia, which would be his debut Grand Tour.

“I’ve thought a lot about 2015 and I have already begun preparing for it, because I’m focused on doing very well. My goals are connected to the races in which the team will be invited. In addition to the Northern Classics, I want to race more in Italy and France, where I’ve noticed there many races held that suit me. Then I would be very happy if I could start in a race that I watched very often on television, Milano-San-Remo. But my biggest goal is to be at the start of the Giro d’Italia.”