Italy’s Giacomo Villa should be a name more recognisable to you now than it was a few days ago, as the 2023 Trofeo Piva winner raced to 2nd behind trade teammate Anders Foldager on the opening stage of l’Avenir.
Just before the big U23 stage race, dubbed a mini Tour de France, kicked off, I interviewed the Biesse-Carrera rider to get to know some more about him.
The third-year U23 is one of the best one-day racers in Italy, with his Piva win being backed up with 2nd at Poggiani, 4th in the national U23 RR and 5th at Coppa della Pace.
“The season was crazy so far, I went one week with the national team in Puglia and it was my first time ever with the Italian team, than in April I won Piva and I was selected for U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, a beautiful, tough race. In may I had Covid and the Giro d’Italia U23 didn’t go as I wanted, so I used that for training, to increase my condition. In July, I went to Sestriere for twenty days with the Italian team to prepare for the Worlds, but then the decision from the sport director changed, so I stayed in Italy and I won the first race and finished second in Poggiana.”
Given his obvious strengths in one-day races, Villa likes climbs, provided they are not too steep, as he is a bit heavier than some of the climbers.
“I’m a rider who likes tough races with small climbs. The climbs I like are 6-7%, no more because I’m tall and my body weight is more than the climbers, and if there are long climbs with 8-9%, I’m not so good.”
Talking about the big Piva win, Giacomo tells me he was dropped on the last climb, but managed to get back on in the final descent before beating the leaders in a sprint, making the win all the more impressive.
“I did some results in the last part of 2022 so I started the season with the goal to do good international races in Veneto. The Piva day was crazy, I tried to follow the best riders, like De Pretto, Buratti, and then in the last climb, I was dropped a little bit. like 4-5 seconds to the first rider. I did a magical downhill and at the last km, I caught the others and at 150m to go, I started my sprint and I won. The win gave me the awareness to be one of the top Italian riders, and that I never lose hope, as the race is never finished until the line is crossed.”
Looking towards next season, Villa had had some contact with a pro team, but after his struggles at the U23 Giro, that move sadly didn’t come to pass. Now, he is looking for a team who he can join and grow into becoming a strong professional.
“I was called by a team, but the Giro as I said didn’t go well.. Now, I will try to find a good team that can give me the opportunity to race in professional races and the possibility to grow as I age.”
Finally, we talked about his dream pro win, which Giacomo tells me he has a few he wanted to pick, as well as some races he would love to just get to the start of one day.
“I want to say two races, Giro di Lombardia, because it’s near where I live and if I win, it will be a special moment. Then, I want to try the Belgian Classics and win one of them. But at the end, to do the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France, for sure will be an amazing experience that I want to try.”
I think Giacomo Villa is showing his strengths as a one-day racer, and I really home he gets the chance to progress to the pro level, to see where he can go as he gets older. I think he is a major rider to watch in 2024, and I don’t expect Trofeo Piva will be his last big win.
U23 Cycling Zone wishes to thank Giacomo for taking the time to answer my questions, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the season and beyond. You can find his Instagram linked here.
U23 Cycling Zone 