The following interview was first published as part of the Cyclingnews podcast. Listen to the episode here.
When Marcel Kittel informed Patrick Lefevere of his decision to leave Quick-Step Floors at the end of 2017 the Belgian team boss moved swiftly to replace him.
Finding a like-for-like substitute was always going to be nigh-on impossible, but Lefevere is nothing but shrewd when it comes to the rider market, and when he realised there was a sniff of a chance of securing Elia Viviani from Team Sky, he pounced and landed one of the transfer coups of the year.
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After all, Viviani had a year remaining on his contract at Team Sky, and although there had been rumblings of discontent after his non-selection for the Giro d’Italia in May, and speculative reports of a mid-season move to UAE Emirates, the Italian looked set to remain a Sky rider for another year.
Fast forward to January and Viviani struts through the lobby of the Hilton hotel in downtown Adelaide in his blue and black Quick-Step kit. His broad smile says it all. Free from Team Sky’s obsession with stage races, he has everything he needs around him to thrive – including Kittel’s old leadout train.
Yet those quick to assume that Viviani can or will attempt to replicate the stature and position Kittel held at Quick-Step are mistaken. Both riders possess impressive turns of speed but there the similarities end. Kittel is a battering ram of a sprinter, Viviani a deft artist who wins through guile, and as Cyclingnews finds out, a rider who just wants to win beautiful races in as many beautiful ways as possible.
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