Top Italian all-rounder Alberto Bettiol has made a significant announcement. He aims to make his comeback to the Giro d'Italia in 2025. The opportunity to don the tricolore as the reigning National Champion in his country's biggest stage race is a major motivation for him.

Alberto Bettiol's Journey to the Giro d'Italia

Announcement at Giglio d'Oro Prize Reception

Bettiol revealed his plans during the reception for the prestigious Giglio d'Oro prize. This award is widely regarded as Italy's top national cycling honor for its riders. He won the men's Giglio d'Oro, while Chiara Consonni and Vittoria Guazzini, the gold medalists in the Madison at the Paris Olympics, claimed the equivalent women's prize.After a mid-year team switch to Astana Qazaqstan, Bettiol had an outstanding 2024 season. He achieved solo victories in both Milan-Turin and the Italian National Championships. It was also his best Classics campaign since winning the Tour of Flanders back in 2019. However, he was leading the Tour de Suisse overall early on but had to abandon due to injuries from a mid-race crash.When asked about his plans for the Giro d'Italia, Bettiol, 31, told Italian media outlets including Tuttobiciweb and ANSA during the prize-giving ceremony at Calenzano near Firenze. "I'm thinking of doing the Giro d'Italia because I haven't been there for a couple of years now. Honestly, the chance to wear the tricolore at the Giro is an even greater incentive."

Victory on Home Soil in Tuscany

Looking back at his victory on home soil in Tuscany, where he dropped the rest of the field on the final climb, Bettiol emphasized the significance. Having the chance to wear the national champion's jersey in the Tour de France at the Grand Départ in Firenze was an exceptional moment in his career, not just his season."To win it as a Tuscan rider, on a Tuscan circuit, was beautiful. Something that went beyond my expectations," he said. "And then another of those unique things, a dream, something that will never happen again, was also having the Grand Depart of the Tour de France a few steps from where I was born, from my home, and among so many fans. It was truly a great year, and I hope to make more and more great ones."

2025 Campaign with Astana Qazaqstan

Bettiol's 2025 campaign will be his first full year with Astana Qazaqstan, following the August 15 switch from his previous longstanding squad - EF Education-EasyPost. The Giro d'Italia is the only Grand Tour where he has taken a stage win so far, back in 2021 on stage 18 to Stradella in northern Italy after a break of more than 200 kilometres.Four years later, Bettiol said that he will follow his usual first half of the calendar in 2025. He will start at the Tour Down Under, where he won the opening prologue time trial in 2023. Then, he will continue with his regular Classics program and most likely the Giro d'Italia. However, he has not yet planned the second half of the season.