Italian champion Filippo Zana will ride for BikeExchange-Jayco in 2023 after signing a three-year contract with the team. He joins from Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè, where he spent the first three seasons of his professional career.
Zana has enjoyed a fine 2022 season, winning the Italian road race title in Alberobello shortly after his overall victory in the Adriatica Ionica Race. In 2021, he claimed the Sazka Tour and the Course de la Paix, and he finished third overall at the Tour de l’Avenir.
“It is always special to have national champions on the team and we are delighted to be bringing Filippo onboard for next season,” said BikeExchange-Jayco general manager Brent Copeland.
“He is only 23 years old but has so much experience already and is certainly a rider we have been interested in for a while now and a rider we see a bright future with,” he added.
A native of Piovene Rocchette, near Vincenza, Zana raced with the Trevigiani Continental team before turning professional with Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè in 2020. He has completed the Giro d’Italia in each of his three professional seasons to date.
“I have lots of emotions and lots of motivation to train more and better to keep improving and pay off the trust Team BikeExchange-Jayco is giving to me, from Brent to all the staff I have been speaking with,” said Zana. “We have many goals, and we will try to achieve them.”
BikeExchange-Jayco have already signed Eddie Dunbar and Chris Harper for 2023, while Simon Yates and Michael Matthews have agreed contract extensions with the Australian squad.
“We are continuing to grow and strengthen our team for the Grand Tours and Filippo will play a big role in that,” said Copeland. “We hope he will be a valuable contributor to many more of our successes and also have more success himself in GreenEdge colours.”
