Conci puts surgery, Gazprom hardships behind him with Arctic Race podium

Alpecin-Deceuninck earned second overall with Nicola Conci and as best team in the Arctic Race of Norway
Alpecin-Deceuninck earned second overall with Nicola Conci and as best team in the Arctic Race of Norway (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

The past two seasons have been testing ones for Italian rider Nicola Conci but the Italian has recovered from iliac artery surgery and the demise of his team to make a quick comeback of sorts, one cemented by a podium finish at the Arctic Race of Norway on Sunday.

Conci, who this month signed a deal with Alpecin-Deceuninck for next season, was forced to cut his 2021 campaign short in a contract year with Trek-Segafredo to undergo iliac artery surgery. He landed at Gazprom-RusVelo this season but only got five race days under his belt before the team's ban and eventual disbandment in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dani Ostanek
Senior News Writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Before joining the team, she had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur. She writes and edits at Cyclingnews as well as running newsletter, social media, and how to watch campaigns.