Davide Rebellin will ride for the Italian Work Service Marchiol Vega in 2021, his 29th season in the pro ranks, as he nears his 50th birthday.
Rebellin will make his season debut at the Trofeo Laigueglia on March 3, which opens the Italian season.
Rebellin had been linked to the troubled Cambodia Cycling Academy that is based in France. However he never agreed final terms and showed off his new Work Service jersey and bike on Saturday.
“It’s great to set new objectives and help the team management after the support they’ve shown me. Cycling is more than a job for me, it’s a passion,” Rebellin said in an announcement from the team.
“I can see myself in the young riders in the team, in their hopes and aspirations. Rather than just teaching them things, I hope to transmit to the whole team the emotions that cycling gives me.”
As part of Rebellin’s deal with the Work Service Marchiol team, he will help develop and test the Dynatek bike brand that is based in Padova, near Rebellin’s roots in the Veneto region of north-east Italy.
Rebellin is a highlander of the peloton. He turned professional after the 1992 Olympics Games and enjoyed a successful Classics career during the nineties and after went on to win the Ardennes triple of Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2004. He also counts Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Clásica San Sebastián and a stage of the 1996 Giro d'Italia among his palmares.
In 2008 he won silver at the Olympic Games road race in Beijing but lost his medal having tested positive for CERA. He always denied any wrongdoing but served his ban only to return at a lower level after his ban.
Rebellin rode for Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli and then CCC Polsat before joining a series of small of Italian Continental teams. He won the 2015 Coppa Agostoni, while his last victory was a stage at the 2017 Tour of Iran. He now makes the headlines for his racing close to his 50th birthday.
“Signing Rebellin didn’t happen by chance but is the evolution of our project and he is now part of it all,” team owner Massimo Levorato said.
“He’s an example of hard work and dedication for everyone. He’s a source of inspiration for the young riders in our team.”
