Elia Viviani left the 2019 Giro d’Italia route presentation torn between the desire to ride his home Grand Tour in the Italian national champion’s tricolore jersey and reach his home town of Verona on the final stage, or accept the challenge of being Quick-Step Floors' number one sprinter and so target the sprints at the Tour de France.
Viviani ended his contract with Team Sky a year early to transfer to Quick-Step Floors in 2018. He was hired as an alternative to Fernando Gaviria, but as the season unfolded he outshone his younger rival, winning 18 races, including four stages at the Giro d’Italia and three at the Vuelta a Espana. Viviani ended the season as the most victorious rider of 2018, acting as a cornerstone for Quick-Step Floors' new record of 73 season victories.
Gaviria has recently ended his contract with Quick-Step Floors for a better-paid, three-year contract with UAE Team Emirates, making Viviani the Belgian team’s best sprint option for 2019, with Alvaro Hodeg and Fabio Jakobsen his understudies.
