Alessandro Tonelli

The final piece completing the professional roster of Team Polti VisitMalta, Tonelli is the second-most experienced member of the squad after captain Maestri. However, as he said when signing his contract, “it’s almost like turning professional all over again.” This is because, over the past ten years, he spent his entire career with the Bardiani team led by the Reverberi family (where he was also a teammate of Maestri) before opening this new chapter with Ivan Basso and the Contador brothers. So far, he has competed in 8 Milan-San Remos, 6 editions of Il Lombardia (his favorite race) and 5 Giros d’Italia, with a stage podium at the sanctuary of Castelmonte in 2022. His palmarès includes two winning breakaways: one at the Cro Race in 2018 and another last year at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. “I started cycling at six years old as a reward from my parents for starting school well. I was torn between football and cycling, but my grandfather knew the vice president of the local cycling team, and that’s how I began. After many falls and getting back up, here I am! The moment I hold dearest isn’t a victory but the day in 2018 when I wore the leader’s jersey at the Tour of Britain for a day, ahead of riders like Roglic, Alaphilippe, and Froome”. Alessandro also holds a special place in his heart for risotto alla Milanese, his specialty in the kitchen, and above all his homeland: Franciacorta and Lake Iseo, spectacular landscapes where he never tires of training.