Alessandro Covi reminded everyone of his potential in the last week of 2026, having won the Giro del Veneto (1.Pro). In a sprint of a larger group, the Italian rider surpassed Anthon Charmig and Benoit Cosnefroy to claim his first victory in year and a half.

The form arrived a bit late for the 28-year-old this year, but it brings about a great deal of motivation towards further work ahead of 2027. After all, the former UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider switched to Team Jayco AlUla precisely to find more leadership opportunities in a slightly less competitive environment.

The first year did not go fully as envisioned. Covi missed that precentage or two to make the ends meet himself and often switched to the role of right-hand man for Andrea Vendrame, Mauro Schmid or Michael Matthews. But the win in Giro del Veneto shows that Covi finally found his place in the new home.

Even though changes will continue to test Covi's adaptability also in 2027: "One of the new developments for next year is that I'll be changing trainers, as Marco Pinotti will be leaving the team and I'll be working with Fabio Baronti," Covi says in an interview with bici.pro.

Covi once used to be one of UAE's talented youngsters. However after his progress stagnated beyond the 2021 & 2022 seasons, Covi saw his role gradually being reduced to the point where he was mostly racing the "third-group calendar" as a co-leader with the goal of scoring as many UCI points as possible to contribute to the UCI ranking titles.

"Looking back to the season just ended," says Covi, "the biggest change was to the calendar. I did practically all the WorldTour races, because following the philosophy in the UAE, I ended up racing in second-tier races. I also returned to a Grand Tour, in fact, I raced the Vuelta in September."

Back to the grand stage

Moving over to the Australian outfit, Covi finally made his debut in Ardennes, returned to a Grand Tour and made a Vuelta a Espana debut. These are the kinds of venues Covi once dreamt of competing at. And in 2027, he hopes to prove that is where he belongs.

"UAE and Jayco are different realities. Before, having a captain like Pogacar meant doing a certain type of work and racing. You'd ride for a long time and then it was his turn. Now it's different and I've gradually started taking on some responsibilities again."

Paying off trust

Covi further highlights how important to has been to him that Jayco AlUla trust the Italian to become an important asset once everything piece of puzzle falls in its place.

"The team gave me a helping hand and a lot of confidence. At first, I had a role as an assistant and worked for the captains on duty, like Vendrame. In the second half of the season, I raced to try and get back into the game. Seeing myself at the front of the pack again in races like the Vuelta was great and gave me confidence."

Finally, Covi expresses a wish to continue at the level displayed at Giro del Veneto in the new season, hoping to earn a spot in the team's nomination for his home Grand Tour. "For next year, I hope to continue like this, improve, and maybe even return to the Giro. I'd love to."