Matteo Scalco wrapped up the Giro della Valle d’Aosta in style, claiming an excellent fourth place in the queen stage finishing in Breuil Cervinia, behind Widar, O’Brien, and Omrzel. Thanks to his strong performance, the Italian rider moved up to fifth place in the overall standings, becoming the highest-placed Italian. A remarkable result that confirms his growth among the Under-23 riders in the Youth Project.

These were his words:”We knew the race would be decided on the final climb. I was one minute off the podium, and the goal was to go all in. Halfway up the climb, Widar, O’Brien, and Omrzel launched a strong attack — they immediately opened up a gap and we were left about 30 seconds behind. We kept our own pace, but couldn’t close the gap. Still, I’m really happy. I was aiming for a top 5, maybe even the podium, which would have been a great result. Last year I missed the top ten here due to bad luck, so today felt like a bit of revenge. I’ve now finished in the top 10 in all three U23 grand tours: l’Avenir last year, the Giro and Valle this year. I’m proud of the path I’m building, and I thank the team.”

RESULTS – FIFTH STAGE – GIRO DELLA VALLE D’AOSTA: 

1 WIDAR Jarno Lotto Development Team 03:13:55

2 OMRZEL Jakob Bahrain Victorious Development Team + 00

3 O’BRIEN Liam Lidl-Trek Future Racing + 00

4 SCALCO Matteo VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè + 48

5 RAMÍREZ Mateo UAE Team Emirates Gen Z + 48

6 BRAVO Henrique Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team + 48

7 ARSAC Rémi Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme + 01:32

8 BIEHL Kevin General Store-Essegibi-F.Ili Curia + 01:32

9 MEEHAN Jamie AVC Aix-en-Provence Dole + 01:32

10 GRUSZCZYNSKI Filip Biesse-Carrera Premac + 01:32

FINAL CLASSIFICATION:

1 WIDAR Jarno Lotto Development Team 12:47:55

2 RAMÍREZ Mateo UAE Team Emirates Gen Z + 03:50

3 FAYOLLE Jean-Loup ARKEA-B&B HOTELS Continentale + 04:33

4 O’BRIEN Liam Lidl-Trek Future Racing + 04:35

5 SCALCO Matteo VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè + 05:01

6 MEEHAN Jamie AVC Aix-en-Provence Dole + 05:04

7 BRAVO Henrique Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team + 05:50

8 ARSAC Rémi Bourg-en-Bresse Ain Cyclisme + 05:50

9 SCHOOFS Jasper Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team + 07:37

10 GRUSZCZYNSKI Filip Biesse-Carrera Premac + 08:31