In Belgium and at Lotto, everyone is happy about the arrival of Elia Viviani, who in the team led by Stéphane Heulot, in addition to having his own space as a protagonist, can be a valuable teacher for younger riders. Arnaud De Lie is the team's star and was informed last week about the Verona rider's arrival: yesterday, at the end of the second stage of the Volta ao Algarve, he wanted to express his joy for this new addition. "It's definitely good news" - the Belgian champion commented in Portugal - "We have a very young core and Elia is a guy with great experience in major races and he has won quite a few, which is an important advantage for us. I've already spoken with him and he's a guy with great passion who can help us a lot. Stéphane Heulot had told me about the possibility of this transfer. With us, he can play his cards in races where I'm not present, but he can also help me. I think someone like him is very useful to give me advice in the last kilometer. We know that sometimes I struggle to find the right rhythm at the finish, but he was a great sprinter and probably still is. Elia is perhaps the missing piece of the puzzle".

The meeting between Elia Viviani and Lotto came almost by chance in the last two weeks, when Viviani's agent, Giovanni Lombardi, contacted Stéphane Heulot.

"I was convinced he had decided to end his career or wanted to focus on the track" - the French manager recounted - "but his agent called me at the beginning of last week and told me about his desire to continue racing on the road. We talked and I went to meet Elia at the European Track Championships in Heusden-Zolder and saw him again on Saturday".

Viviani will have many opportunities in the team, because in addition to racing to help De Lie, he will have his own chances to hunt for victories.

"Elia will be a free electron with us" - the Lotto manager continued - "he has a lot of experience and hunger for victories. He wants to decide how to conclude his career. With our philosophy focused on young riders and talent development, we couldn't miss an opportunity like this. For Arnaud De Lie, who still needs to improve, and for our other young sprinters like Steffen De Schuyteneer or Matys Grisel, he will be a valuable teacher. I can also say that there are some guys who worry me and having a rider like Elia, for example alongside Lennert Van Eetvelt who wants to do the Tour of Flanders, reassures me very much".

The race in which Elia Viviani will make his debut with Lotto has not yet been confirmed, but most likely it will be on March 9th at GP Monséré.

Before being an important sports manager, Stéphane Heulot was a good rider who also wore the French national champion jersey during his career. Today he is a manager at Lotto and is achieving good results: thanks to his experience, he has an excellent ability to recognize riders who can bring important values to the team, and for him, Viviani is one of these. "I know Elia well, we were together at Cannondale in 2014. There are some riders with an extra soul who leave a mark in a career. And Elia is one of them".