A cross country skier who has been cycling for less than a year is the latest signing with Egan Bernal’s old team.
Italian ProTeam Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec have signed 22-year-old Martí Vigo del Arco on a two-year deal, after the Spaniard showed “exceptional values” in fitness testing.
Vigo only started cycling in 2020 after his partner joined a professional team, and he quickly turned his attention to competition.
Having previously competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics as a skier, where he finished 19th in the team sprint, Vigo began racing with the Telco’m-On Clima-Oses cycling team this year.
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Vigo then underwent testing with former pro Patxi Vila, the head of performance at Movistar, and his results were found to be “exceptional,” according to Androni.
He was then picked up by agent Poalo Alberati, which led him to Androni team boss Gianni Savio.
The team said: “Hence the contact with the team manager of Androni Giocattoli Sidermec Gianni Savio who did not miss the opportunity to bet on a new talent, following the team’s youth project.”
Androni and Savio have been famed for the signing of Egan Bernal in 2016, who quickly became the biggest talent in professional cycling, joining Ineos after just two years with Androni then winning the Tour de France the following season.
The squad has been a platform for developing riders who later go on to success in the WorldTour.
Along with the likes of Bernal and his Colombian compatriots Iván Sosa, Androni has kickstarted the careers of Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck – Quick-Step), Fausto Masnada (CCC Team, now Deceuninck), Andrea Vendrama (Ag2r La Mondiale) and Davide Ballerini (Astana, now Deceuninck).
The team have also punched above their weight in Grand Tours, with Masnada picking up a stage of the Giro d’Italia for the squad in 2019.
