Jacopo Mosca (Trek-Segafredo) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jacopo Mosca may not have a professional contract just yet but the 23-year-old Italian is certainly making a name for himself at the Tour of Britain with a top ten place overall in his grasp with one stage remaining.
Mosca was handed a place as a stagiaire on the American-registered Trek-Segafredo team during the summer and made his debut at the Tour of Utah in August.
At the Tour of Britain he infiltrated the early break on the crucial second stage and finished in the top ten even when the GC riders made it across in the finale. That result set him up for the GC and he has remained in the top ten ever since.
"It's been a really good experience and I'm really thankful to the team," Mosca told Cyclingnews at the start of the final stage.
"It's a really unexpected result because I came here with the aim of trying to help the team. After the second stage I was in the GC and since the team have really supported me."
Mosca rides for the Viris Maserati team in Italy but was invited in by Trek Segafredo for a test. From there the young rider's summer campaign has gone from strength to strength.
"Trek brought me into the Mapei centre and did a test with me. Then we had a training camp with some young guys. Then I got the call from Trek-Segafredo."
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At the Tour of Utah the plan was to simply gain experience, something which Mosca soaked up from his teammates. The US race, with its high-altitude climbs and wide roads, is a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the Tour of Britain but Mosca has taken it all in his stride.
"Utah was my first experience with the team and it was another type of race with longer climbs and bigger roads. Here it's more nervous because the roads are narrower but I've really enjoyed by time in this country.
"I'm really surprised to still be in tenth place on GC, especially with the riders that are here in the race. There are some really good riders here," he added.
From here Mosca will head back to Italy and race for his Viris Maserati team before a one-day race in Trek-Segafredo colours. The 2017 is just around the corner but as yet Mosca does not have a contract, however he is hoping to reach the pro ranks.
"I don't yet know about next year but I hope to move up to a pro team."
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
