UPDATE 13 August 2025: Australian based Team Jayco AlUla has signed Filippo Conca to their professional roster with immediate effect, offering the 2025 Italian National Road Champion a contract through 2027.”

In a huge upset that shocked Italian cycling, an amateur club outrode, outfoxed and outsprinted a field of top professionals on Sunday at the men’s Italian National Road Championships, with Filippo Conca (SWATT CLUB) crowned champion and teammate Mattia Gaffuri finishing 5th! 

The 26 year-old Swatt Club rider, with help from GFNY World Champion Gaffuri, won a 5-up sprint after 5:15:21 of racing on a 223 kilometer road course from Trieste to Gorizia.

With a stacked field including top pros Jonathan Milan (LIDL-TREK), Davide Formolo (MOVISTAR), Damiana Carusio (BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS) , Giacaomo Nizzolo (Q36.5), Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana) and many others, Conca was not on anybody’s bingo card to emerge as Italian national champion.

Although Conca previously tasted life as a road neo-pro with the Lotto and Q36.5 teams, he failed to secure a future contract. Without any options, he turned to running a B&B in Lecco and offering boat tours to make a living.

He kept pedaling though and switched to gravel racing, like many ex-pros, riding for the amateur Swatt Club team in 2025. In May he earned a 3rd place podium finish at Traka 200 in Spain and 5th place at the UCI Gravel World Championship Series Marly Gravel Race in the Netherlands.

As the new Italian National Road Champion, odds are good he will not be riding for amateur teams much longer…

2025 Italian Road National Championships Top 10

1. CONCA Filippo (Swatt Club) in 5:15:21
2. COVI Alessandro (UAE Team Emirates – XRG)
3. PESENTI Thomas (Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team)
4. ALEOTTI Giovanni (Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe)
5. GAFFURI Mattia (Swatt Club)
6. BARONCINI Filippo (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) a 0:10
7. MILAN Jonathan (Lidl – Trek) a 0:11
8. BURATTI Nicolò (Bahrain – Victorious) a 0:13
9. BUSATTO Francesco (Intermarché – Wanty) a 0:28
10. PARISINI Nicolò (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)

Photo Credit: ilgiorno.it

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