Lorenzo Finn: Pink Dreams at Giro Next Gen

Lorenzo Mark Finn needs little introduction. He is one of the brightest rising stars in world cycling, having won the junior world title and then the Under-23 world championship in consecutive seasons. The Italian has not yet turned 20 and is not even a professional rider yet, but the weight of expectations already resting on his shoulders is enormous. After all, Italy has not had a talent of this calibre in its hands for many years.

Finn is the same age as Paul Seixas, with whom he went head-to-head throughout their junior years. However, while Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale opted for a direct and fast-tracked route for the Frenchman, effectively allowing him to skip the Under-23 category altogether, a more cautious and gradual approach has been chosen for the talented rider from Liguria. Despite making several appearances among the professionals, Finn is spending two seasons with the Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe Rookies team, enjoying the opportunity to develop at his own pace.

6th overall in 2025

Last year, therefore, he already took part in the Giro Next Gen, in what was the first stage race in which he started with genuine ambitions. Things went fairly well, although a crash and the accumulated fatigue took their toll as the days went by. After finishing second on the Passo del Maniva, beaten only by Jarno Widar, Finn gradually lost some of his sharpness. By contrast, his teammate Luke Tuckwell grew stronger as the race progressed and found himself in the Maglia Rosa following the stage to Gavi. The rider from Liguria then devoted himself to supporting his teammate, eventually finishing the Giro in sixth place overall, while Tuckwell was denied overall victory by Jakob Omrzel, who snatched the lead on the very final stage.

Finn continued to develop as the months went by. He finished fourth at the Tour de l’Avenir and then, as mentioned, went on to become Under-23 world champion. He made a slightly slower start to this season, but found his form in April, claiming comfortable victories at both the Giro del Belvedere and the Palio del Recioto.

Lorenzo Finn, Tour of the Alps and Injury

At the Tour of the Alps he showed for the first time that he could compete at the highest level against other pro riders. On the stage to Val Martello, despite riding in support of eventual race winner Giulio Pellizzari, he held his own against riders such as Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal and several others who would later go on to finish in the top ten of the Giro d’Italia.

Unfortunately, the following day he crashed and fractured his wrist. For a moment, there were fears that he might be forced to miss the Giro Next Gen, but after undergoing surgery he recovered remarkably quickly. Not only will he be at the Corsa Rosa, he will arrive more motivated than ever.

“Together with the team, we managed the situation very quickly: I had surgery immediately after the crash, then spent a week at Red Bull’s performance centre for rehabilitation, followed by a period at home, before heading to altitude in Andorra,” Finn explained. “My wrist is now back to how it was before. After a month, it was almost completely healed, and thanks to the surgery I recovered very quickly. I had the same injury three years ago and was treated with a cast — the recovery took much longer. With surgery, it was incredibly quick”.

Among Giro Next Gen top favourites

Finn is well aware that he will be one of the leading favourites for the Giro Next Gen, a race that an Italian rider has not won since 2011, fifteen years ago. The expectations are even greater given that he will wear the rainbow jersey as Under-23 world champion and will be under scrutiny from the first kilometre to the last. Pressure, however, is something the rider from Liguria has often thrived on.

“We’ve analysed the route carefully and the structure of the stages is a bit different from last year,” explained the two-time world champion. “There are three days for the sprinters, whereas last year there were breakaways almost every day. This year there will basically be sprint stages and mountain stages. The last three days will be decisive for the general classification, with the final time trial playing a crucial role, and I’m preparing thoroughly for that. It will also be interesting to see who manages fatigue best towards the end of the race. If everything goes according to plan, I should be in top form for the start of the Giro”.