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JCL TEAM UKYO WELCOMES
FIVE NEW RIDERS FOR 2025 SEASON
Japanese National Champion Marino Kobayashi and Italian Andrea D’Amato, Alessandro Fancellu, Nicolò Garibbo and Simone Raccani are the first five riders to join the team for the upcoming season
Tokyo, 2nd December 2024 – JCL Team Ukyo is excited to announce the addition of five new riders to the roster for the upcoming season. After finishing the 2024 season with 16 wins (including the Tour of Japan General Classification), the Japan-based team is working to strengthen the line-up for a challenging 2025 race program while continuing its focus on young talents.
The first five names to join JCL Team Ukyo next season are the Japanese National Champion Marino Kobayashi and four young Italian riders: Andrea D’Amato, Alessandro Fancellu, Nicolò Garibbo and Simone Raccani.
]Born in 1994, Marino Kobayashi joins JCL Team Ukyo wearing the Japanese National Champion jersey. In his career, he won the U23 national championships in TT and road race before racing in the Pro Tour with Nippo-Vini Fantini: “This is a very important project – told Kobayashi – I’m proud to race in Europe and Asia with the Japanese National Champion jersey. I have a strong bond with Italy and I am thrilled to race there again.”
The new sprinter for the team will be Andrea D’Amato. The 22-year-old has shown his strength with notable achievements during last season, such as the success on Coppa Messapica and the 3rd and 4th place on the two flat stages during Giro NextGen: “I am very excited to join JCL Team Ukyo, it’s a good and well-organized team. It’s going to be a fantastic experience for me” said the young sprinter.
The climber Alessandro Fancellu joins JCL Team Ukyo after 4 years in Pro Tour with Eolo-Kometa and Q36.5. The 24-year-old from Como, who won the bronze medal in the 2018 Junior World Championship, is aware of his key role on the team: “My goal is to win a few races that suit me well. I’ve already been in some race in the program: I hope to bring my experience to the team and to improve to achieve some important results.”
Born in 1999, Nicolò Garibbo starts his new experience after some standout seasons as an amateur: in 2024, he won U23 Trofeo Matteotti and GP Città di Empoli. The rider from Imperia is confident to be in the right place at the right time: “I’ve always been fascinated by the JCL Team Ukyo organization, attention to details and race program. I know it’s a step forward for me to be in the team and I’m motivated.”
The 23-year-old Simone Raccani joins JCL Team Ukyo after a successful 2024, which saw him winning the Memorial Daniele Tortoli, besides a stage and GC of the Giro del Veneto. The climber is eager to grow with the team: “The race program here is very interesting. I am happy to race in different parts of the world, including the Tour of Japan, where the team is based. I’m sure that these races will be a great opportunity for me.”
The full 2025 JCL Team Ukyo roster will be unveiled next week, with some exciting news and some riders extending their contracts.
