Rocco was a kind, but sometimes hotheaded, young boy who loved football and cycling. The obvious hero when he was quite young was Bettini - a Tuscan hero. As he got older he continued to play and love football and cycling but the former was a sport and the latter a hobby.

However, when his sister got into bike racing, Rocco Campagna followed her, first in mountain biking, where he had great success - the technical and punchy stylings suited the young boy well in the local and regional levels. However whilst Eva Campagna stuck to the mountain biking and loved it, Rocco wanted to take his cycling a step further once he became a teenager.

So, on the encouragement of one of the runners of the mountain biking league, he bought a cheap old Colnago and started competing on the tarmac as well as the dirt. He kept up both but he found himself excelling on the road. He won many races on many levels and though he kept up mountain biking (and still does when he can), his true talent (and passion) was for the road. Not necessarily tarmac if Rocco had any say. He loved them Tuscan back roads on his road bike as well.

As Rocco got older he found great success on the junior circuit, not always at the front but impressing with attacks and some consistent scoring in both Italian races and in the most prestigious junior events. As part of the Ride to Glory he's done enough to secure a contract for next year... the only question is: where?

Type of Rider: Full of panache! So far his spirit of attacking has undermined his chances of top 5 or top 3 success on the hard roads of the junior circuit. Campagna doesn't have too much of a specialty yet but has shown an affinity for one-day races - not to say just classics, he's won stages in stage races a lot but he is better at riding to win in the purest form than to ride for GC in the mountains - where he can also perform well, but on the Elite level it'll be a different matter for everything.

The hills, flats, cobbles and even some sprints have also shown to be Rocco's strengths and so, even though he hasn't beaten the big names of the future just yet, he's got a lot of options and could prove a useful domestique or even baroudeur in his neo-pro year. Loves to attack and has a good punch and racing mind. Will attack to the death, but not in the mindless Voeckler style, more in just a never-say die but still tactically ok style Happy to service teammates and is a loyal teammate on and off the bike.

Instinctive racer but also likes to know the course before-hand, particularly in technical classics and stage-races, where he can plan for stages to target or KoMs to chase if he has a free role.

Very good technically and with great energy over long days, tough days and multiple days alike. A bit lighter than your average cobbler means Roubaix can be tough on him but the Flemish classics, with their punchy and technical stylings, are his jam. But still could develop into a more bemuscled flat rider, or even more of a Gilbert or even Valverde type of rider - even though he's not going to be as good as them in all likelihood.

Oh and hates TTs. Duh.

Personality: A kind-hearted guy mostly but, despite being well-meaning, is probably too quick on the draw when he or a friend/teammate is insulted/mistreated, and doesn't pick his fights well at all, which gets him into sticky situations with rivals and, probably at some point, the UCI. Makes him a doggedly loyal teammate and friend. Loves his family above all, and grows to apply that to his team. Hates arrogance but can respect confidence. Also hates dopers. Self-assured but not overconfident.

Favourites: Loves Strade Bianche most of all, plus the Giro, San Remo and Lombardia in his home country of course. Absolutely in love with the Flanders classics and basically all of cycling as a big cycling romantic and nerd. As a part of this, he has a lot of respect for the history, not to say he can't appreciate positive changes in globalisation and not-doping. Also means he loves Le Tour even if he has to agree it's got boring recently - the Giro is definitely the best in Rocco's eyes. Doesn't really have a favourite team as their pasts can all be disillusioning - more about the people than the teams for him.

Modern heroes are Bettini, Stybar, Gilbert, L. Deignan, De Gendt, Jensie, Voeckler, et al. Has a huge respect for the heroics of older riders, his favourites there would be Fondriest, De Vlaeminck and Henri Van Lerberghe to name a few. Kind of likes Valverde and Contador also in modern times, but would like them more if they weren't goddamn dopers. Chiappucci and Kelly too, of course.

The road is his favourite cycling discipline by far but still loves MTB and has dabbled in CX. To Rocco you just can't beat the heroism and romance of road cycling though.